Overview
The best of the Cliffs of Magho comes cheap on effort: a short forest drive up through Lough Navar Forest ends at a car park and a viewing bench set right on top of the escarpment, with a view that runs across Lower Lough Erne into Donegal, Sligo and Tyrone, and out toward the Atlantic on a clear day. The cliffs themselves form a limestone wall roughly 9 km long, the face dropping about 300 m to the water. If you just want the view, drive to the top and walk a few steps. If you want to earn it, there’s a proper climb from the lakeshore.
Geology and wildlife
The cliff face reads like a diagram. Three Carboniferous units are stacked here: the upper Dartry Limestone, the Glencar Limestone beneath it, and older Benbulben Shale at the base, all later shaped by the ice sheets that carved these valleys.
The cliffs are designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). Their damp, lime-rich rock is the only known site in the United Kingdom for the Irish rock-bristle moss (Seligeria oelandica), which makes them a place of real interest to botanists, and the sheltered lower woodland is among the richest for woodland species in Northern Ireland, holding uncommon plants such as the bird’s-nest orchid. The escarpment is also important for breeding birds. Interpretive signs along the cliff top explain how the limestone and the retreating ice made the landscape.
The seasons change its character: wildflowers and butterflies in spring, long light in summer, copper woodland against pale rock in autumn, and in winter the bare structure of the escarpment under crisp, low light.
The 1943 memorial and Geopark status
A quiet plaque near the summit marks a wartime loss. In November 1943 a Royal Air Force Short Sunderland flying boat, W4036, struck the escarpment on a training flight from Lough Erne; three of the crew were killed. Since 2007 the cliffs have formed part of the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark – now the Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark – linking them to a wider network of caves, underground rivers and limestone pavement across the region.
Walking the trail
The Magho Cliffs Walk is a 2.5 km (1.5 mile) linear trail along the forest edge and cliff top, graded difficult for its steep drops, uneven ground and exposed sections. You can do it in either direction:
- Top-down – Start at the viewpoint car park near the summit (postcode BT93 6AH) for the big view first, then descend through woodland and clearings.
- Bottom-up – Start at the Loughshore Road car park by the lake (public toilets here) and climb the forest track up toward the escarpment.
The surface is natural earth and root-covered forest track, so wear proper walking boots. Dogs are allowed but must be kept under control. AllTrails walkers rate February to September as the best stretch of the year for it.
Practical information
- Parking: Two car parks – the top one at the end of the Lough Navar Forest Drive, and the bottom one on Loughshore Road, which has toilets.
- Facilities: A viewing bench at the top, but no shop or café, so bring your own food and water.
- Safety: The trail runs close to steep drops. Stay on the marked path, keep children and dogs close, and keep back from the edge in high wind or heavy rain. Fog can come down fast and cut visibility to nothing.
- Nearby: The cliffs pair well with Enniskillen for town amenities, or the Cuilcagh Boardwalk for a contrasting bogland walk.
Allow about two hours for the walk and back, plus time at the viewpoint, and check the UK Met Office forecast before you go – on this exposed edge of Fermanagh the weather turns quickly, and fog closes the view in minutes.