Ely Lodge Forest; Loughshore Walk
Ely Lodge Forest is part of the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. Ely Lodge Forest gets its name from the nearby Ely Lodge, one of two gate lodges that would have adorned the gates of the demesne of the Marquis of Ely. During Victorian times the estate was one of the largest holdings in County Fermanagh.
County Fermanagh
Distance 1.2 miles
OS Map Sheet 17
Terrain Forest roads
Nearest Town Enniskillen
Route Shape Circular
Grid Reference H 179514
Route Type Forest
The Loughshore Walk path takes you through 250 hectares of woodland containing a delightful mixture of coniferous and broadleaved trees. The conifers are mainly European larch, which is uncommon as they loose their needles in autumn. The broadleaves are dominated by ash and beech and the under storey of the forest includes natives such as hazel, holly, spindle and guilder rose.
Skirting the shoreline of Lower Lough Erne the walk offers views of Inish Lougher Island all the way over to Ely Lodge Estate. Lower Lough Erne and its surrounding landscape are a direct result of the last Ice Age, which ended around 13,000 years ago. Huge ice sheets moved across the land, sculpting the hills and islands we see around us and scouring out valleys, which gradually filled with water to form lakes such as Lough Erne.
The lake and surrounding forest are home to an array of wildlife. The great crested grebe, mute swan, grey heron and a variety of ducks are often spotted along the shoreline. Also deep within the forest you may glimpse the elusive pine marten, hedgehogs, foxes and red squirrels. This area has been identified as an important habitat for red squirrels and is promoted by the Fermanagh Red Squirrel Group as a Red Squirrel Trail.
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Walk Route
Ely Lodge Forest; Loughshore Walk