Fermanagh is a land of placid lakes dotted with wooded islands. Enjoy lazy brown streams, faster white water ones, their banks strewn with clumps of alder and willow, and between the trees and bushes the yellow of flag iris, the greens and browns of bullrush and reed mace wave in the lakeside breezes. Coots bustle amongst them and great crested grebe dive off shore from the lapping stones. In the quiet rushes there is likely to be a pole fisherman after shoals of fat bronze bream, darting silver red-finned roach, red eyed rudd, spike-finned green-striped perch or brown coiling eels. Or maybe a fly-fisherman, revealed only by the soft flick and swish of his line, or its glint in the evening sun. Or a family lazing on a moored hire-cruiser, bow- deep in water lily. Thus water bound, there are those who would argue this is a county best seen from the water.

Kestrel Waterbus: 105 mins cruise of Lower Lough including Devenish Island, which is noted for its Viking resistant 12th c. Round Tower, High Cross and 15th c. Augustinian Abbey. The Island is also to be reached by summer ferry from Tory (signposted B82).

There are also cruises of the Upper Lough and its myriad islands, departing from Smith’s Strand, Lisnaskea. For those who wish to captain their own cruiser there are 8 cruiser hire bases in Fermanagh offering two to eight berth cruisers. These can be hired on a weekly basis, short breaks are also available. Cruising the tranquil and picturesque waters of Lough Erne is a relaxing yet exhilarating experience. With the opening of the Shannon-Erne Waterway, you can now cruise the entire Erne-Shannon system making it the longest navigable inland waterway in Europe.