ETHICAL TRAVELLER:Catherine Mack on responsible tourism
IF YOU ARE refusing to hang up your wetsuit for another year, and determined to squeeze just one more weekend of fun out of these rapidly shortening days, Lough Erne, in Co Fermanagh, is calling.
Regular readers will know that I am a Fermanaghphile. The cluster of exemplary responsible-tourism businesses in this area is inspiring.
At their core is Share Holiday Village, in Lisnaskea, Ireland’s largest residential adventure centre and host of the second annual Erne Canoe Rally, on September 26th and 27th.
This year it aims to spread the word through the most peaceful of watersports that we all need to act against global warming. There’s no better place than Share Holiday Village to promote this message. The first thing you see when you arrive is its impressive array of three giant windmills, towering over Upper Lough Erne, where Share nestles into the shoreline. The wind turbines supply electricity to the holiday village. Even more impressive are the three wood-pellet boilers that heat the chalets, swimming pool and arts arena. Combined with four solar water-heating systems, it is not surprising Share is often the focus of educational visits.
Its general ethos is to share its green message in a fun, inspiring and accessible way. By joining hundreds of other canoeists at Erne Canoe Rally, you too can help spread the green word. The rally is a not-for-profit canoeing and kayaking event open to people of all abilities, as long as they are at least eight years old.
The idea is that paddlers must compete in the same boat across all disciplines, including a long-distance paddle, slalom, sprint and obstacle race. Teams must have three members, three kayaks or one open canoe and two kayaks. Open canoes must have two team members in each boat, and individuals can compete on their own or as part of a team.
This weekend is a bargain, with Share offering participants camping facilities, an evening meal, rescue cover, changing facilities, event entry, prizes and party for £35 (€40) per adult and £20 (€23) for under-18s, students and the unemployed. You will need to bring your own camping gear, safety equipment (such as helmets and buoyancy aids) and canoes or kayaks if possible. A limited number of canoes are available to hire on a first-come, first-served basis.
There will also be activities for visitors who want to stay dry and just cheer from the shore, including Leave No Trace environmental-awareness sessions, renewable energy demonstrations and an introduction to bushcraft skills.
If you want to get away from the canoeing crowds at night, you could register for the event but stay at one of my other favourite Fermanagh hideouts, which also offer canoes to visitors, such as Orchard Acre Farm, at Irvinestown (orchardacrefarm.com), or one of the holiday cottages at Corralea Activity Centre, on nearby Lough Macnean, in Belcoo (activityireland.com). Corralea doesn’t have canoes, but it does have a shore, so you could put your own boat straight into the water at Little Crom Cottages, on Upper Lough Erne at Newtownbutler (littlecrom cottages.com), or at Rushin Caravan Park, at Lough Macnean, which links into the Erne canoe trail via the faster-flowing River Arney.
You are spoiled for choice in this northwest haven, and if you aren’t a Fermanaghphile already, you are guaranteed to come back from this weekend a fervent fan.
For more on canoeing in Fermanagh, see canoeni.com. Share Holiday Village is at 048- 67722122 or sharevillage.org
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