Things to do in County Fermanagh
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Castle Coole
When King George IV visited Ireland in 1821, the second Earl of Belmore had a state bedroom specially prepared at Castle Coole in anticipation of the monarch's visit. The king, however, was more interested in dallying with his mistress at Slane Castle and never turned up. The bedroom, draped in red silk and decorated with paintings depicting The Rake's Progress (the earl's sniffy riposte to the king's extramarital shenanigans), is one of the highlights of the one-hour guided tour.
Designed by James Wyatt, this Palladian mansion was built between 1789 and 1795 for Armar Lowry-Corry, the first Earl of Belmore, and is probably the purest expression of late-18th-century neocla…
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Lough Navar Forest Park
This forest park lies at the western end of Lower Lough Erne, where the Cliffs of Magho – a 250m-high and 9km-long limestone escarpment – rise above a fringe of native woodland on the south shore. An 11km scenic drive through the park leads to the Magho Viewpoint. The panorama from the cliff top here is one of the finest in Ireland, especially before sunset: it looks out over the shimmering expanse of Lough and river to the Blue Stack Mountains, the sparkling waters of Donegal Bay and the sea cliffs of Slieve League. The vehicle entrance to Lough Navar Forest Park is on the minor Glennasheevar road between Garrison and Derrygonnelly, 20km south-east of Belleek (take the B…
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Enniskillen Castle
Enniskillen Castle, a former stronghold of the 16th-century Maguire chieftains, guards the western end of the town's central island, its twin-turreted Watergate looming over passing fleets of cabin cruisers. Within the walls you'll find the Fermanagh County Museum, which has displays on the county's history, archaeology, landscape and wildlife. The 15th-century keep contains the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Regimental Museum, full of guns, uniforms and medals – including eight Victoria Crosses awarded in WWI; it's dedicated to the regiment that was raised at the castle in 1689 to support the army of William I.
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Castle Archdale Country Park
This park has pleasant woodland and lakeshore walks and cycle tracks in the former estate of 18th-century Archdale Manor. The island-filled bay was used in WWII as a base for Catalina flying boats, a history explained in the visitor centre. You can hire bikes for £4/8/12 per hour/ half-day/full-day, or swap two wheels for four legs – the park offers pony trekking (£15 per hour), as well as short rides (£5 per 15 minutes) for beginners. There are also boats for hire (£55/80 per half-day/full-day), and you can also rent fishing rods (£5 per day including bait). The park is 16km northwest of Enniskillen on the B82, near Lisnarick.
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Oscar's
Following a facelift and a change of management, this Enniskillen institution now sports a casual Tuscan-style restaurant upstairs, complete with a wood-fired pizza oven, and a more formal, Victorian dining room downstairs.
The menu ranges from pizza and pasta through to flame-grilled steaks and seafood, with gourmet specials such as tartlet of goat's cheese with Clonakilty black pudding, and prawn ravioli with smoked cheddar and basil cream sauce. The kitchen can cater for various special diets if you warn them when booking.
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Kingfisher Trail
The Kingfisher Trail is a waymarked, long-distance cycling trail that starts in Enniskillen and wends its way through the back roads of Counties Fermanagh, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan. The full route is around 370km long, but a shorter loop, starting and finishing in Enniskillen, and travelling via Kesh, Belleek, Garrison, Belcoo and the village of Florencecourt, is only 115km – easily done in two days with an overnight stay at Belleek. You can get a trail map from the Enniskillen Tourist Information Centre. There's no bicycle hire available in Enniskillen, though; the nearest is in Castle Archdale Country Park.
You can buy fishing permits and licences from the tourist i…
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Dollakis
As well as serving lunch (noon to 4pm), cakes and snacks through the day, this chic little cafe transforms into a Greek-Mediterranean restaurant in the evening. The evening menu includes things such as grilled sea bream stuffed with lemon and herbs, chicken souvlaki and vegetarian moussaka.
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Erne Tours
Operates 1¾-hour cruises on Lower Lough Erne aboard the 56-seat waterbus MV Kestrel, calling at Devenish Island along the way. It departs from the Round 'O' Quay, just west of the town centre on the A46 to Belleek. There are also Saturday evening cruises that include a three-course dinner at the Killyhevlin Hotel, departing from the hotel jetty.
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Scoffs Wine Bar & Restaurant
This busy restaurant has a modern vibe with shades of chocolate-brown and burgundy, dark wood and dim candlelight, and an international menu that includes braised lamb shank with creamy mash and redcurrant and rosemary gravy, and spicy vegetable and sunflower seed tortillas with tomato sauce and créme fraiche. The downstairs wine bar offers lighter meals. Three-course Sunday lunch costs £18.
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Sheelin Irish Lace Museum
This museum houses a collection of beautiful Irish lace dating from 1850 to 1900. Lace-making was an important cottage industry in the region both before and after the Famine – prior to WWI there were at least 10 lace schools in County Fermanagh. The museum is just over 6km southwest of Enniskillen.
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Knockninny Marina
Day boats can be hired for fishing or exploring from Knockninny Marina on the west shore of the lough; rates are €50/70 per half-/full-day for a six-seater motor boat with cabin. The marina also rents bikes for €7/12 a half-/full day. It's signposted from the main road just north of Derrylin.
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Blake's of the Hollow
Ulster's best pint of Guinness awaits you in this traditional Victorian pub, almost unchanged since 1887, complete with marble-topped bar, four huge sherry casks, antique silver lamp holders and ancient wood panelling kippered by a century of cigarette smoke. There's traditional music from 9pm on Fridays.
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Cole's Monument
In Forthill Park, at the eastern end of town, stands Cole's Monument. It commemorates Sir Galbraith Lowry-Cole (1772–1842), who was one of Wellington's generals and the son of the first Earl of Enniskillen. Climb the 108 steps inside the column for a good view of the surrounding area.
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Rectory Bistro
Adjoining the Cedars Guesthouse, this bistro has a welcoming open fireplace, lots of golden pine lit by chunky candles and a sprinkling of Gothic motifs, with a hearty menu that ranges from a fresh crab and smoked salmon pâté to beef and Guinness pie with creamy mashed potato.
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Blue Badge Tours
Offers guided tours of Enniskillen and the Lough Erne area with local historian Breege McCusker, a registered tourist guide. Special interest tours include prehistoric sites, monastic sites, carved stones and Plantation castles.
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Bush Bar
The nearest Enniskillen comes to a nightclub, with leather chairs and banquettes in various shades of coffee from dark roast to cafe au lait, a reasonable cocktail menu, and an upstairs lounge that hosts DJs or live bands on Friday and Saturday.
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Ardhowen Theatre
The program here includes concerts, local amateur and professional drama and musical productions, pantomimes and films. The theatre is about 2km southeast of the town centre on the A4, in an impressive glass-fronted building overlooking a lake.
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Castle Caldwell Forest Park
Castle Caldwell, built between 1610 and 1619, is nothing but a ruin, but the park, about halfway between Boa Island and Belleek, has a nature reserve full of bird life, and is a major breeding ground for the common scoter.
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Kissin Crust
Very popular with local people, this friendly coffee shop is stacked with home-baked apple pie, lemon meringue pie, quiches and scones, and serves up a lunch menu of homemade soup, freshly made sandwiches and a hot dish of the day.
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Crowe's Nest
A lively bar with a conservatory and patio out the back for those sunny summer afternoons, the Nest has live music most nights from 9pm in the back bar and traditional music sessions downstairs on Saturday afternoons.
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Franco's
An atmospheric warren of wood-panelled, candlelit nooks set in a former blacksmith's forge, Franco's is always bustling and noisy, and serves a range of Italian, Asian and seafood dishes. Early bird menus (noon to 8pm Monday to Thursday, to 7pm Friday and 5.15pm Saturday) offer two/three courses for €16/20.
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Ultimate Watersports
Working out of Castle Archdale marina and Lusty Beg island, offers equipment hire and instruction in water-skiing, wakeboarding, jet-skiing, canoeing, dinghy sailing and power-boating.
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Ruby’s Coffee & Sandwich Bar
Tucked upstairs in Eason’s bookshop is this comfy nook furnished with sofas and armchairs, offering breakfast bagels and croissants, sandwiches and salads, soups and baked potatoes. Free newspapers, too.
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Crom Estate
Home to the largest area of natural woodland in Northern Ireland, the National Trust's beautiful Crom Estate is a haven for pine martens, rare bats and many species of bird.
You can walk from the visitor centre to the ruins of old Crom Castle, with its ancient walled garden, abandoned bowling green and gnarled yew trees, and views over the reed-fringed lough to an island folly. There are rowing boats for hire (€6 per hour).
Check the National Trust website for details on bat-watching and other wildlife events.
The estate is on the eastern shore of the Upper Lough, 5km west of Newtownbutler.
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Buttermarket
The refurbished buildings in the old marketplace house a variety of craft shops and studios selling paintings, cer amics, jewellery and even fishing flies.
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