County Cavan

Cavan is said to have as many lakes as there are days in the year, and once you drive over the hills, you'll quickly believe it. A trip to County Cavan leads into a quiet landscape of water, drumlins, and small market towns, where anglers and canoeists find their rhythm and where the Shannon rises.

Landscape and County Town

Most of the county is shaped by drumlins, small, rounded Ice Age hills with countless lakes nestled between them. In the west, the land climbs to the Cuilcagh Mountains, on the border with Fermanagh. The town of Cavan is a compact market town with a cathedral and shops. Cootehill and Bailieborough in the east are typical small towns with wide main streets, and Belturbet, on the River Erne, is the starting point for boat trips.

Sights in County Cavan

The Shannon Pot, an unassuming spring at the foot of Cuilcagh, is considered the source of Ireland's longest river. It belongs to the cross-border Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark. From the Cuilcagh Boardwalk, a wooden walkway across the bog on the Northern Irish side, the view stretches far across the countryside. Killykeen Forest Park on Lough Oughter offers hiking trails and an island castle, Clough Oughter Castle. In Cavan Burren Park you'll find stone tombs and glacial erratics, and the village of Virginia sits idyllically on Lough Ramor.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Cavan has no train station; buses connect the towns with Dublin, and the N3 gets you there in just under two hours. The best time to visit is between May and September, though the angling season for pike and coarse fish extends well beyond that. The area is traditionally known for farmhouse bread and bacon. Cavan attracts anglers from all over Europe, especially from Great Britain and the Netherlands, and many guesthouses offer boat rentals and drying rooms. Canoeists follow the lakes of the Erne system, and cyclists take the quiet back roads through the drumlins. At the Cavan County Museum in Ballyjamesduff, an exhibition tells the story of the region, including the Famine and the emigrants. In Kingscourt in the east you'll find Dún a Rí Forest Park, with trails along the little River Cabra, and in Belturbet, boating vacationers set off onto the Erne.