Come up the drive and Florence Court rises out of the parkland ahead of you — a tall grey Georgian house with two curved colonnades sweeping out to either side like open arms, the Cuilcagh mountains standing behind it and a wide green lawn rolling down to your feet. There are two old cannons on the gravel and a lot of sky. It is one of the great houses of the west of Ireland, and it wears it lightly.
Inside, a guided tour takes you through rooms known for their plasterwork — swirling rococo ceilings the National Trust counts among the finest in Ireland — along with the family portraits, the old kitchen and the servants' quarters below. Tours are booked when you arrive rather than in advance, so it is worth checking availability on the day.
Then you step back out to the estate, and this is where a family can spread out. There's a walled garden and kitchen garden being brought back to life, and beyond them a forest park with around ten miles of waymarked trails threading through native woodland, past rivers and up toward the hills. Somewhere on the Blue Trail stands the Florence Court Yew — the original, said to be around 250 years old, and the tree every upright Irish yew in the world is grown from. The house is by timed tour; the gardens and forest are yours to walk, and National Trust members get all of it for free.
Plan your visit
Members free · everyone else pays at the gate
National Trust members walk in free — house, gardens and forest, no ticket. For non-members it's around £15 adult, £7.50 child and £37.50 family for the whole property including the house, or about £9.50 adult, £4.75 child and £23.75 family for the grounds and forest park only. Prices shift a little with Gift Aid, so confirm on the day. The grounds and forest park are open daily; the house is by guided tour, mostly spring through autumn, booked on arrival subject to availability. Check current hours before you set off.
Tea-roomSecond-hand bookshopToilets & baby-changingWheelchair & scooterDogs on leads (forest)
Good to know:
House tours are booked on arrival, not in advance, and can fill up on busy weekends — arrive earlier if the inside is your main reason for coming. The walled garden is under restoration, so parts of it may be a work in progress.
Before you set off
What to wear and bring
🥾Proper shoesTen miles of forest trails on gravel, grass and undulating ground — good footwear beats a wet trainer.
🧥A coat, whatever the skyRain here just makes the forest smell of earth and turns the house into the warm, cosy place to be.
🧺A picnicThe parkland is made for one, with the tea-room on hand if you'd rather someone else did the baking.
🐕The dog's leadDogs are welcome across the forest park on a lead — not inside the house or formal gardens.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
National Trust members free. Non-members, whole property (house + grounds): around £15 adult, £7.50 child, £37.50 family. Grounds and forest park only: around £9.50 adult, £4.75 child, £23.75 family. Under-5s free. Gift Aid changes the figure slightly — confirm on the day.
Opening
Grounds and forest park open daily (Christmas Day aside). The house is by guided tour, mostly April to October, booked on arrival subject to availability. Hours vary by season, so check before travelling.
The house
Seen by guided tour — the rococo plasterwork ceilings, family portraits, the old kitchen and servants' quarters. Narrow corridors in places, with alternative routes for wheels.
The grounds
A walled garden and kitchen garden under restoration, and a forest park with around ten miles of waymarked trails through woodland, along rivers and up toward the Cuilcagh hills. The original Florence Court Yew stands on the Blue Trail.
Food
A tea-room with level access does hot food, cakes and drinks. Picnics welcome across the parkland too.
Toilets
Accessible toilets at the visitor centre and stableyard, with baby-changing facilities.
Dogs
Welcome on a lead across the forest park and estate woodland. Not inside the house or the formal gardens; assistance dogs only indoors.
Getting around
Ramped access to the mansion, a wheelchair and a mobility scooter available (book the scooter ahead on 028 6634 8249). Paths are mostly gravel and grass over undulating ground.
Parking
On-site car park by the visitor centre. Members park free; check current charges for non-members on the day.
How long
Half a day for the house and gardens; a full day if you're walking the forest trails too.
Questions
Before you go
Is it free for National Trust members?
Yes — members get the house, gardens and forest park for free. Non-members pay at the gate: roughly £15 adult for the whole property, or about £9.50 for the grounds and forest only. Confirm the exact figure on the day, as Gift Aid changes it a little.
Can I just walk the gardens and forest without the house?
You can — the grounds and forest park are open daily and there's a cheaper grounds-only ticket. The house is a separate, guided experience on top of that.
Do I need to book the house tour?
Tours are booked when you arrive rather than in advance, and they're subject to availability. If the inside is your main reason for coming, arrive earlier in the day, especially on busy weekends.
Can I bring the dog?
Yes — dogs are welcome on a lead across the forest park and estate woodland. They're not allowed inside the house or the formal gardens, where only assistance dogs go.
Is there food?
A tea-room with level access does hot food, cakes and drinks, and you're welcome to bring a picnic for the parkland. There's a second-hand bookshop too.
What's the Florence Court Yew?
The original Irish yew — the mother tree, said to be around 250 years old, that every upright Irish yew in the world was grown from. It stands on the Blue Trail in the forest park.
Getting there
Florencecourt, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, BT92 1DB — about eight miles south-west of Enniskillen, in the Cuilcagh mountains, with a car park on site by the visitor centre.
Florence Court was built in the 18th century as the seat of the Earls of Enniskillen, the tall central block raised first and the arcaded wings added later to give the house its wide, welcoming stance. It takes its name, the story goes, from Florence Wrey, an ancestor's wife. Inside, it's the rococo plasterwork that draws people — swirling ceilings the National Trust counts among the finest in Ireland.
The estate came to the National Trust in the mid-20th century, and a serious fire in 1955 was fought back so that much of the interior survived and was restored. Out in the grounds grows its quieter marvel: the Florence Court Yew, the original upright Irish yew, said to have been found on the mountainside above the house in the 1700s. Every Irish yew standing in a churchyard or garden anywhere in the world traces back to this one tree.