West Cavan, Ireland. To the northwest of Milltown and Killeshandra, west Cavan sticks out like a handle, tracing the line of the border. It's quite different from the rest of the county

West Cavan, Ireland
To the northwest of Milltown and Killeshandra, west Cavan
sticks out like a handle, tracing the line of the border.
It's quite different from the rest of the county

To the northwest of Milltown and Killeshandra, west Cavan sticks out like a handle, tracing the line of the border. It's quite different from the rest of the county - wilder and higher, with peat-covered hills, granite boulders and mountain streams. In this inhospitable bleakness, it has more in common with the wilds of Donegal than the more intimate Cavan lakeland.

About six miles from Belturbet is BALLYCONNELL , two miles west of which is the county's one independent hostel , Sandville House Hostel (all year, but advance booking advised Nov-March; tel 049/952 6297; sandville@eircom.ie ). Housed in an airy converted barn alongside a large Georgian house, it's a tranquil spot, and there are bikes for rent and space for tents. B&Bs in the area include An Crannog, Cranaghan (tel 049/952 6545; £40-55/?50.79-69.84) and Rossdean, Daisyhill (tel 049/952 6358; £40-55/?50.79-69.84).

Right up in the northwestern corner of the county, the Cavan Way is a signposted walk of seventeen miles that takes you through rugged terrain from DOWRA to BLACKLION, where it meets the southwestern end of the Ulster Way. Small maps of the route can be picked up in tourist offices. From the heights above Blacklion there are spectacular views over Lough MacNean and the Fermanagh lakeland, to the Sligo and Leitrim mountains in the west, and on a clear day to the heights of south Donegal. Along the route, The Shannon Pot is the source of Ireland's mightiest river - the Shannon - and figures heavily in Irish myth, though it's little visited.

Dowra and Blacklion themselves are tiny and remote: the former high on the young Shannon before it fills Lough Allen, the first of many lakes, the latter a border crossing point. Both have very limited facilities indeed. Their B&Bs are almost certain to have space, though it's best to phone ahead and check. In Blacklion there's Lough Macneann House (tel 072/53022; £40-55/?50.79-69.84), in Main Street; dinner in their award-winning bistro costs around £30/38.09 (restaurant open July-Sept Mon-Sat; Oct-June Thurs-Sun). In Dowra, a tiny place with just a few bars and a grocery shop, The Hi Way Inn (tel 078/43025; under £26/33.01) is the only option.

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