Best Places to Visit Near Enniskillen
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit near Enniskillen are Portora Castle, Monea Castle, Pollnagollum Cave, Marble Arch Caves, Hanging Rock of Fermanagh, Marlbank Viewpoint, Blackslee Waterfall and Little Dog Viewpoint.
Set on an island between the two great stretches of Lough Erne, Enniskillen is the natural gateway to the lakes and limestone country of County Fermanagh. Right on the town's edge, Portora Castle looks out over the river narrows where the Erne flows into the lower lough, while a little to the west stands Monea Castle, among the best-preserved Plantation ruins in Northern Ireland.
South-west lies a run of underground wonders: the waterfall cave of Pollnagollum in Belmore Forest and the show caves at Marble Arch, both within a UNESCO geopark. Nearby, around Belcoo, the Hanging Rock leans out above the trees and the Marlbank Viewpoint opens over Lough MacNean.
Further out in the forests to the north-west, Blackslee Waterfall drops through a wooded gorge in Lough Navar, and the summit of Little Dog rewards a woodland climb with views across the lakes. Castles, caves, waterfalls and high viewpoints all gather in this quiet corner of the west.
Here are eight places to visit near Enniskillen.
Portora Castle
Photo: Hywel Williams via Geograph.org.uk
Portora Castle Right on the edge of Enniskillen, this ruined Plantation-era fortified house stands on rising ground by the narrow point where the River Erne flows out into Lower Lough Erne. Built in the early seventeenth century for Sir William Cole, it was a bawn, a walled enclosure with round corner towers and a stone dwelling, and its walls and flanker towers still stand above the water.
The Cole family lived here until they moved on to Florence Court. Today it is an unstaffed roadside ruin with fine views over the river narrows, close to the old Portora Royal School that shares the same hill.
Monea Castle
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Monea Castle A short way west of Enniskillen, deep in the Fermanagh countryside, stands one of the best-preserved Plantation castles in Northern Ireland. Its tall rectangular tower still rises close to full height, with two round towers flanking the front, their tops corbelled out into square Scottish-style caps.
Around it lie the remains of a walled bawn, one of whose corner towers was later turned into a dovecote. It was built for a Scottish planter in the years around 1618, then attacked in the rebellion of 1641 before burning and falling into ruin.
The castle sits on a working farm and is freely open to visitors.
Pollnagollum Cave
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Pollnagollum Cave In Belmore Forest, a stream pours over a limestone cliff and vanishes into the mouth of this cave below. A viewing platform faces the waterfall and cave entrance, reached on a forest walk with some slippery steps at the end, or taken as part of a longer waymarked loop of about four and a half miles.
The water drops around twelve metres before disappearing underground, only to reappear more than a mile away. This is the Fermanagh Pollnagollum, not the better-known cave of the same name in County Clare, and it served as a filming location for Game of Thrones.
Marble Arch Caves
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Marble Arch Caves Near Florencecourt lie these limestone show caves, the longest known in Northern Ireland. A tour often opens with a boat trip along an underground river before a walk on lit paths through the chambers to a deep lake.
Three streams sinking off the slopes of Cuilcagh mountain join beneath the ground to form the river that runs through the caves. Above ground the site forms part of a UNESCO geopark, with walks through the glen, and the caves first opened to visitors in 1985.
They can close after heavy rain when the passages flood, so it is worth checking before you set out.
Hanging Rock of Fermanagh
Photo: Kenneth Allen via Geograph.org.uk
Hanging Rock of Fermanagh Out in the Marlbank country near Belcoo, the Hanging Rock is a great overhanging limestone cliff, a landmark long known to travellers on the road below. Beneath the crag grows damp ash woodland, a scarce and protected habitat, with springs rising at the foot of the cliff.
It forms part of a nature reserve set within the wider geopark of caves and limestone country. The overhang leans dramatically out above the treetops along the scenic loop road, an easy sight to take in as you drive or walk the route, and a fine spot to pause in this quiet upland corner of Fermanagh.
Marlbank Viewpoint
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Marlbank Viewpoint On the Marlbank scenic loop within the Cuilcagh Lakelands Geopark, this signposted roadside stop comes with a car park and information panels. From here the view opens over Upper and Lower Lough MacNean, the village of Belcoo and the surrounding hills and drumlins.
It is a place to pull over and take in the landscape rather than the start of a walk, and it lies a couple of miles from the Marble Arch Caves, which stay hidden underground and cannot be seen from here. Come for the wide outlook and the sense of the lakeland country spread out below you.
Blackslee Waterfall
Photo: Kenneth Allen via Geograph.org.uk
Blackslee Waterfall Hidden deep in Lough Navar Forest, in the lakeland country of Fermanagh, Blackslee Waterfall drops around twenty metres over a rock cliff into a wooded gorge. The water has cut through layers of sandstone banded with a dark seam of harder igneous rock on its way down toward Lower Lough Erne.
Around it the forest is thick and quiet, part of a wider landscape of woods, cliffs and lakes now recognised as a geopark. Reaching the fall is a walk of a few miles on forest tracks and paths, with some steps and rougher ground near the gorge, where the sound of falling water carries through the trees before you see it.
Little Dog Viewpoint
Photo: Brian Nelson via Geograph.org.uk
Little Dog Viewpoint Up in the uplands above Lower Lough Erne, Little Dog is a summit within Big Dog Forest, a large coniferous plantation at Scribbagh near Belleek. Big Dog and Little Dog are two hills of hard sandstone left standing above softer, more worn-down rock, and local folklore names them after the wolfhounds of Finn MacCool.
A waymarked walk of about four kilometres climbs on forest tracks and rougher paths, with a short off-track pull to the top of Little Dog, where the view opens out over the surrounding lakes and countryside. A quiet woodland picnic area sits along the way, and red deer and Irish hares live in the forest.
FAQs
Which caves can you visit near Enniskillen?
Two stand out in the Fermanagh geopark. The Marble Arch Caves near Florencecourt are the longest known in Northern Ireland and toured partly by boat, while Pollnagollum in Belmore Forest can be seen from a viewing platform facing its waterfall and cave mouth.
Are any of these places good for a family walk?
Little Dog in Big Dog Forest near Belleek offers a waymarked walk of about four kilometres to a summit viewpoint, with a woodland picnic area along the way, making it a pleasant outing within reach of Enniskillen.
Where is the best viewpoint near Enniskillen?
The Marlbank Viewpoint on the scenic loop, about sixteen kilometres from Enniskillen, opens over Upper and Lower Lough MacNean, the village of Belcoo and the surrounding hills and drumlins, with a car park and information panels.
Conclusion
From island castles to hidden caves and forest waterfalls, the country around Enniskillen packs a great deal of variety into a small stretch of the west. Close to town you can wander the ruins of Portora Castle above the river narrows, then head west to Monea Castle in its quiet farmland.
South-west, the geopark holds the caves at Pollnagollum and Marble Arch, the leaning Hanging Rock and the wide outlook from Marlbank Viewpoint over Lough MacNean. Deeper into the forests you will find Blackslee Waterfall in its gorge and the summit of Little Dog above the lakes.
Whether you are after castles, caves, cascades or high views over the lakeland, these are the places to visit near Enniskillen.
