An A-Z of Things to See in Ireland – The Kingfisher Cycle Trail
We have arrived at the letter K in this ABC series of Things to See in Ireland. The letter K is one for the tourist seeking a way of combining outdoor activity with seeing many of the other items on this A-Z list. The Kingfisher Cycle trail combines Ecotourism with totting off many of the items of things to see – ancient sites, beaches, castles, dolmens, glens, the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark and much, much more!
Have I got you interested? Then don your cycle helmet and let me tell you how you can see so many things in Ireland by simply following the Kingfisher Cycle Trail. This is a 240 mile trail that takes your through counties Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and Donegal, West Cavan, Leitrim and south-western Monaghan.
You can can to entire trail or take shorter loops. The centre of the loops meet in Enniskillen, the county seat of Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. A short distance outside Enniskillen you can see one of the finest examples of an Irish Round Tower in Lough Erne. The town itself will offer good accommodation, banks, restaurants and supermarkets and health food shops for you to stock up your Trail Mix. Enniskillen Castle is a museum open to the public. The town is on Lough Erne and is itself the terminus of the Shannon-Erne Water.
You have a choice of taking a route around the northern shore of Lough Erne or southern shore of Lough Erne. One possible way is to take the northern shore route over to the Atlantic coast and return to base back in Enniskillen via the southern shore.
From Enniskillen you can strike out westward towards Ballyshannon by way of Belleek Pottery. While pottery may not be what you want to be carrying around on a bike, if your Mother really wants a Belleek souvenir rest assured that they will ship for you! Ballyshannon in Donegal will put you close to some of the most fabulous beaches in all of Ireland. Rossnowlagh,between Ballyshannon and Bundoran, offers miles and miles of sandy beach facing the North Atlantic.
f you follow the northern shore of Lough Erne route of the Kingfisher Cycle Trail you will already have had access to ancient sites (the early Celtic Christian Round Tower, Boa Island and White Island), beaches and a castle! Check, check, check!
And if you are really into outdoor activity then you probably will want to try your luck with surfing. Bundoran has some of the finest surfing beaches in Europe.
If you travel towards the south and head for the dolmens of the Cavan Burren. That another item to tick off the A-Z of Things to See in Ireland checklist.
The Fermanagh and Cavan sections of the Kingfisher Cycle Trail are within the borders of the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. This is a UNESCO designation of the importance of both the natural and built heritage of this area. The geology is limestone. For cyclists who love hills they will love the whale backed drumlins of this area as well as North Leitrim.
A guided tour in the underground caverns will have you check off the letter M on the A-Z of Things to See in Ireland. A short detour of the lovely walk through Cladagh Glen will have you checking off the letter G in my A-Z of Things to See in Ireland.
Pass the Cavan Burren and take the southern route is for the more experienced cyclist. The trail takes you through Dowra, Ballinagleragh, Ballinamore and Drumshambo with breathtaking views of Lough Allen. Ballinagleragh also has an excellent example of a sweathouse and holy well. (Check off the letter H with a short stop at St. Aodh’s Holy Well.) This part of the trail through Slieve Anieran could also prove fertile fairy hunting ground. But if you miss out on sighting the wee people stop in Drumshambo during An Tostal or Joe Mooney Summer School Weeks and you can check off F for Fleadh!
You will have clocked up many loughs on the Kingfisher Cycle Route – Lower and Upper Loughs Erne, Lough MacNean, Lough Allen, Lough Gill. So you can safely saw that you have the Letter L in my A-Z of Things to See in Ireland covered!
Because most of the trail follows rural roads you can take the Kingfisher Cycle Route by car. It won’t have as many Eco-points but you will be able to say that you have visited Ecodestinations and tick off the Letter E on my A-Z of Things to See in Ireland.