The Belle Isle School of Cookery enjoys a wonderful setting on a wooded island on Upper Lough Erne. The region is renowned for its beautiful woodland parks, country estates and stately homes as well as many early Christian and monastic sites.

Whether you decide to visit some or all of these attractions, you will find many ways to while away the hours not spent in the kitchen.

Castle Coole
A magnificent neo-classical house designed by James Wyatt, family home of the Earls of Belmore. It has remarkably fine interiors and exquisite furniture and furnishings from before 1830.

Florence Court
One of the most important houses in Ulster, built in mid eighteenth century by John Cole. The house has magnificent plaster work, the striking rococo dining-room ceiling was cleverly saved from the fire in 1955. The rest of the plaster work has been meticulously restored.

Marble Arch Caves
These magnificent Mesozoic limestone caves have an extensive network of caverns, viewed from a boat.

Belleek Pottery
This world famous pottery offers guided tours and has a visitor's centre.

Crom Estate
1,350 acres of woodland, parkland and wetland, one of Northern Ireland's most important nature conservation areas, including Crom Old Castle.

Devenish Island
Reached by ferry, one of the largest of the 200 islands of Lough Erne, is the site of the ruins of an abbey and of a perfect 12th century round tower.

Lough Erne by Boat
There are lots of boats offering day cruises on Lough Erne. Fermanagh Tourist Information Centre.

Enniskillen Castle
Incorporating The Regimental Museum, The Watergate History and Heritage Centre. The Castle also holds a variety of other exhibitions throughout the year.

Donegal Town
A great place to buy Donegal Tweed or woollens, jumpers, etc. Lough Navar View Point - a spectacular view can be seen on a clear day over Lower Lough Erne, in the foreground, up to the northerly mountains in Donegal.

Giant's Causeway
The Giants Causeway is a World Heritage site. Here the visitor can witness a spectacular sight of about 40,000 six sided basalt columns, estimated to be about 55 million years old, which were formed by cooling lava. The site stretches for 2 miles along the Antrim coast where there are scenic walks that take you past splendid amphitheatres and fine rock formations. The visitors' centre provides audio-visual shows and interactive exhibitions which explain in detail the formation of the causeway attributed to the giant Finn Mac Cool (mythology) and also the actual geology involved.

Bushmills
Old Bushmills Distillery is the oldest licensed distillery in the world where the renowned Bushmills whiskey has been distilled legally since 1608 when King James I granted its license. A guided tour of the distillery is provided where the secrets of whiskey production are revealed and the visitor also allowed to sample the distilled product.

© The Belle Isle School of Cookery 2010. All Rights Reserved.