Getting around Enniskillen
Enniskillen town is small and, assuming you are staying in the town area, pretty much everything of interest to the average tourist is within walking distance, for someone of average or better fitness and mobility.
A local taxi service does exist (unmetered). In August 2015 a trip within the town area cost GBP3. Outside town count on an additional GBP1 per mile. Taxis do not roam around town and are unmarked so you do need to call to get a cab. County Cabs – 028 6632 8888 and Diamond Cabs – 028 6632 8484 are a good bet but a few others do exist. Useful if it rains, something not unknown in Enniskillen or Ireland more generally!
Additionally, there is an Ulsterbus Town Bus Service which is really designed to service the outskirts of the town – in fact there are no stops on the small island that is the centre of Enniskillen. To be honest, the service (three routes) is so restricted in terms of stops and frequency so as to make it of little or no value to a tourist. For what it is worth, an all day pass costs GBP2.30 (plus GBP1 for a travel card on the initial purchase). All three routes begin and end at the town’s central Ulsterbus station.
I am not aware of any cycle hire outlets in Enniskillen.
Bottom line – walk.
Getting around County Fermanagh
If you have read the introduction to my Enniskillen reviews you will realise that in addition to covering Enniskillen itself my reviews in this category/location cover the whole of County Fermanagh – on the basis that everything in the County is within a 30 minute drive of Enniskillen and that the majority of visitors will use Enniskillen as a base and venture out to other attractions there-from.
In terms of getting around, I won’t beat around the bush – you need a car, though an interesting alternative for visitors who have hired a boat would be to take a bicycle with them.
Ulsterbus operates a service which connects with the main towns and villages within the county. This sounds great until you realise it doesn’t operate on Sundays (and holidays) at all and its Saturday service is pretty much useless from a tourist perspective.
The weekday service looks better on paper but it is geared to bringing workers and children into Enniskillen in the morning and redepositing them to their homes in the evening. Outside these hours buses are infrequent. A determined visitor equipped with a timetable may be able to make it work but I really do not recommend it. The determined visitor should start their mission at the Ulsterbus depot/station (Shore Road) as depicted in picture 3 attached.
In terms of car hire, I read that it is possible to hire a car in Enniskillen. Despite my local knowledge and research efforts I have been unable to confirm this. I suspect if you pay enough one or two of the local car dealers or garages will set you up. Given the uncertainties involved I recommend that you hire a vehicle at your point of entry into Ireland, typically Belfast or Dublin, or take your own in via ferry if you are arriving by sea.
Most, if not all, of the major international car hire companies have a presence at Belfast International, George Best Belfast City and Dublin Airports.
Lest you be confused, I should say that I am not suggesting, nice though it would be, that you hire the vehicle depicted above – not that you can anyway, as it came from Belfast. By way of explanation, the primary purpose of one of my visits to Enniskillen (August 2015) was to attend the wedding of my god-daughter. The vehicle depicted here was her wedding car.
This blog entry is one of a group (loop) of entries based on many trips to Enniskillen. I suggest you continue with my next entry – Enniskillen – A walk around the Island – or to start the loop at the beginning go to my introductory entry – “Fare thee well Enniskillen, ………..”
The Rambling Wombat 