Walking in Fermanagh & Omagh

Set on the family farm amidst beautiful open countryside, the home of Maeve McCullagh offers spectacular views of the Sperrin mountains where shoulders drop and visitors instantly relax. Warm and welcoming, Maeve is passionate about all things food and loves to create a variety of bakes connected to the seasons.

The farm provides free range eggs and a bountiful selection of homegrown fruit and vegetables with blackberries, damsons, elderflower and herbs. Learn how to bake some traditional Irish breads in a hands on immersive and fun experience. Put your new found skills to the test as you mix, knead and roll before popping into the oven. Meave shares stories of local heritage and her own personal journey as the aroma of freshly baked bread.

The Sauna Shack is an appointment based, wood fired sauna offering both private bookings and social saunas. With our location right beside the Gortin Glens Forest Park between Gortin and Omagh, the sauna is a perfect addition to your visit in the glens.

Warm up in the sauna and cool down in the fresh forest air with our cold bucket shower or cold plunge filled by the nearby stream. Saunas have been shown to have great benefits for both your mental and physical health.

What to expect

Explore a world of possibilities at Omagh Library. We offer a vast collection of books, resources, and facilities for all ages and interests. Discover our unique collections on County Tyrone’s history, the Omagh Bomb Archive, and local author works. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, computer access, comfortable study spaces, and even meeting room rentals. We also host a variety of events and programs throughout the year. Visit us and ignite your imagination!

Bespoke high-quality guitar tuition, song-writing and performance mentor-ship in Omagh.

Fun and laughter for everyone at this state-of-the-art, inclusive ‘destination play park’ and represents the Council’s ambitious Play Park Strategy for the district.

The new play park has been redeveloped around the theme of ‘bridges and spires’, reflecting the landscape and heritage of Omagh and also includes specialised inclusive play equipment as well as a sensory garden.  It is situated against the backdrop of mature trees, a wildflower meadow and a tree trail which will offer enhanced play value and ensure the natural environment is maintained.

The new play park provides an exciting, fun, inclusive, accessible and safe place for parents and children of all abilities.  The integration of the green space and the theme of bridges and spires will help to ensure the outstanding and culturally rich environment is cherished, sustainably managed and appropriately accessible.

Recognising that the “key stakeholders” in this project are children and young people, the Council was particularly delighted to welcome representatives from a number of local primary schools in Omagh to a VIP Play day in advance of the official opening, providing some of the pupils the opportunity to be the first to try out the new play park!

Four scenic touring routes are available to explore throughout the Sperrins region. A link to each is available below:

Southern Sperrins Touring Route

Central Sperrins Touring Route

Eastern Sperrins Touring Route

Northern Sperrins Touring Route

This 7 mile walk provides a taster of what the Sperrins have to offer, rolling hills, lush green valleys and a snapshot of rural life.

Start from Barnes Gap car park in Glenelly Valley clearly marked from Gortin and the B47. The car Park was once the site of The Barnes National School. Toilets available.

This route is fully marked with way marked posts and directional arrows. It follows the same line as the Craignamaddy Route for some time but leaves it just after Scotch Town cross roads.The route follows The Craignamaddy Route and The Ulster Way at a small stand of coniferous trees at Garvagh.

From the car park follow the finger post sign for the Craignamaddy Circuit across the road proceeding uphill to the top of the gap. Just over the brow of the hill a left turn leads to a gravel lane that contours Mullaghbolig.

Continue on this track and descend into the Owenkillew Valley past Vinegar Hill on your right hand side. Pass through a farmyard onto a tarred road. Turn right and continue straight through Scotch Town cross roads until the next turn right. The Craignamaddy route turns right up this lane but Vinegar Hill route continues on straight.

At the next cross roads follow two way marked posts and continue up hill through farm buildings on each side of the road. At the next junction continue straight on to Garvagh and a small stand of coniferous trees. Turn right and rejoin the Craignamaddy and Ulster Way routes along a gravel lane. This lane continues on to meet a tarred road, turn left and you are back at Barnes Gap. You can take the high road or the low road back to the car park.

The route jointly facilitated by Omagh and Strabane District Councils. For further information contact Omagh TIC Tel – 028 8224 7831 or Strabane TIC Tel – 028 7138 4444.

http://www.walkni.com/walks/536/vinegar-hill-loop/

An excellent off-road hill walk opening up views of the Bluestack and High Sperrin Mountain ranges.

Park at Gortin Glen Forest Park. Exit the Park, cross the road and turn first right onto the Lisnaharney Road.

At the 5th road junction on the right hand side, leave the road and walk uphill along the Lisnaharney public right of way.

From the top of the hill descend to the road, turning left at the bottom.

Walk along the road until turning left again onto the Eskeradooey public right of way. This path leads to the top of the hill and then descends back to the Lisnaharney Road.

On reaching the road turn left and retrace your steps back to the car park at Gortin Glens Forest Park.

http://www.walkni.com/walks/116/robbers-table

Springhill Golf and Country club first opened its door to the public on the 20th June 1995. Since then the course has been significantly developed into a 9 hole, Par 3, 4 and 5 and is situated just outside the quaint village of Trillick, between Enniskillen and Omagh, in Co. Tyrone.

The course enjoys magnificent views of the surrounding area as far as the Sligo mountains. The family run club consists of not only the course but also hosts excellent facilitates, including a large function room and a smaller private bar, and Kitchen.

Clanabogan Country Club is a well established Drving range and fully licensed bar that has built up an enviable reputation over the last 20 years. We pride ourselves on our commitment to provide a professional service at all times, whilst maintaining the highest quality of facilities.

C-More Flying School is located  in the heart of scenic Tyrone. We offer trial flights in our Microlight planes. Or for those who are feeling more adventurous we also offer lessons with our fully qualified instructors for those wishing to become NP

Fintona golf club was founded in 1904 and is a fine parkland 9-hole course, very conveniently positioned at the edge of the village. Many of the holes have different tees the second time round which makes your round more interesting. Golfers coming to play at Fintona will be ensured a warm welcome, a pleasant round of golf and a friendly reception in the bar afterwards.

R D Equestrian is an independent, family run riding school and livery yard providing horse riding lessons and full livery services.

We provide a relaxed environment for both horses and clients offering riding lessons for all ages and abilities. We also benefit from our own livery yard where a well trained, qualified member of staff will be looking after your horse.

This Angling Club is open for everyone to join. We have very exciting plans for the future which we believe will help transform the lough into one of the top fishing destinations in the country. The 53 acre lough is home to Wild Brown Trout, Eels, Pike, Perch and stocked Triploid Rainbow Trout. We have three fishing jetties on the lough for anglers ad all legal methods are permitted from the shore. Flyfishing only is available from boats and all boat users must be over 18 and wear life jackets. No exceptions!
We have six 19 foot Sheelin boats and three 17 foot Morris boats. Oars and electric motors only permitted due to our Lough being a public water source.

The club has a very strong Committee, with experts from a wide range of fishing-related fields. The club also has a junior committee, and we are delighted with the level of interest in fishing from the younger members of the community. In the future you can expect to see angling academies, competition events and more works done to make the lough more accessible for fishing. Loughmacrory lough is an ideal destination for anglers with physical impairments, as the jetties can be utilised by wheelchair users and 2 new ones will be completed soon which are fully compliant with BDAA regulations

We plan to run coaching sessions and have 5 Level 1 Angling Coaches who are a welcome addition to our club.
Anyone wishing to put thier own boat on will have to comply with very strict rules set down by NI Water Service and should contact the Secretary on lamdaasecretary@gmail.com for further info.

All anglers must be advised that it is now illegal to fish the lough without a permit, and a rod licence. We have three warranted bailiffs and the Loughs Agency now patrol the site to ensure that the marine life are protected, and that no illegal fishing is taking place. Rod licences and permits can be purchased in Ward’s shop in Loughmacrory village.

The fishing season runs from the 1st of March to 20th of october, and a bag limit of 2 rainbow trout exceeding 9 inches must be adhered to. All other species of fish must be released as gently as possible.

Boat Hire
Adults only can hire boats. Children strictly accompanied by adult. All boat users must wear life jackets, no exceptions. Angler must provide own lifejackets.

Strictly no more than three anglers per boat. LAMDAA have the right to refuse hire of boats. Anglers hire boats at there own risk. LAMDAA will not be held responsible for any accidents or damage to anglers own personal equipment etc. Anglers are requested to use boats in a responsible and safe manner and give care and attention to other boat and shore anglers.

Birchwood Fishery is a trout fishery nestled in the County Tyrone countryside, only one mile out of Drumquin near Omagh. We have three man-made lakes regularly stocked with Rainbow and Steelhead trout ranging from 2lbs to 25lbs. With a crystal clear supply of spring water being fed through all the lakes, it is has the prefect trout ready for a good hard fight when hooked in either the two fly lakes or the bait lake.

Finore Angling Association is based on the Quiggery & Seskinore rivers in Co. Tyrone.

Kathleen Ward’s Tattykeel Design Studio, located two miles south of Omagh, the county town of Tyrone in Northern Ireland, is where this renowned artist produces her beautiful works of Art and Craft.

Kathleen works in four disciplines Hand Painted and Rolled Silk Scarves, Hand Crafted Designer Handbags, Textile Art and Fine Art. Kathleen uses only the highest quality materials, locally sourced where possible, transforming them all by her own hand, using creativity, skill and attention to detail, into what are unique and distinctive gifts and the most desirable of quality possessions.

Nestling in the shelter of the Sperrin Mountains, just north of Omagh, is a Stone Barn and Cottage. The home of Tyrone Ceramicist Michelle Butler.  From her barn studio Michelle produces exquisite, rustic, original ceramics.

Michelle is a design graduate of The Falmouth School of Art. Since graduation she has specialised in the design and production  of  Ceramics.

She has been producing her unique brand of Irish Ceramics since December 1998, when she started her business in the Omagh Enterprise Centre. Then in 2005, she established Sperrin Ceramics Studio in the refurbished Stone Barn at her home.

Michelle has developed a unique style which reconciles the influences of primitive Celtic Art and forms.     All pieces are hand crafted from a textured stoneware clay.  Her signature finish of rich metallic oxide adds both depth and lustre. The use of a variety of glazes adds to the pattern, relief and overall effect, creating ideal ceramic gifts.

Michelle’s Jewellery is an embodiment of all these influences in smaller exquisite forms. A smoother whiter stoneware clay is used for these beautiful, smaller items to give increased detail and charm.

Urbalshinny Sporting Lodge offers quality walked up pheasant, partridge, woodcock and snipe shooting in Co.Tyrone Northern Ireland. With beautiful country surroundings, a game shooting experience not to be forgotten.

Celtic Shots – Wild Deer Hunting, Ireland

Offering a number of unique Hunting Experiences in both Ireland and Scotland. Our experiences include just about everything from Deer Stalking to Game Shooting. We will take you to some of the most magnificent locations there is to offer in the hunt of Sika Deer, Red Deer, Pheasants and Woodcock – Snipe.

Celtic Shots was established in 1983 as a sole venture and has literally grown year after year with hundreds of satisfied customers and clientele. Many of our customers come from international locations such as France, Denmark and Italy. Many of whom have returned year on year to relive their experiences.

The Patrician Hall is a cultural, arts and entertainment venue in the village of Carrickmore, County Tyrone.

Strule Arts Centre opened in 2007, this award winning contemporary arts venue and conference centre is home to theatre performances, comedy, music, dance, workshops, exhibitions and so much more. With state of the art facilities and stunning views, Strule Arts Centre is the perfect setting to host any event, conveniently located in the heart of Omagh close to transport links and town centre parking.

The facility features a 384 seat auditorium, lecture theatre, visual arts gallery, museum exhibitions, dance studio, workshop space, art studio, meeting rooms, café and bar.

Opening Hours

Strule Arts Centre opening hours Monday – Saturday 9.30am – 5.00pm.

On performance nights open to 10.30pm approx.

Closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays unless otherwise stated

30 Todds Leap Rd,
Ballygawley,
Omagh, BT70 2BW

Website: http://www.toddsleap.com

Telephone: (028) 855 67170

As you approach An Creagán visitor complex turn left and walk up the slope between the large stones at the beginning of the route. As you come to the brow of this incline you will have a view to your left across Creggan Bog. This is small piece of undeveloped raised bog which is home to unique colonies of plants including 14 different types of sphagnum moss, cranberry, crowberry, bilberry and the insect eating sundews, amongst others. A gravel path leads you along the edge of this bog with a short boardwalked outshot giving you the chance to get out into the midst of this soft, peaty landscape without getting your feet wet. Continuing along the gravel path you will notice to your right the hollowed out landscape of a decommissioned gravel quarry.

As you carry on up a further incline you will enter the forest. Around half a kilometre into the forest you will notice the clear-felled area to the right which has started to regenerate from the seed dropped into the soil from the mature trees before they were removed. The felling allows a view across to Sawel, the highest peak of the Sperrin mountains in the distance. The occasional standing dead tree trunk provides a perch for passing raptors. Carrying on past this clear-felled area you will come to a cross roads.

Continue straight ahead for a further kilometre through the densest part of the forest where you will emerge to a landscape of open bogland and the sound of Glassagh Burn, draining water from the spongy landscape. Pausing here you will see a rocky outcrop known as Cashel. The path leads round to the left following the meander of the burn and the edge of the forest to your left. The main road will slowly come into earshot now and the path turns to take you back in an easterly direction. You will come to a left-hand bend now which takes you away from the main road and back into the forest where you will shortly return to the cross-roads encountered earlier. Take right here to retrace your steps back to the start

Route Creggan Forest Walk

Distance 5km / 3.5miles

Time 60 minutes

Terrain Level terrain along forest access roads

Point of interest Creggan Bog, Cashel Rock, Glashagh Burn

Maps / guides Available from An Creagán centre

Hunter West offers the casual shooting enthusiast and the complete beginner a fun day with enough challenge to get the adrenalin running but not enough dirt to even get your shoes scuffed! We can also increase the degree of difficulty if any of you more serious shooting folk want to have a go. We have staff trained and qualified in first aid, protection of children and vulnerable adults plus the shooting disciplines we offer.

Our philosophy is simple boys and girls. “Get off your couch and shoot some real guns and bows” and forget about the computer virtual reality types. Hunter West is reality and the targets are real (good fun) . We have everything from bouncing rabbit clays to 10 green beer bottles and 3-D wild animal life-size models.

We are adding to these as our imagination leads us and if you want to suggest some quirky targets of your own we will try to incorporate them within what is allowed and provided they are in the best possible taste! We have a base at the clay pigeon range at “Peadar Joe’s Farm” near An Cregan which lies sort of midway between Cookstown and Omagh on the A505 but we do not offer regular shoots here as we are constantly on the move.

Our clients range from corporations and firms wishing to offer staff a challenge or reward, through outdoor activity and conference providers adding a bit of new talent to their own offers, to the growing youth market wherein schools, voluntary NGOs and community/club sports bodies are seeking something different to challenge their young folk. And “We come to you”, any where, any time and we positively guarantee you will enjoy the experience (with all those weapons who’s going to argue with us anyway!?).

Gortin Accommodation Suite & Activity Centre provides a range of outdoor pursuits such as white water and canoeing. Great idea for corporate team building weekends or activity training. The centre will organise a schedule of exciting activities for you and your team. Prices vary according to group size and number of activities.

Visitors will relax at An Creagán Self catering cottages and have free use of our mountain bikes throughout their stay. Cycle tour maps are provided to direct visitors to the many archaeological sites in the area. Facilities on site include: eight self-catering cottages, licensed restaurant, craft shop, interpretative exhibition, conference facilities, 5km forest walks and children s play area. Prices based on sharing.

Over 30 different activity packages specially put together for Tourists, Corporate Events, Youth & School Groups and Hen & Stag parties.

Also entrance to Giant’s Causeway and other tourist attractions (Tourist package).

The luxury accommodation is also available as holiday accommodation without activities.

Price will vary depending on the size of group, duration of package, activity/ activities choice & category of group. Please enquire for details. Euro accepted.

Accessibility provision: guide dogs welcome

Aladdins Kingdom has been serving the local community and visitors to the Omagh area for over 20 years. The colourful play area comprises ball pools, slides, rope bridges, climbing frames, crawl tunnels, bouncy ball section, disco room and many more features usually found in children’s soft play centres.

At Aladdins Kingdom, we cater for children’s birthday parties where parents can relax while the experienced and well trained staff take care of the preparation of the party food and supervision of the children. Our party package includes a two and a half hour play session and there is a special children’s menu comprising cooked food, drinks and sweets. Adults are also catered for and there is complimentary tea and coffee for parents as part of the party package.

We also cater for school trips, youth clubs, boy scouts, girl guides and many other children’s groups and there are specially discounted rates and package options for groups of twenty or more children, the details of which can be obtained by contacting (028) 8225 1550.

During the months of June, July and August, summer schemes are an important feature of the Aladdins Kingdom diary and again details and package options can be obtained by contacting the complex.

Opening times

School Holidays

Monday – Friday 12.30pm – 6.30pm

Saturday 10.30am – 6.30pm

Sunday 2.00pm – 6.30pm

School Term

Monday to Friday 15:00-19:00

Saturday 10:30-18:30

Sunday 14:00-18:30

Price list

Casual Admission £3.50/Child

Birthday Parties £5.95/Child

An Creagán Forest & River Trail provides a safe and friendly place to enjoy your daily exercise and de-stress in a uniquely tranquil and picturesque environment.

This walk is part of the Highway to Health Scheme – a simple and innovative scheme which aims to encourage people of all ages to walk for leisure and good health. It uses pole signs at one kilometre intervals on an established route.

Route

As you approach An Creagán visitor complex turn left and walk up the slope between the large stones at the beginning of the route. As you come to the brow of this incline you will have a view to your left across a 22 acre (9 hectare) remnant of the once much larger Creggan Bog. This is small piece of undeveloped raised bog which is home to unique colonies of plants including 14 different types of sphagnum moss, cranberry, crowberry, bilberry and the insect eating sundews, amongst others. A gravel path leads you along the edge of this bog with a short boardwalked outshot giving you the chance to get out into the midst of this soft, peaty landscape without getting your feet wet. Continuing along the gravel path you will notice to your right the hollowed out landscape of a decommissioned gravel quarry. Closed since the 1960s it is now populated by willow and birch with a system of ponds running through the quarry floor. These are home to the protected smooth newt as well as our common frog who puts on rather a spectacle during the spawning season when they gather in their hundreds in search of a mate.

As you carry on up a further incline you will enter the marginal forest which is home to spruce and pine that have spilled over from the adjacent plantation as well as naturally seeded rowan and willow, amongst the heathers, ferns and mosses taking advantage of the damp shade. You carry on through this terrain for half a kilometre before entering the Creggan Forest along the access road. The Sitka Spruce here are planted as a commercial crop, first established in the 1940s and ‘50s to satisfy increasing demands for timber. As they come to maturity sections are felled by forest service and depending on the quality are destined for use in construction, agriculture, paper production or as fuel. As you progress along the forest road the density of planting becomes apparent with the occasional firebreak allowing light to reach the forest floor. This scrubby oasis is ideal cover for woodcock who are often stirred into noisy flight if you venture along these forest rides during the short winter evenings. Around half a kilometre into the forest you will notice the clear-felled area to the right which has started to regenerate from the seed dropped into the soil from the mature trees before they were removed. The felling allows a view across to Sawel, the highest peak of the Sperrin mountains in the distance. The occasional standing dead tree trunk provides a perch for passing raptors which include buzzards, sparrowhawks and the brown long-eared owl. A search around the base of one of these trees can reveal the leftovers of their meals in the form of pellets – the regurgitated remains of shrews, mice and small birds compacted into cigar shaped packages! Carrying on along pass this clear-felled area you will come to a cross roads.

Continue straight ahead for a further kilometre through the densest part of the forest where you will emerge to a landscape of open bogland and the sound of Glassagh Burn, draining water from the spongy landscape. Pausing here you will see a rocky outcrop known as Cashel – a name referring to it’s ancient use as a hillfort and common in place names throughout the country. The path leads round to the left following the meander of the burn and the edge of the forest to your left. The open countryside here often allows sightings of ravens with their croaky call and playful flight. Feral goats are also encountered here and throughout the Sperrins where they have successfully bred and made themselves at home. The main road will slowly come into earshot now and the path turns to take you back in an easterly direction. The forest of spruce and occasional stands of lodgepole pine is on your left and remnant bog on your right. The overgrown remains of turf banks can be seen scattered throughout the bog given away only by the straight lines of heather plants and the slight change in level of the ground – evidence of a past use for this land and the skill of hand cutting turf which is nigh extinct. The mounded banks of peat along the edge of this path are home to massive colonies of the insect eating sundew plant whose sticky secretions can be seen glistening in the summer sun, just waiting to catch some ill-fated prey. The bog cotton and bog asphodel dwell here also, providing seasonal interest to the walker. The common lizard can often be seen from the path here, basking on the sun warmed turf. You will come to a left-hand bend now which takes you away from the main road and back into the forest where you will shortly return to the cross-roads encountered earlier. Take right here to retrace your steps back to the marginal, scrubby forest. When you come to a fork take left which will return you towards the visitor centre by an alternative route. At the next junction take another right followed shortly by a left which will take you through the middle of the old gravel quarry. You will emerge in An Creagán community garden area passing the play park and duck pond before coming to the courtyard of the visitor complex and back to the carpark where you began your journey.

Distance3.5 miles

Terrain Gravel / wooden boardwalk

Point of interest – See the range and variety of the habitat, visitor centre

Facilities

Parking, Tourist Information Office, restaurant, accommodation and toilets. Centre opening hours apply.

Publication An Creagan leaflet

For more information contact An Creagan on 028 8076 1113 or email info@an-creagan.com

Starting from Cranney Fields car park in Omagh, this 5.5 mile, flat linear cycle route uses a section of National Cycle Network 92 long distance route. Pedalling along the Camowen River, you pass through Lover’s Retreat, an outstanding beauty spot where herons nest in summer and fish leap upstream to the Sperrins. Pedal over a small wooden bridge onto Privet Road which crosses the busy A505. Enter the leisure centre grounds and continue out of Omagh, alongside Grange Park. It’s tranquil, leafy and very popular with walkers and local skaters. The “Wishbone” sculpture by local artist Niall Laird, is a recent addition to the park. The path continues off-road adjacent to the B48 all the way out to Gortnagarn in the foothills of the Sperrins. From here it’s only a short distance to the Ulster American Folk Park, documenting Irish Emigration and celebrating our Ulster American connections, set within a unique village recreating 19th Century life.

From here you can retrace your tracks back to Omagh town or the more adventurous can use this as a warm-up to a number of the Sperrins Cycle Routes.

Public roads: On Public Road

Getting to the start: Leaving Omagh take the Campsie Road (B4) and follow this road as it becomes Hospital Road (B4). After about about a mile down this road Cranny playing fields will be on your left.

Traffic: Mostly traffic-free

Distance 5.5 miles

Terrain Mostly off-road along well surfaced paths.

Point of interest Omagh, Lovers’ Retreat, Ulster American Folk Park

Facilities: Car Parking, Tourist Information Centre

Publication: Ballycastle to Ballyshannon Route Map

Free (parking charges may apply)

Download Trail below:

Marshall Country Trail Leaflet

Omagh Golf Club is a pleasant parkland course with 9 holes on either side of the main Dublin Road. A good test for both low and high handicap players, Omagh’s feature holes are the eighth, a 377m dogleg par 4 and the eleventh, a 380m par 4, which follows the

River Drumragh. Extensive drainage work has enabled play virtually all the year round and ensures the fairways are in as good a condition as the excellent putting surfaces.

Golf Club

Type of course: Parkland

Course professional: No

Best days to play: Mon-Fri, Sun.

Length in yards: 6,165

Par of course: 71

Green fees: Weekdays £20

Weekend/public holidays £25

Facilities: Putting Green, 18 holes, Trollies available, Pro shop