12 Mar Lough Erne and Enniskillen
The appealing little town of Enniskillen owes much of its attractiveness to its setting on an island where the two sections of Lough Erne constrict to their narrowest point. Several routes converge on Enniskillen’s strategic location and at busy times it can be a traffic bottleneck. Nevertheless, it makes a good base for exploring Fermanagh’s lakeland, where boat trips, fishing and several islands offer many diversions. Ireland Luxury Tours can visit on day tours out of Belfast or as part of their tours of Ireland.
In the town the main places of interest are the quaintly turreted Watergate, and the castle, which contains two museums. One is a heritage centre devoted to Fermanagh life and customs, the other a museum dedicated to the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and Dragoons.
Boat trips operate from various points on Lower Lough Erne (the northern lake), where several islands can be visited. Boa Island, White Island and Devenish Island all have interesting Celtic or early Christian antiquities. Reached via the pretty lake-shore roads, Castle Archdale Country Park and Castle Caldwell Forest Park offer good woodland walks and picnic sites.
At the far western tip of the lake, straddling the border with the Republic, Belleck is famous for its pottery. Guided tours around the factory can be arranged and a museum and visitor centre display some of its wares. Belleck pottery is extraordinarily elaborate and delicate; clay is extruded in thin strands which are then laid over each other in complex lattice patterns to form the classic ‘basketware’ style. With such an intricate and delicate process, it is perhaps no surprise that the results are not cheap.
Amongst our tours of Ireland we can organise crewed cruisers for a few days or more on the lakes.