Lower Lough Erne Landscape

• Highly valued lakeland scenery of outstanding quality.
• Dramatic limestone cliffs and escarpment contain the lough on the south.
• Marginal farmland in the west; further east a mix of good quality grassland on the drumlins, with wet meadows and bogs in the hollows.
• Area important for its reedbed, wetland and meadow habitats.
• Prominent semi-natural woodland on lough shores and islands, plus extensive forestry plantations.
• Scattered, relatively small-scale settlement pattern along lough-side roads.
• Older dwellings and farms generally sited away from the lough, with a high rate of dereliction.
• Islands and lough shores rich in monuments and ecclesiastical sites, including raths, crannogs, ruined castles and numerous listed buildings.

Lower Lough Erne is the more dramatic of the Lakeland loughs, with extensive open waters, offshore islands and the bold escarpment of the Magho Cliffs to the south. This character area covers the northern part of the lough, which stretches for 20 miles from Enniskillen to Rosscor. The lough lies in a deep glacial trough, the alignment of the shores and islands reflecting the direction of ice movement. On the southern shores ice-scored limestones and ancient quartzite rocks form prominent scarps, the Magho Cliffs, but further north the low streamlined ridges, bays and promontories of Boa Island and Castle Caldwell are less pronounced. Below the Magho Cliffs a narrow strip of farmland and alder woodland borders a boulder strewn shore. The lough fringes are a mix of rushy farmland and small fields, with larger improved fields on the drained ground of the drumlins. Wooded islands are attractive features. Settlement is scattered with Belleek, an old estate town, being the main centre, now popular with tourists. Elsewhere a mixture of traditional, often derelict, dwellings and tourism development is scattered along the main roads.

The landscape is generally in good condition, with semi-natural habitats usually untouched by development. This area has a relatively robust landscape structure and recreational activities in Lower Lough Erne generally cause less damage than those in Upper Lough Erne. There is much ornithological interest on the islands and a need to maintain tranquillity and avoid conflicts between conservation and recreational use. The area has become renowned for fishing and there has been much pressure for chalet, hotel and other recreational shoreline developments. The landscape is sensitive to such development, some of which is intrusive in character and materials. Shoreline development may also pose a threat to water quality and pollution may damage the sensitive shoreline wetlands and vegetation.

• Conservation of the lough edge, with designated areas for recreational access, would help prevent damage and minimise conflict between water based recreation and habitat conservation.
• The lough is often invisible due to vegetation.
• Selective thinning to open up views of the lough, would increase appreciation of the landscape from the road.
• Management of the wooded estates through appropriate planting, thinning and pruning would ensure their long term retention as part of the landscape.
• New forestry plantations would be less intrusive if planting followed the contours and edges were softened by deciduous planting.
• Protection of the islands from development or disturbance would ensure their continued value as refuges for wildlife.
• Monitoring of land use change in the catchment could help reduce pollution of the lough at source.
• Small scale disused quarries could be restored to provide good habitats and to add diversity to the landscape.

• There is little capacity for further shoreline development. Sympathetic siting and design of recreational development and carefully designed planting would be essential to prevent visual intrusion.
• New housing that is modest in scale, associated with planting and sited away from the main roads, would have less impact upon the landscape.
• White painted farmhouses, cottages and red-roofed barns, sited on the tops of drumlins are very characteristic.The restoration and re-use of such buildings would benefit the landscape. For new buildings, traditional building materials and colours would be preferable to the use of brick.
• The conservation of the attractive historic character of Belleek, an old estate town, would ensure its continuing popularity as a tourist centre.