The A25 is the name given to the sections of the main route connecting

Strangford Strangford (from Old Norse ''Strangr fjörðr'', meaning "strong sea-inlet") is a small village at the mouth of Strangford Lough, on the Lecale peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 475 at the 2001 Census. On the ...

with Castleblayney that lie in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It is a road of regional importance, serving much of

south Armagh South Armagh may refer to: *The southern part of County Armagh * South Armagh (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency) *South Armagh (UK Parliament constituency) *Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade The South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional ...

and south Down. The road commences in the village of

, on the shores of Strangford Lough, from which the

Portaferry - Strangford Ferry Portaferry () is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula, near the Narrows at the entrance to Strangford Lough. It is home to the Exploris aquarium and is well known for the annual Gala Week Flo ...

service transports vehicles to Portaferry on the

Ards peninsula The Ards Peninsula () is a peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the north-east coast of Ireland. It separates Strangford Lough from the North Channel of the Irish Sea. Towns and villages on the peninsula include Donaghadee, Millisle ...

. The entirety of the route is 61.2 miles, of which 54.5 miles are located north of the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

, forming the A25 - the remaining 6.7 miles form the R182 in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

. The route has strategic importance, as it connects Downpatrick, Newcastle and

Castlewellan Castlewellan () is a small town in County Down, in the south-east of Northern Ireland close to the Irish Sea. It is beside Castlewellan Lake and Slievenaslat mountain, southwest of Downpatrick. It lies between the Mourne Mountains and Slieve C ...

with Newry, and thus provides a link with

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Between Castlewellan and Newry, the route passes through rural villages such as Kilcoo and Rathfriland, which would be considered part of the Mourne Country, due to their proximity to the mountains of the same name. Both

Castlewellan Forest Park Castlewellan Forest Park is located in the town of Castlewellan in County Down, Northern Ireland. The park covers some 460 hectares, including woodland and a 40 hectare lake. It was opened to the public in 1967 after the Forest Service of the De ...

and

Tollymore Forest Park Tollymore Forest Park was the first state forest park in Northern Ireland, established on 2 June 1955. It is located at Bryansford, near the town of Newcastle in the Mourne and Slieve Croob Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It covers an area ...

are located nearby, as is the afore mentioned seaside resort of Newcastle. The route also passes through the Lecale district. The A25 travels through Newry in the Rathfriland Road, Monaghan Street and Camlough Road, passing through the heart of the city, and northwestwards towards the city's railway station (located on the

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

mainline). The railway bridge over the A25 is known as the Egyptian Arch and featured in recent years on Northern Ireland's £1 coins. The Newry bypass ( A1) also bridges above the Camlough Road. The junction between the two routes is currently being upgraded to have motorway characteristics as part of Newry's new bypass scheme (from Cloghoge Roundabout to the Belfast Road). On the western side of the city, the road becomes the principal transport corridor serving much of south Armagh; running near Bessbrook, through

Camlough Camlough ( ; ) is a village five kilometres west of Newry in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The village is named after a lake, known as Cam Lough, in the parish, which is about 90 acres in extent. South of the village is Camlough Mountain (Sli ...

, Belleek and

Newtownhamilton Newtownhamilton is a small town and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies predominantly within Tullyvallan townland. The civil parish is within the historic barony of Fews Upper. In the 2011 Census it had 2,836 inhabitants. ...

. This area, like the Mournes, is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and passes near Camlough Lake.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:A25 Road (Ireland) 1 Roads in County Armagh Roads in County Down