Snuggled upon the shore of Carlingford Lough on the South Down Coast, Rostrevor seems a world away from the hustle of London or the bustle of Belfast. A haven of peace and tranquility, this little village could have inspired countless Phil Coulter instrumental albums, but it is vibrant too, not some sleepy backwater. Said to be the most sheltered spot in Ireland, it has been dubbed 'The Riviera of the North'. Let's just say it's not as overdeveloped as the Med and as for mosquitos read midges.

An hour's drive from Belfast airport and you're there, just across the fjord from the Irish Republic. We are in good hands, my wife, baby and I, in the An Tobar B&B run by former Irish Post readers Jim and Marie Gavaghan who moved back from Preston in the 70's. Marie puts on a fine spread for breakfast. The only word of warning I can give is the amount you can eat is in inverse proportion to the amount you have drunk the night before in the Cloughmore or Glenside Inns.

Jim and Marie have the kind of view from the living room that makes a TV set redundant. On one channel you have Carlingford Lough, on the other the thickly forested Kilbroney Park atop which you can just make out Clough Mor or the Big Stone, a 30 tonne granite boulder, 1000ft above the village. Geologists call it a spectacular remnant of the Ice Age. Folklorists attribute it to the legendary giant Finn McCool, but having trekked all the way up to look at it with a pushchair (but without the benefit of oxygen or sherpas) let me tell you it is just a big stone.

Kilbroney Park, once owned by the Queen Mother's family, is an ideal spot for caravanning or camping holidays. On the bank holiday weekend we were there it was relatively quiet but the facilities are excellent and it is well maintained. There are plenty of forest trails for wholesome walks up to the Fiddler's Green, a forest glade where traditional musicians once gathered, or down the Fairy Glen. The well known musical family, the Sands, live by the entrance to the park and every summer they are involved in the Fiddler's Green Festival of seisuns, ceiles and story-telling.

You might meet President McAleese's father serving behind the counter in the Old Killowen Inn. The McAleese's still have a home in the town where they lived before moving to the Aras an Uachtarain. You will occasionally see the President at Sunday mass, so I am informed.

There's plenty to see within a few miles radius of Rostrevor. Warrenpoint is a lively resort town. Diamonds restaurant is recommended for lunch there and you can catch the ferry to Omeath for a couple of quid. the Maiden of the Mournes festival every August is the North's answer to the Rose of Tralee. There's a market on in Newry every weekend and the brand new Canal Court Hotel is the place to go for a grand feed. If you want to walk it off, get up the Mourne mountains with you and don't come down till you've lost a stone.

Martin Doyle