Scarplands Bike Trail, Co Fermanagh
Start Point: Belcoo, Co. Fermanagh
End Point: Lough Navar Forest
Distance: 30 km (one way, linear route), 65 kms including return by local roads
Elevation Gain: 1,087 meters
Terrain: Coarse gravel, forest roads
Highlights: Megalithic tombs, upland loughs, Magho Cliffs
A couple of days after revisiting Fore, I swapped lakes for limestone and set off on a linear cycle along the Scarplands Trail, starting in Belcoo, County Fermanagh. This route is part of the Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark, and it shows.
The trail weaves through forest breaks, skirting high inland cliffs and vast open uplands. The sense of space is incredible — you’re pedalling through an ancient landscape, shaped by ice, time, and human hands over millennia. There are megalithic tombs, upland lakes, and views that stretch across Sligo, Donegal and the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. It’s raw, elemental cycling — part forest, part mountain edge.
The trail itself — remote, gritty, and windswept — was only part of the story. The real magic lay in the soundtrack and the sightings!
Cuckoos called repeatedly from the trees, their voices bouncing across the valleys with such regularity they seemed to be mocking my slow progress uphill! More elusive were the jays — flashes of blue and rust disappearing into the trees before I could fully register them. I spotted a pair of red squirrels bounding across the path ahead of me in Lough Navar, their tails like pennants vanishing into the pines. And above it all, the unmistakable, joyful swoops of returning swallows, back from Africa and clearly delighted to find the place just as they left it.
Nature wasn’t just a backdrop here — it was part of the trail.
Two rides, one common thread: they both offered that magical mix of solitude, scenery, and a deep connection to place. If you’re drawn to routes that are under the radar, rich in heritage, and just a bit wild — both Lough Sheelin and the Scarplands Trail deliver in spades. If you’re craving a route that goes beyond the sanitised greenways and into the wild and wonderful remote corners of Ireland, my last two routes are calling!
2 Responses to “Scarplands Bike Trail, Co Fermanagh”
yep, sound like two great trails. The roads less travelled!
They were magical Dan! Great to visit off the beaten track places!