The best walks and hikes around Caldragh

Great walk, very touristy but it's worth the detour! Be careful of the crowds (on weekends and in summer I dare not imagine!). However, BE CAREFUL, the summit is not accessible, you have to pass the protective barriers which allow the wild nature to be preserved from our steps and from this crowd of people. If we, the Komoot community, start to do this all the tourists will allow themselves and the landscape will never be so beautiful again! (Ps: no need to climb to the top to already see enough in the eyes!)

Cuilcagh Mountain sits right on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. From the top, you can enjoy magnificent views across the rolling hills of Ireland in all directions.

Beautiful thatched summer house situated in the Pleasure Gardens of Florence Court House.

Florence Court House is a magnificent 18th-century country estate situated in the foothills of Cuilcagh Mountain. The house is amongst a medley of lush green parkland and thick woodland with sights of the wonderful Benaughlin Mountain in the distance. The house is now owned by the National Trust and is open to explore daily. For more information regarding opening times and ticket prices visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/florence-court

This is a fantastic viewpoint offering extensive vistas across endless forests, bogland, and the highs and lows of the valley. The views extends over Cuilcagh Mountain and toward Benaughlin and Upper Lough Erne.

Florence Court is a Georgian mansion nestled in the foothills of Cuilcagh Mountain and surrounded by picturesque countryside. The first house was built by John Cole in the early 18th century and named after his wife. The family lived in the house for over 250 years. The estate is now managed by the National Trust with over 10 miles of hiking and cycling trails. There is a also a water-powered sawmill and blacksmith's forge to gain an understanding of the areas industrial heritage. There is an Irish yew tree in the grounds, known as Florence Court Yew. This specimen is thought to be the ancestor of all Irish Yews worldwide as they have to be propagated from a cutting otherwise they revert to common yews. Due to their compactness and attractive columnar shape they are common in churchyards throughout the world.

Nestled in the foothills of Cuilcagh Mountain, Florence Court is a wonderful Georgian mansion surrounded by picturesque countryside. The first house was built by John Cole at the beginning of the 18th century and named after his wife, Florence. The Cole family lived in the house for over 250 years. Today, the estate is managed by the National Trust. There are over 10 miles (16 km) of hiking and bike trails to explore the grounds. You can visit a water-powered sawmill and blacksmith's forge that reveal the area's industrial heritage. There's also a beautiful Irish yew tree, Florence Court Yew, which is one of two original Irish Yew discovered in 1767. There is a small entrance fee to the gardens and forest.

The name Cuilcagh comes from the Irish Cuilceach, which has been translated as "chalky". However, the mountain is mainly sandstone and shale, covered with bog and heather. The cliff-edged summit surface of the mountain is formed from the hard-wearing Lackagh Sandstone which itself overlies the Briscloonagh Sandstone. "It is possible that the name refers to the limestone rock on the lower northern flanks, namely the Glencar and Dartry Limestone formations.[6] Here a number of streams disappear below ground at swallow holes named Cats Hole, Pollawaddy, Pollasumera and Polliniska, all forming part of the Marble Arch cave system. If so, the name would mean 'calcareous' rather than 'chalky'".[7] It has also been called Slieve Cuilcagh in English,[8] 'Slieve' being an anglicisation of Sliabh ("mountain"). In the 1609 Plantation of Ulster, Cuilcagh formed part of lands which were granted to John Sandford of Castle Doe by letters patent dated 7 July 1613 (Pat. 11 James I – LXXI – 38, Quilkagh).[9][10] It was later sold by Sandford to his wife's uncle Toby Caulfeild, 1st Baron Caulfeild, Master of the Ordnance and Caulfield had the sale confirmed by letters patent of 12 July 1620 (Pat. 19 James I. XI. 45, Quilkagh). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuilcagh)