Fermanagh, Historic Houses and Castles

We depart Sussex and make our way north. Having made suitable stops en route we arrive at our overnight hotel in Dumfries.

This morning we continue our journey across Dumfries and Galloway with some lovely views over The Solway Coast. We arrive in Cairnryan in time for our crossing direct to the heart of Belfast. From Belfast we drive to our hotel where we arrive late afternoon with time to settle in before dinner.

This morning we make our way to Belleek Pottery, where we enjoy a 30 minute guided tour of Ireland’s oldest pottery producer, experiencing all the production areas with the chance to chat with the craftspeople along the way. We then enjoy some free time for lunch and a stroll around Enniskillen before embarking on a guided tour of Enniskillen Castle. Located beside the River Erne, the castle was built over 600 years ago and is home to two museums, the Fermanagh County Museum and The Inniskillings Museum, which tell the story of the town’s two regiments, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards.

Today we make our way to Castle Coole NT, a magnificent 18th century mansion and landscape park in Enniskillin. One of Ireland’s finest neo- classical houses we get an insight into life in the home of The Earl’s of Belmore, discovering the stories of those who lived and worked below stairs as we explore the suite of servants’ rooms and service quarters of this grand property. We also enjoy a stroll around the beautiful grounds before we make our way to Florence Court NT. We enjoy a guided tour of this lovely Georgian Mansion, hearing stories about the Cole family and their staff who lived here for over 250 years. Outside there is scenic parkland with fascinating industrial heritage features and don’t miss the original Irish Yew Tree.

A leisurely start today as we join our 2 hour private cruise on Lough Erne. After lunch we return to our hotel for a relaxing afternoon where you can enjoy the lovely surroundings or maybe indulge yourself with a visit to the Spa. Remember the hotel has an indoor swimming pool.

We spend today at the fascinating Ulster America Folk Park. We step back in time and follow in the footsteps of thousands of brave migrants who set sail for the New World in the 18c and 19c. We first experience rural Ulster’s bustling street and welcoming farmhouses before boarding the full scale Brig Union emigrant ship and discovering the cramped quarters where hundreds lived during their 12 week Atlantic crossing. We emerge in The New World, where we get a taste of life on the American frontier. Demonstrations of traditional crafts – such as forge work, wool spinning, turf cutting, decorative straw work, American woodcraft and patchwork quilting – give us a fascinating insight the ingenious solutions these resourceful newcomers created on the frontier.

After breakfast we make our way back to Belfast for the ferry back to Cairnryan. From Cairnryan we re-trace our stops across Dumfries and Galloway and make our way to our overnight stop at The Holiday Inn at Preston.

This morning we re-join the motorway network and make our way south, having made suitable stops en-route we expect to arrive back in the Maresfield area by approximately 18.30.