Days Out NI
Forest Park · Lough & Ruins Belleek, Co. Fermanagh

Castle Caldwell Forest Park

A free forest on a wooded peninsula reaching into Lower Lough Erne — lakeside trails, a busy bird reserve, a ruined Plantation castle and the Fiddlestone.

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Open year-roundDaylight hours
FreeFree parking too
BelleekCo. Fermanagh
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Half dayHow long
All agesWalks & wildlife
OutdoorsLough & forest
FreeParking
Free to enterYear-round

A free forest park on a wooded peninsula reaching out into Lower Lough Erne near Belleek — lakeside and woodland trails, a ruined Plantation castle, and one of the best spots in Fermanagh for watching the birds.

  • What you'll see and do — the ruins of Castle Caldwell and its battlemented gateway, level and longer lakeside and woodland trails out to the promontory, wide views over Lower Lough Erne and its islands, a busy bird reserve, a lakeside jetty, and the Fiddlestone at the entrance.
  • The walks — three waymarked trails: a short Castle Scenic Walk (about 0.3 miles), the Beech Wood Walk (about 1.2 miles), and the longer Rossergole Point Walk (about 2.4 miles) out along the peninsula — gravel and undefined paths with some short, steep bits.
  • How long — allow a half day: the shorter loops, the castle and the lough views, or the full point walk if you fancy the legs.
  • Getting in — free, all year, with a free car park off the A47 Belleek–Kesh road. No booking, you just arrive.
  • Bring & food — sturdy shoes or wellies (paths get muddy after rain), a coat, binoculars if you have them, and a picnic — there are picnic tables at the western end. Nearest café and shops are in Belleek village, a few miles back.
  • Dogs — welcome on a lead; keep them close and to the trails, as parts of the shore are a sensitive bird reserve.
  • Parts are a sensitive bird reserve. The southern shore is part of the Lower Lough Erne Nature Reserve, managed by the RSPB — keep to the trails and dogs on leads, especially in the breeding season.
  • A remote peninsula — no shop or café on site. Come prepared: water, snacks, a full tank and anything you'll need, as it's a fair way to the nearest village. The castle ruins are fenced for safety, so admire them from the outside.
Plan your visit

Can I just turn up? Yes — it's free.

Castle Caldwell is a free Forestry NI park, open year-round, with a free car park right off the A47 Belleek–Kesh road, about four miles from Belleek. There's no booking and no ticket — you just walk in during daylight hours. From the car park, waymarked trails head out along the wooded peninsula to the castle ruins, the lough shore and the promontory, and there's a jetty for anyone cruising Lough Erne. Because it's a working forest, the odd path can be closed for forest operations — nothing that spoils a visit, just follow the signs.

Toilets at the west end Waymarked trails Picnic tables Jetty on the lough Dogs on leads (bird reserve)
Two to remember:

The castle ruins are fenced off for safety, so you view them from the outside rather than climb them. And the southern shore is a working RSPB bird reserve — keep to the trails and dogs on leads, especially in spring and summer when the waterbirds are nesting.

Before you set off

What to wear & bring

  • 🥾Sturdy shoes or welliesThe lough-side and woodland paths are gravel and earth, and can get muddy after rain — grippy shoes for the little ones.
  • 🧥A coat, whatever the sky's doingRain over the lough is its own kind of lovely, and the trees give shelter — a light coat means the weather is never a reason to stay in.
  • 🔭BinocularsThis is a proper bird spot — bring binoculars and you'll pick out the waterbirds out on the lough and its little islands.
  • 🧺A picnicThere are picnic tables by the water at the western end, and no café on site, so pack your lunch — the nearest shops are in Belleek.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Cost
Free to visit and free to park. It's a Forestry NI park, open all year — no ticket, no booking.
Hours
Open year-round during daylight hours. Best to go in the daytime and confirm on the day, as a working forest can occasionally restrict access for forest operations.
What you'll see
The wooded peninsula out into Lower Lough Erne, three waymarked trails (Castle Scenic Walk about 0.3 miles, Beech Wood Walk about 1.2 miles, Rossergole Point Walk about 2.4 miles), the ruins of Castle Caldwell and its battlemented gateway, a busy bird reserve, wide lough and island views, a lakeside jetty, and the Fiddlestone at the entrance.
The castle
Castle Caldwell is a ruin — said to date from around 1612, in the time of the Plantation of Ulster. It's fenced off for safety, so you take it in from the outside rather than go inside.
Birdwatching
The forest and its islands are a bird sanctuary, and the southern shore forms part of the Lower Lough Erne Nature Reserve, managed by the RSPB — one of the best places in Fermanagh for breeding waterbirds and songbirds. Keep to the trails and dogs on leads to protect the nesting birds.
Food
No café or shop on site. There are picnic tables at the western end by the jetty — bring a picnic. The nearest cafés and shops are in Belleek village, a few miles away.
Toilets
Toilets at the western end of the forest, by the picnic area and jetty.
Dogs
Dogs are welcome on a lead. Keep them close and to the trails — parts of the shore are a sensitive bird reserve, especially in the breeding season.
Getting around
The main paths near the car park are gentle, but the longer point walk has gravel and undefined stretches with some short, steep climbs, so it's rougher going for a buggy or wheels. Take the shorter walks near the car park for an easier stroll.
How long
Allow a half day — the shorter walks, the castle and the lough views fill a relaxed morning or afternoon, and the full point walk adds a proper leg-stretch.
Questions

Before you go

Is there a charge?
No — Castle Caldwell is a free Forestry NI park, and parking is free too. No ticket, no booking; just arrive during daylight hours.
Can we go inside the castle?
No — the castle is a ruin and is fenced off for safety, so you take it in from the outside. The battlemented gateway near the entrance is the most striking bit, and it's a lovely thing to walk up to.
Is it good for birdwatching?
Very — the forest, its islands and the southern shore make up one of Fermanagh's best bird spots, with the shore forming part of the RSPB's Lower Lough Erne Nature Reserve. Bring binoculars, keep to the trails, and go quietly in the breeding season.
Can I bring the dog?
Yes — dogs are welcome on a lead. Keep them close and on the paths, as parts of the shore are a sensitive bird reserve where ground-nesting birds breed.
Is there food or a café on site?
No café or shop here — it's a remote peninsula. There are picnic tables at the western end by the jetty, so pack a picnic; the nearest cafés and shops are in Belleek village a few miles back.
How long are the walks?
There are three waymarked trails: the Castle Scenic Walk (about 0.3 miles), the Beech Wood Walk (about 1.2 miles) and the Rossergole Point Walk (about 2.4 miles) out along the peninsula. The point walk has gravel and undefined paths with some short, steep bits.
Getting there

Castle Caldwell Forest, Belleek Road, Belleek, Co. Fermanagh, BT93 3DR — the car park is off the A47 Belleek–Kesh road, about four miles from Belleek village at the western end of Lower Lough Erne. Free parking on site.

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Nearby

Make more of the day

BelleekVillage & pottery · 4 miles Castle Archdale Country ParkLough Erne · nearby Lower Lough ErneAll around · boats & islands Fermanagh LakelandsWalks, water & wildlife
The story

A Plantation castle, and the tale of the drowned fiddler

Castle Caldwell sits on a peninsula that Sir James Caldwell's family made their own for generations. The castle itself is said to date from around 1612, in the years of the Plantation of Ulster, when new landowners built strongholds across the north. Over the centuries it slipped into ruin, and today its ivy-clad walls and battlemented gateway stand among the trees — a romantic, weathered thing to walk up to, though fenced off now for safety.

The park's best-loved story is a sadder one, carved into a fiddle-shaped stone at the entrance. Legend has it that on a summer's day in 1770, a fiddler named Denis McCabe was hired to play for the Caldwells aboard a barge out on Lough Erne. The story goes that he had been warned off the drink and the water — and that, playing away on deck, he lost his footing, fell into the lough and drowned. Sir James is said to have raised the Fiddlestone in his memory, with a rhyming warning to other fiddlers to keep their playing to dry land. Whatever the truth of the tale, the stone still stands where visitors pass it today.

Now the whole peninsula is a Forestry NI park, given over to walkers, picnickers and — most of all — the birds. Its wooded shore and scatter of little islands form part of the Lower Lough Erne Nature Reserve, cared for with the RSPB, and it's reckoned to be among the finest places in Fermanagh to watch breeding waterbirds. Come for the walk, the ruins and the wide lough views, and leave the quiet corners to the wildlife that made this their own.