Top wildlife walks

Crom, Co Fermanagh

On the shores of Upper Lough Erne in County Fermanagh lies one of the UK’s most important nature reserves. Crom’s tranquil landscape of islands, historic ruins and ancient woodland provides a haven for wildlife and is the perfect day out for nature lovers.

In the grounds of Crom Old Castle, a ruin dating back to the 1600s, you can see some of the oldest yew trees in Britain, estimated to be between 400 and 1,000 years old. It is said that during the 19th century, parties of 200 people dined beneath their branches. You can also walk through one of the largest areas of oak woodland in Northern Ireland and see unusual varieties of lichen and fungi as well as wild flowers like wood anemone and dog violets.

Crom is home to a thriving otter population and visitors hoping to see them, and other resident mammals such as the pine marten, can arrange an overnight stay in the mammal hide where they observe their behaviour without disturbing them.

Click here for details of this National Trust walk

Photo: Oak tree near Crom old Castle (Crichton Tower can be glimpsed on upper Lough Erne through tree branches). Crom Castle (not NT) was built in 1832-8 for the 3rd Earl of Erne by Edward Blore. © NTPL/Joe Cornish

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