Good restaurant, toilet and information facilities are available at the Marble Arch Caves Information Centre when open.

Follow signs from Enniskillen for Marble Arch Caves. Taking the A32 from Enniskillen towards Swanlinbar, turn right at the crossroads 9.5 km south of Enniskillen, with signs for the Caves and Florence Court and heading towards Blacklion. The Cuilcagh Mountain Park is signposted off the Marlbank scenic loop and the park entrance and car park is on the left, about 300m (200 yards) past the entrance to the Marble Arch Caves.

If coming from Blacklion, the Marlbank Loop is off the B195

A gravel path across bog and then rough, sometimes soggy, waymarked trail across the remainder of the bog. Dry grass and mud path steep gradient ascent up mountain to stony level surface at summit.

Good waterproof walking footwear and protective clothing needed as a precaution on all sections and gaiters recommended for bog.

In the south west corner of the car park is a gate, stile and information board. (To the right of this is Monastir Sink, a collapsed underground river that links to the Marble Arch Caves, which is an interesting location to visit….with a guide.. in its own right.)

Crossing this stile you literally head along the gravel path (Legnabrocky (Badger's Hollow) Trail) towards Cuilcagh. This passes through the limestone grassland of the Marlbank area, with fine examples of Limestone formations such as limestone pavement just off the track. At one point, the road has been cut into the turf and you pass between its walls. Embedded in here are the roots, tree trunks and branches of mostly Silver Birch preserved for hundreds of years.

Passing through several more gates and over several stiles, you cross the Owenbrean River, one of three which sinks into the limestone to form the Marble Arch Caves system. You will also notice the boardwalks out over the bog which allows you to experience the living bog without trampling it. The floating road on which you have been walking is also worth mentioning, It consists of a geotextile liner, overlain with gravel. This means that it "floats" above the bog, protecting it.

After about 4 km, the gravel path stops and over a small stream, you are on multi-shaded green grassland and brown and purple bog which is waymarked to the summit.

The going is "squelchy" and soft and can be difficult and tiring, especially after rain. Care is needed to avoid very swampy spots and bog holes, normally recognisable by their greenness.

To the right is the picturesque and still Lough Atona and wildlife in this whole area includes Whitefronted Geese, Dunlin, Golden Plovers, Mountain Hares and butterflies. Rare plants include Sundew, Sphagnum Moss, Heathers, Dwarf Willow, Starry Saxifrage, Stiff Sedge and the very rare Alpine Clubmoss.

From the very start of the walk, you can see the obvious bite out of the middle of the ridge called the Cuilcagh Gap. Beneath this, littering the slopes, are gigantic Sandstone blocks and boulders which have fallen down over the millennia. Although you can climb up and over these, this can be treacherous and dangerous. It is not waymarked and visitors are discouraged from doing it.

The climb up the waymarked path is steep and rocky in parts but well worth the effort because you are rewarded with a fascinating landscape and stunning views.

Moving East, cross the heather and stone plateau and pass by a small shallow lake which recedes and advances with inclement weather. Climb over a fence and head to the trig point on a large summit cairn which is in fact a Neolithic burial chamber.

Walk Ni

Ulster Federation of Rambling Clubs

Northern Ireland Tourist Board

National Trust

Environment and Heritage Service

Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland

Fermanagh District Council

Fermanagh Ramblers Association

It is claimed there is no higher ground between here and the Mourne Mountains in County Down. On a clear day, you can see both the Irish Sea and the Atlantic at Donegal Bay, with the Donegal Hills and Lough Melvin nearby as well as great views of Belmore Mountain, Lough MacNean and the Marlbank.

The border with County Cavan runs along the spine of the summit and the whole landscape has an "unearthly" quality about it, with weird soil and rock formations shaped by wind and rain of a thousand millenniums.

At some points there are huge cracks in the bedding planes of the rock. with deep "bottomless" fissures. Care is needed when walking the ridge, especially when the cloud and mist can reduce visibility to zero within minutes.

If you do decide to walk the 4km along the ridge, you will be rewarded with spectacular views from the buttress above Lough Atona and on to the Tiltinbane cairn at the Northwest end of the ridge. The steam rising on the northern slopes of Tiltinbane is the newly discovered source of the River Shannon.

The park authorities prefer and recommend walkers to return along the ridge and return by the trail on which they arrived.