Days Out NI
Castle & Estate · Private Hire & Stays Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh

Belle Isle Estate

A castle and estate spread across green islands on Upper Lough Erne — with a cookery school, cottages to stay in, gardens and lough frontage.

5 photos
By stay, course or eventPrivate estate · enquire ahead
Varies — enquireCottages, courses & hire
LisbellawCounty Fermanagh
Get directionsOfficial website
A stay or a dayHow long
Couples & groupsBest for
By arrangementAccess
On siteParking
EnquirePrice

A castle on its own island, wrapped by Upper Lough Erne — with a well-known cookery school, cottages you can stay in, gardens down to the water, and eight green islands to call your own for the weekend.

  • What you'll find — Belle Isle Castle at the heart of it, the Belle Isle Cookery School behind the house, self-catering holiday cottages and converted courtyard apartments, gardens said to have been laid out with the designer Thomas Wright, and lough frontage across a spread of eight islands on around 470 acres.
  • How you visit — three ways in: stay in one of the cottages or courtyard apartments, book a place on a cookery course or demonstration, or come as a guest at a wedding or private event. The castle itself is for exclusive-use hire, so there's no wander-in front door.
  • How long — most people come for a weekend or a short break; the cookery courses run from a single day to several. It's a slow-down, stay-a-while sort of place rather than a quick stop.
  • On the estate — walking trails through the woods and along the shore, and activities that are thought to include fishing, boating and kayaking on the lough by arrangement. Ask what's on when you enquire.
  • This is a private estate — not a casual walk-in. There's no ticket office and no public tour of the castle. You visit by staying, doing a cookery course, or attending an event, so plan it as a booking rather than a drop-by.
  • Always enquire ahead. Availability, courses and open dates change through the year, and the castle is often booked for one exclusive event at a time — check directly with the estate before you set off.
  • Food & parking — the cottages and apartments are self-catering, so bring your own supplies (or cook up what you learn at the school), and there's parking on site for guests.
Plan your visit

Three ways onto the island

Belle Isle isn't a turn-up-and-tour attraction — it's a private estate you come to on purpose. The simplest way in is to stay: the estate lets a range of self-catering holiday cottages and converted courtyard apartments, sleeping anything from a couple to a big group across the site. The second is the Belle Isle Cookery School, which is thought to have opened in 2004 behind the castle and runs bespoke courses, live demonstrations and fine-dining events — a proper reason to come for the day or a break. The third is as a guest at a wedding or private event, as the castle is hired on an exclusive-use basis, usually for one occasion at a time. Whichever way you're coming, prices vary by season and by what you book, so enquire directly with the estate and confirm dates before you travel.

Cookery school Self-catering cottages Lough & island walks Parking on site Exclusive-use hire
It's a private, working estate:

There's no public ticket office and no walk-in tour of the castle — it's hired for one exclusive event at a time. Come to stay in a cottage, join a cookery course, or as an invited guest, and always check availability and open dates with the estate before you travel.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 📅A bookingStay, a cookery-course place, or an event invite — this is a private estate, not a drop-in, so line it up first.
  • 🛒Your own suppliesThe cottages and apartments are self-catering, so bring food and the basics for the length of your stay.
  • 🥾Boots for the shoreThere are woodland and lough-side walks across the islands, so pack for grass, gravel and Fermanagh weather.
  • 🧥Layers for the loughIt's open water and big skies — a coat makes the shore and any boating far more pleasant.
Good to know

Everything before you go

What it is
A private castle and estate on the islands of Upper Lough Erne near Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh — Belle Isle Castle, the Belle Isle Cookery School, self-catering holiday cottages and courtyard apartments, gardens and lough frontage across a spread of islands.
How to visit
Three ways: stay in a cottage or courtyard apartment, book a cookery course or demonstration, or come as a guest at a wedding or private event. There is no walk-in public tour of the castle.
Cost
Varies by what you book and the time of year — cottage stays, cookery courses and exclusive-use hire are each priced separately. Enquire directly with the estate for current rates.
Cookery school
The Belle Isle Cookery School, behind the castle, is thought to have opened in 2004 and runs bespoke courses, live demonstrations and fine-dining events. Check the current programme and dates when you enquire.
Accommodation
A selection of self-catering holiday cottages, converted coach-house cottages and historic courtyard apartments, sleeping from couples up to larger groups across the estate.
The castle
Hired on an exclusive-use basis for weddings and private events, usually one at a time — it is not open for casual visits.
On the estate
Walking trails through woodland and along the shore, with activities that are said to include fishing, boating and kayaking on the lough by arrangement.
Food
Self-catering — bring your own supplies, or cook what you learn at the school. Event catering is arranged separately for weddings and functions.
Parking
Parking on site for guests.
How long
Usually a weekend or short break, or a cookery course from a single day upwards.
Questions

Before you go

Can I just turn up and look round?
No — Belle Isle is a private estate with no ticket office or public castle tour. You visit by staying in one of the cottages, booking a cookery course, or coming as a guest at an event. Plan it as a booking, not a drop-by.
What are the ways to visit?
Three: stay in a self-catering cottage or courtyard apartment, book a place on a cookery course or demonstration at the Belle Isle Cookery School, or attend a wedding or private event held on the estate.
How much does it cost?
It varies by what you book and the season — cottage stays, cookery courses and exclusive-use hire are each priced separately. Enquire directly with the estate for current prices.
Is there food on site?
The cottages and apartments are self-catering, so bring your own supplies. Catering is arranged for weddings and events, and the cookery school runs fine-dining evenings as part of its programme.
What's there to do on the estate?
Woodland and lough-side walks across the islands, plus activities that are thought to include fishing, boating and kayaking on Upper Lough Erne by arrangement. Ask what's available when you enquire.
Do I need to book ahead?
Always. The castle is usually booked for one exclusive event at a time, and cottage and course availability changes through the year — confirm dates with the estate before you travel.
Getting there

Belle Isle Estate, Lisbellaw, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, BT94 5HG — on the islands of Upper Lough Erne a few miles east of Enniskillen, with parking on site for guests. Access is by arrangement, so have your booking to hand.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website

Book or check ahead: 028 6638 7231

See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the trip

LisbellawCo. Fermanagh · on the doorstep EnniskillenCo. Fermanagh · a few miles west Upper Lough ErneBoating & islands · all around Crom EstateNewtownbutler · further down the lough
The story

A castle on its own island

Belle Isle sits on a cluster of islands on the northern reaches of Upper Lough Erne, and the place is said to have been inhabited for centuries — long associated with the MacManus clan, who are thought to have compiled the Annals of Ulster here, and later with the Gore family, whose ancestor Sir Paul Gore came into possession of the island. The house is generally traced to around 1700, when Sir Ralph Gore built here, and it was added to over the generations that followed.

Later owners, thought to include the Gore-Booth line and for many years the Duke of Abercorn, shaped the castle and the gardens into what visitors see today — a tower, a grand hall, courtyard buildings and gardens said to have been laid out with the designer Thomas Wright, running down to the shore of the lough. Since the mid-2000s the estate has taken in guests, opening its cottages and courtyard apartments for self-catering stays, running the Belle Isle Cookery School behind the house, and hosting weddings and private events in the castle on an exclusive-use basis.

The estate changed hands again in recent years, reported to have passed to a County Fermanagh family, opening a new chapter for one of the loughland's best-loved private estates. What stays the same is the setting: a castle wrapped by water, gardens down to the shore, and a spread of green islands that feel, for the length of a stay, entirely your own.