Lough Shark

A modest freshwater lake just outside Markethill, Lough Shark is the sort of place locals know and visitors stumble upon by accident - which is precisely when it's most rewarding. The water is calm and reflective, surrounded by accessible paths that take about forty minutes to complete if you're not stopping to stare at waterfowl or sketch the tree line.

It's genuinely lovely for a gentle walk, particularly if you're based at Tepee Valley Campsite nearby. The loop is flat and manageable for families with younger children, though there's not much drama to it - no dramatic viewpoints or sudden reveals, just quiet water and the occasional angler trying his luck. Birdwatchers will find something to occupy themselves; the rest of us get a peaceful interlude from whatever we're doing.

There's no visitor centre, no facilities that I'm aware of, no entry fee either. It's free in the truest sense - you turn up, you walk, you leave. That's the appeal and the limitation rolled together. If you're staying at the campsite and need to break up a rainy afternoon or kill an hour before dinner, it does the job. If you're planning a day trip specifically for a lake experience, you'd probably be better served driving further afield.

Go early morning or late afternoon when Markethill's quieter and the light catches the water properly. Worth knowing about, certainly - worth planning around, less so.