Days Out NI
Riverside park Omagh

Lover's Retreat

A waterfall, a salmon leap and a willow tree on the Camowen outside Omagh.

5 photos
Open all yearOpen access, daylight hours
FreeAmple free parking
OmaghOn the Camowen
Official website Get directions

Photos: visitor photographs

30–60 minHow long
All agesBest for
FreeEntry
Free car parkParking
OutdoorsSetting

Lover's Retreat is a free riverside beauty spot on the Camowen just outside Omagh — a waterfall and salmon leap, herons nesting in summer, and a weeping willow that gave the place its name, with a play park, picnic benches and ample free parking.

  • What you'll do: Walk the short riverside paths, stand at the waterfall and watch the salmon leap, look for herons on the weir, follow the 'By the River' reminiscence trail with its old photographs, and let the children at the play park.
  • How long: Half an hour to an hour. It is a beauty spot rather than a hike — though the riverside path carries on towards Gortnagarn if you want more.
  • Cost: Free, with ample free parking.
  • It is a real river with a real weir. The water runs fast over the falls and rises quickly after rain — keep children close at the edge and stay off the wet stone.
  • Come ready: Short, level paths with picnic benches along them. Boots after rain; the river bank softens.
  • When to come: Autumn for the colour and the fish running, summer for the herons, and hard frost for something completely different.
Plan your visit

A waterfall, a salmon leap and a willow tree

Lover's Retreat sits on the outskirts of Omagh just off the Cookstown road, and it is the sort of place a town keeps for itself. The Camowen river comes down over a weir here in a proper waterfall, and above and below it there are short surfaced paths, picnic benches and a good play park for younger children.

The name comes from a tree. A weeping willow stands in the middle of the park, and the story goes that when it was in full leaf couples would step inside its curtain of branches, out of sight of anyone who might be watching. Small towns have long memories, and the name stuck.

The river is the real attraction. This is a salmon leap: fish run up the Camowen heading for the Sperrins, and on the right day you can stand at the falls and watch them try it. Herons nest here in summer and work the weir all year, and the water goes through the whole range from glass-flat in a dry August to a brown roar after two days of rain.

In June 2023 Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, with Libraries NI and South West Age Partnership, put in the 'By the River' reminiscence trail — signs along the existing path with old photographs, local history and poetry, and seating to read them from. It is designed to prompt your own memories rather than lecture you, and it turns a fifteen-minute walk into something slower and better.

Free, free parking Waterfall and salmon leap Herons nesting in summer Play park and picnic benches 'By the River' reminiscence trail Riverside path towards Gortnagarn
A note on the water:

The Camowen runs fast over the weir and rises quickly after heavy rain. Keep children close to you at the edge and stay off the wet stone. Everything else here is easy — level paths, benches, free parking and no gate.

Before you set off

What to wear & bring

  • 🥾Boots after rainShort level paths, but the river bank gets soft and the stone near the falls is slick.
  • 🧺A picnicPicnic benches through the park and a waterfall to eat beside. Omagh is a couple of minutes away for the rest.
  • 🔭BinocularsHerons on the weir, dippers on the stones, and salmon running when the water is right.
  • 🧥A coatTyrone by a river. A shower here makes the falls louder and the whole place smell of leaves.
What's on

What's on at Lover's Retreat

The 'By the River' reminiscence trail is the permanent addition — launched on 20 June 2023 by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council with Libraries NI and South West Age Partnership. Signs along the path carry old photographs, local history and poetry, with seating to take them in from.

Otherwise the calendar here is the river's. Salmon run upstream towards the Sperrins, herons nest through the summer, autumn turns the banks, and a hard frost makes the falls into something worth photographing. There is no ticket and no timetable.

Good to know

Everything before you go

Cost
Free
Opening
Open access all year; walk it in daylight
Best for ages
All ages — the play park suits younger children and the paths suit everyone
What's there
A waterfall and salmon leap on the Camowen, short riverside paths, a weeping willow, a children's play park, picnic benches, and the 'By the River' reminiscence trail
Wildlife
Herons nest here in summer; salmon run upstream towards the Sperrins
Parking
Ample free parking
Toilets
None on site — Omagh is a couple of minutes away
Dogs
Under control on the paths; clean up after them
Accessibility
Short, level surfaced paths along the river with seating
How long to allow
30–60 minutes; longer if you follow the riverside path on
Food
Nothing on site; Omagh town centre is minutes away
Nearby walking
The riverside path continues from Omagh towards Gortnagarn along the Camowen and Drumragh
Getting there
On the outskirts of Omagh, just off the Cookstown road
Address
Lover's Retreat, off the Cookstown Road, Omagh, Co Tyrone
Questions

Before you go

Is it free?
Yes — free, with ample free parking.
Why is it called Lover's Retreat?
The name comes from a weeping willow that stands in the middle of the park. When it was in full leaf, the story goes, couples would step inside its branches out of sight of prying eyes.
Is there really a waterfall?
Yes — the Camowen comes over a weir here in a proper fall, and it doubles as a salmon leap. Fish run up this stretch heading for the Sperrins.
Is there a play park?
Yes, a good one for younger children, set beside the river with picnic benches nearby.
What is the 'By the River' trail?
A reminiscence trail launched in June 2023 by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council with Libraries NI and South West Age Partnership — signs along the path with old photographs, local history and poetry, and seating to read them from.
Is it safe with small children?
The paths are level and easy, but the river runs fast over the weir and rises quickly after rain. Keep children close at the water's edge and stay off the wet stone.
Are there toilets?
Not on site. Omagh town centre is a couple of minutes away.
When is the best time to go?
Summer for the herons, autumn for the colour and the fish, and a hard frost for the strangest and best version of the place.
Getting there

Lover's Retreat is on the outskirts of Omagh, County Tyrone, just off the Cookstown road, with ample free parking at the site. The paths start from the car park and follow the Camowen past the weir; the wider riverside route carries on from Omagh towards Gortnagarn if you want a longer walk.

Official website Directions on Google Maps See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the day

Ulster American Folk ParkThe emigration museum just outside Omagh Gortin Glen Forest ParkForest drive, trails and viewpoints in the Sperrins OM Dark Sky Park, DavaghOne of the darkest skies in Ireland Strule Arts CentreTheatre and gallery in the middle of Omagh
The story

About the place

Omagh sits where two rivers meet. The Camowen comes down from the east and the Drumragh from the south, and they join in the middle of the town to make the Strule. Everything about the shape of Omagh follows from that junction, and Lover's Retreat is a piece of the Camowen a little way upstream of it.

It has been a beauty spot for a very long time — the kind of place that appears in local photographs from every generation, with the same weir, the same trees and different clothes. That is precisely why the reminiscence trail works here: half the town has a memory attached to this stretch of water.

The willow gave it the name. A weeping willow in the middle of the park, in full leaf, makes a green room with the branches hanging to the ground, and the story is that couples used it exactly as you would expect. It is a soft, slightly embarrassed sort of name for a place, and it has outlasted everybody involved.

The river, meanwhile, does what it has always done. Salmon come up the Camowen towards the Sperrins and take the falls. Herons stand on the weir with the patience of something that has all day. And on a wet autumn afternoon the water comes over brown and loud and it is one of the better free things in Tyrone.

Bring a flask, take the short path, read the old photographs on the signs, and give it half an hour.

The best places and events in NI — twice a week, free.Newsletter, Mondays and Fridays · one tap to stop