The Lagan Valley (,

Ulster Scots Ulster Scots, may refer to: * Ulster Scots people * Ulster Scots dialect Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots (', ga, Albainis Uladh), also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the dialect of Scots language, Scots spoken in parts of Ulster in North ...

: ''Glen Lagan'') is an area of Northern Ireland between Belfast and

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...

. The

River Lagan The River Lagan (; Ulster Scots: ''Lagan Wattèr'') is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 53.5 miles (86 km) from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The ...

rises on Slieve Croob in

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

and flows generally northward discharging into Belfast Lough. For a section, the river forms part of the border between the counties of Antrim and

Down Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland, a ty ...

. The towpath which runs alongside the River between

and Belfast is popular with walkers, runners, cyclists, dog owners etc. It is a very scenic and peaceful area and is ideal for walking, cycling etc. As a cycle route the towpath forms part of National Cycle Route 9. There are a number of "off route" mountain bike trails along the route. The Lagan Valley is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The AONB was established in 1965 and the greater part of it lies within the Greater Belfast area.

Political constituency

The Lagan Valley is also the name of a constituency in the House of Commons covering Lisburn and surrounding areas, as well as the Assembly constituency in the same area. The UK parliamentary constituency has been a Unionist stronghold. The current MP for the constituency is Jeffrey Donaldson of the

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...

who was first elected as an Ulster Unionist Party candidate in 1997, retaining the seat in 2001. Following his defection to the DUP, he retained the seat in 2005.Lagan Valley
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References

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Northern Ireland Valleys of Northern Ireland Protected areas established in 1965 Protected areas of County Antrim {{Antrim-geo-stub