National Trust - Castle Coole — Attraction in Fermanagh and Omagh District

National Trust meets Downtown Shabby

I was very disappointed by my visit to Castle Coole Estate. The house was in a poor state of repair, with some rooms looking very run down and shabby. The fabrics were worn and faded, and some of the furniture was sparse and imposes uninviting. But invites taking your money no problem. Not the sign of a wealthy estate I've come across to expect.

One room was very dark. I felt I could have done with a flashlight to look around. Mostly, everything is roped off, and the house has restricted access for paid visitors. There are very few places for people with disabilities to sit down and catch a breath. They're roped off, too! The only room that impressed me was the rotunda, which had some beautiful gold decorations and an Irish harp. Possibly why the National Trust tour guide books have been withdrawn from sale to National Trust members and visitors?

The staff were mainly very rude and unwelcoming, especially when they told me that I was not allowed to take any photographs inside the house. There was no sign anywhere that said this, and I felt like they were violating my rights as a visitor. Despite this house being used in local television programmes and locally infamous. They also did not explain anything about the history or significance of the house and just rushed me through the tour. After an hour, I was never so glad to leave. The time really dragged. We were constantly watched as a group around the house as if we were being treated as commoners and potential thieves. The only nice women I found around the estate was a receptionist and an elderly voluntary lady in the library shop.

The courtyard was a mess, with peeling paint and weeds everywhere. The café was a joke. Just garden tables and chairs outside with what looked like an ice cream van. Tbh, I've seen better stalls at Nutts Corner Sunday Market. The gardens were nonexistent, just a field of overgrown grass and cows. Contrary to the map in the outside overlooking. The lake walk I paid for is possibly the my shortest in recent memory.

I felt like I wasted my time and money at this place, and I would not recommend it to anyone. It is a shame that the National Trust and its current inhabited residents do not take better care of this...

It's a large house set in spacious grounds in a beautiful part of the country, it has everything going for it ... and yet it just misses !

The house is depressingly grey , and although grand in size lacks the finishing touches that change a large stately home into "Wow". The grounds although large with numerous walks are bland open and lacking in any style of formal gardens, we are told both the grounds and the house are intentionally left simple & unstated as part of the design .... in that case design brief achieved in abundance.

Even walking up to the place left me uninspired, what should have been a grand stable block was grey and cold , like it had been designed to impress but at the last minute was thrown together hastily with breeze block ... I just stood in the middle looking around wanting to be impressed, but just couldn't .... the muddy yard with diggers and pipe excavating didn't help much , but I understand work has to be done.

Be warned those of us NT members that collect the NT stamps in the café, they don't do them , apparently the Café is not run by the national trust.

To the house ... indoor photography is banned (I may have taken a few in error , sorry about the quality) so one star removed, seeing the inside of the house is by timed tours only ... but this is where things turn , the inside of the house is impressive, well presented and steeped in history ... however the main saving point of the whole visit was our guide , you were made to feel welcome , the tour was informative , interesting & fun ... I forgot her name , Petite Blonde lady , sorry I didn't get your name , but thank you for turning the visit into a more memorable one ! ..... sorry about the sneaky photography, but that's the only way I can...

There are very pleasant grounds with three walking trails of varying difficulty at Castle Coole. We found the National Trust staff very helpful and they provided a site map on arrival and described the trail difficulty levels. There is a small playpark, a bookshop, a café, a visitor centre and a car park all near each other. Castle Coole house is impressive from the outside although we didn't do the house tour. The grounds were well maintained and there was no litter scattered around. Thankfully, there was no dog fouling either. We weren't lucky enough to see any Red Squirrels but we did see a Great Crested Grebe on the lake. As per all National Trust properties, the entrance fee is expensive, although the annual membership pass to all the UK properties is a good way of making a visit affordable. In my opinion, this place is definitely worth visiting if you are visiting the...