Lough Erne

What is kayaking Lough Erne like?

Paddle from the island town of Enniskillen into the island-studded expanse of Lower Lough Erne. Visit Devenish Island with its perfect round tower and monastic ruins dating to the 6th century. The lough's 154 islands are havens for breeding waders and wildfowl, and the clear waters offer views of the stony lakebed.

How do I paddle Lough Erne? Put-in, take-out and logistics

Enniskillen sits on an island in the narrow channel between Upper and Lower Lough Erne, so launching from the Round O jetty drops you straight into moving water heading north-west into the Lower Lough. The first kilometre through the town is busy with cruiser traffic from the Erne Water Taxi and the hire fleets at Manor House Marina — stay tight to the western shore until you clear the road bridges. Once out into open water the lake broadens dramatically and the sightlines stretch for miles.

When is the best time to paddle Lough Erne?

Devenish Island is roughly 3 km north-west of Enniskillen and is the obvious first stop: a 6th-century monastic foundation with a 25-metre round tower, the ruins of St Mary's Augustinian priory, and an elaborate high cross in the graveyard. There's a small jetty on the southern shore where you can land. From Devenish you can continue north to the White Island church with its strange stone carved figures — a 9-km round trip in total — or turn south-west through the Crom archipelago where the waters shallow out and the wildlife thickens. Erne holds around 20% of the UK's overwintering whooper swan population, and summer brings nesting common terns on the smaller skerries. This is a lake that rewards multiple visits; a single day only scratches the surface of what's on the water here.