Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [606]
The caves take their name from a natural limestone arch that spans the River Cladagh where it emerges from the caves; you can reach it via a short walk along a signposted footpath from the visitor centre.
Unexpected serious flooding of the caves in the 1990s was found to have been caused by mechanised peat-cutting in the blanket bog – one of Ireland’s biggest – on the slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain, whose rivers feed the caves. Cuilcagh Mountain Park (www.cuilcaghmountainpark.com) was then established to restore and preserve the bog environment, and in 2001 the entire area was designated a Unesco Geopark. The park’s geology and ecology are explained in the caves’ visitor centre.
The Marble Arch Caves are 16km southwest of Enniskillen, and some 4km from Florence Court (an hour’s walk), reached via the A4 Sligo road and the A32.
Loughs Melvin & Macnean
Lough Melvin and Lough Macnean are situated along the border with the Republic, on the B52 road from Belcoo to Belleek. Lough Melvin is famous for its salmon and trout fishing, and is home to two unusual trout species – the sonaghan, with its distinctive black spots, and the crimson-spotted gillaroo – that are unique to the lough, as well as brown trout, ferox trout and char.
Corralea Activity Centre ( 6638 6123; www.activityireland.com; Belcoo), based on Upper Lough Macnean, hires out bicycles (half-/full-day £10/15) and two-person canoes (half-/full-day £15/20). It also offers instruction in activities such as caving, canoeing, climbing, windsurfing and archery from £22 per day.
The lakeside Lough Melvin Holiday Centre ( 6865 8142; www.melvinholidaycentre.com; Garrison; tent sites £12, caravan sites £20, dm £20) offers caving, canoeing, walking and fishing holidays, and also has a campsite, dorm accommodation, rooms with private bathrooms and a restaurant and coffee shop.
The Customs House Country Inn ( 6638 6285; www.customshouseinn.com; Main St, Belcoo; s/d from £60/80; mains £9-15; ) is a welcoming pub decked out in acres of waxed oak and pine, with a cosy, candlelit restaurant and nine bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, many with good views of Lough Macnean.
There is also gourmet dining a few hundred metres across the border in Blacklion, County Cavan.
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COUNTY TYRONE
OMAGH
pop 20,000
Situated at the confluence of the Rivers Camowen and Drumragh, which join to form the River Strule, Omagh is a busy market town that serves as a useful base for exploring the surrounding area by car.
Sadly, for a long time to come, Omagh (An Óghmagh) will be remembered for the devastating 1988 car bomb that killed 29 people and injured 200. Planted by the breakaway group Real IRA, the bomb was the worst single atrocity in the 30-year history of the Troubles. A memorial garden on Drumragh Avenue, 200m east of the bus station, remembers the dead.
The tourist information centre ( 8224 7831; info@omagh.gov.uk; Strule Arts Centre, Town Hall Sq, Bridge St; 10am-5.45pm Mon-Sat) is in the new arts centre, just across the river from the bus station. It has a Town Trail leaflet that guides you around Omagh’s remaining historic buildings.
Sleeping & Eating
Mullaghmore House ( 8224 2314; www.mullaghmorehouse.com; Old Mountfield Rd; s/d £42/78; ) Offering affordable country-house luxury, this beautifully restored Georgian villa boasts a gleaming mahogany-panelled library, billiards room and marble-lined steam room. The bedrooms have period cast-iron fireplaces and antique furniture, and the owners run courses on antique restoration and traditional crafts. It’s 1.5km northeast of the town centre.
Riverfront Coffee Shop ( 8225 0011; 38 Market St; sandwiches £3-5; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Sat) This lively little eatery serves up excellent coffee, cakes, quiche, homemade soup, and choose-your-own sandwiches on baguettes, panini or ciabatta rolls, and also provides vegetarian, coeliac-friendly and low-carb options.
Grant’s of Omagh ( 8225 0900; 29 George’s St; mains £8-16; 4-10pm Mon-Fri, 3-10.30pm Sat, noon-10pm