Review of Belle Isle Estate, County Fermanagh

> For contact details and availability, see greentraveller's full listing of Belle Isle

Charles Plunkett, who manages this estate on behalf of The Duke of Abercorn, has done a green and good thing. He replaced an oil burning boiler, with running costs of £22,000 a year for the castle alone, with a state-of-the-art wood pellet burner, using locally sourced fuel. This is the first castle in Ireland to go green, with Charles then going on to convert the whole estate to meet EU Flower Ecolabel standards and gaining the award in 2009. The biggest obstacle was, surprisingly, changing lightbulbs, "I discovered, to my horror, that there were 553 light bulbs, of which only seven were low energy.” says Charles.

The castle does not suit everyone's budgets, although you can rent the whole building for a week and split the costs, as it sleeps fourteen. You certainly need a big 'cast' to stay here, as it feels like you are on the set of some period drama, with plenty of aristocratic eccentricities thrown in. Such as the Coco Chanel room (with her original bed - just one of many stunning achievements of international interior designer David Hicks), a baronial hall with minstrels' gallery and an eclectic collection of extraordinary works of art. "We have 950 paintings around the estate," Charles said, able to identify each and every one.

But Belle Isle Estate also boasts cottages, courtyard apartments and a cookery school, at its stunning location on the shores of Lough Erne, County Fermanagh. Furnished more humbly, but with equal warmth and style, they too meet green standards. The Plunketts now recycle as much as they can, use environmentally-friendly cleaning products, scrupulously monitor energy usage, and inform all guests of environmental and economically sustaining activities in their area such as walking trails, cycling and public transport. Chef Liz Moore, who runs Belle Isle's Cookery School, does so with a Slow Food ethos, and sources produce locally. Within a few years, she will be able to source her fruit in the walled garden, where Charles recently planted a vast orchard.

What certifications often don't credit, however, is the preservation of some of Fermanagh's most precious natural heritage. Belle Isle is indeed a 'beautiful island', on the northern tip of Upper Lough Erne. The estate, and working farm, is a designated Area of Special Scientific Interest. Walking the hills and shores was like one big nature lesson, as I tried to identify the wide variety of old Irish trees, including huge Horse Chestnuts, Beech, Ash and Yew. The birdlife was so abundant that on my early morning walk, the dawn chorus didn't ever seem to stop. And in the safe hands of Charles Plunkett, life at this extraordinary estate will indeed go on and on, in the most sumptuous, sustainable way possible.

Top tip
I went in search of food and met Pat O'Doherty, the butcher along the way. He owns O'Doherty's Black Bacon, and recently bought an island in Lough Erne to rear his pigs in the open. Specially cured with no added water or phosphates, this is the real thing. If you are staying in Fermanagh, and are a meat-eater, it’s the place to stock up for the week. If you time it well, you can pick up some of his freshly picked wild mushrooms to go with your award-winning burgers. I loved his shop so much that I skipped the restaurant and left with dinner from his place instead. Ingredients: one locally-sourced wild venison steak, bag of organic pasta, organic garlic, and tomatoes.

Getting there
Take the bus to Enniskillen and taxi to Belle Isle (approx. £12). It is a hilly 15km cycle from Belle Isle into Enniskillen. You can rent bikes from Wild Flower Cycling Holidays (in Cavan) who will also deliver them to the estate (seewww.wildflowercyclingholidays.com for details).

Verdict
One of Northern Ireland’s hidden corners of utter gorgeousness - if this was the Lake District it would be teeming with people. Try and wangle a tour of the Castle's paintings too, if you can. If you can't, hire a bike and see the best landscapes for real.

For contact details and availability, see greentraveller's full listing of Belle Isle

Catherine is the author of ecoescape: Ireland, £8.99 (+£1.50 UK p&p)