
Map: here
Directions: Starting at Fenagh Visitor Centre, continue into Fenagh village making a right onto the Cloone Rd (beside Quinn’s pub). At the crossroads take the road as it veers right (signposted Tour d’Humbert) and continue on for a lovely loop around Fenagh. Features views of the lake, abbeys and farmland.
Distance: 8km
Difficulty: moderate/ difficult
Terrain: on quiet roads
Time: 2.5 hours
Interesting facts: Follow part of the route where General Humbert walked on his epic journey from Kilcummin, Killala Bay in County Mayo, where a French expeditionary force landed in 1798 to help the Irish in their rebellion of that year.
Keep an eye out for the Crannog on Fenagh lake – Crannogs have been used by man probably as far back as 4,000 BCE. They are usually round or oval in shape and varied enormously in size. Often they were approached by a causeway from the mainland, it is probably fair to assume that the entrance would have been protected by some form of gate house. The crannog afforded protection not only from unfriendly neighbours but wild animals also. The term Crannog is derived from the old Irish ‘crannóc’ from crann, tree.