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Erne

United Kingdom

Yacht charter in Erne

3 yachts available in Erne. Departing from 1 marinas. Prices from €1,642 per week.

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  • 3
    Yachts available
  • €1,642
    From / week
  • 1
    Marinas & bases

Practical info

Chartering from Erne: the basics

Charter week
Saturday to Saturday

28% of the bookings in our calendar start on a Saturday.

Departure marinas
1

Bases you can start the week from.

Licence needed?
Yes, for bareboat

3 boats are bareboat only and need a valid licence.

On the water

Sailing conditions in Erne

What you are chartering
Three motor cruisers

All at Bellanaleck, averaging 13.5 m and 3.3 cabins with a 2013 build year. Bareboat; rates €1,523 to €2,053.

Two lakes, one base
Upper and Lower Lough Erne

The Upper is a maze of about 150 islands and channels; the Lower is one large open sheet with real fetch. Bellanaleck sits near the junction.

No licence, no locks, no tide
The easiest handling in the catalogue

The briefing is the training. The skill is reading navigation markers through the island channels, not boat handling.

An international border
Via the Shannon–Erne Waterway

Linked to the Republic of Ireland's Shannon since 1994, so a crossing on inland water is possible. Ask whether your charter permits it.

Season
April – October

The honest caveat is rain — this is the wettest part of a wet island. Pack for it rather than hoping.

Changeover day
Saturday

All three boats. One base, so availability is the constraint.

Worth the detour

Where to drop anchor in Erne

  • 1

    Enniskillen

    A town built on an island between the two loughs, with a castle on the waterfront and a watergate tower that is the emblem of Fermanagh. A short cruise from Bellanaleck.

  • 2

    Devenish Island

    A 12th-century round tower and monastic ruins on an island in the Lower Lough, founded in the 6th century. You moor at the jetty and walk up.

  • 3

    White Island

    Also in the Lower Lough: a ruined church with a row of carved stone figures set into its wall, early medieval and unlike anything else in Ireland.

  • 4

    The Upper Lough islands

    Around 150 of them, with channels winding between wooded shores. The navigation markers are the whole art of it and the reward is water with nobody on it.

  • 5

    Crom Estate

    A National Trust estate on the Upper Lough with ancient woodland, a ruined castle and jetties you can tie to. The prettiest mooring on the system.

  • 6

    Castle Archdale

    A marina in the Lower Lough, with a wartime flying-boat base behind it — Catalinas and Sunderlands operated from here in the Battle of the Atlantic.

  • 7

    Belleek

    At the western end of the Lower Lough, on the border, known for its porcelain. The navigation limit in that direction.

  • 8

    The Shannon link

    The Shannon–Erne Waterway heads south-west from the Upper Lough into the Republic — 16 locks and a different country if your charter allows it.

Suggested routes

A week out of Erne

Both loughs from Bellanaleck

7 days

Two quite different waters from one base: island channels one way, open lake the other. No locks and no tide, so the week is as relaxed as inland boating gets.

  1. 1

    Bellanaleck

    Handover and the briefing; a short run to settle in.

  2. 2

    Upper Lough — Crom Estate

    South-east through the island channels; National Trust jetties.

  3. 3

    Upper Lough islands

    Working the channels; the navigation markers are the day's work.

  4. 4

    Enniskillen

    Back north-west to the island town and the castle.

  5. 5

    Lower Lough — Devenish Island

    Out onto the open lake; the round tower and the monastic site.

  6. 6

    White Island or Castle Archdale

    The carved figures, or the marina and the flying-boat base.

  7. 7

    Bellanaleck

    Back south for the morning handover.

Find a boat for this route

Before you book

Local rules and paperwork in Erne

No licence required
The briefing is the training. Hire boats on inland water. Expect to be shown the markers, the steering and the mooring before you leave, and to be asked to demonstrate it.
Navigation markers matter
Especially on the Upper Lough. The channels between the islands are marked and the water either side is shallow. Follow the marks rather than the chart plotter's idea of a straight line.
The Lower Lough builds a sea
It is a big open sheet. With a strong westerly there is enough fetch to make it genuinely uncomfortable in a small cruiser. Check the forecast before crossing rather than after.
Crossing into the Republic
Possible, if permitted. The Shannon–Erne Waterway links the systems through 16 locks. Some operators allow it and some do not — ask before planning a one-way.
Weather, not wind
Rain is the constraint. This is the wettest part of Ireland. The boating is easy in almost any conditions; the comfort depends entirely on what you packed.
Three boats
Enquire early. One base, one changeover day. There is no alternative on the system if your dates are taken.

Checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm the detail that matters for your trip when you book.

What is here

The Erne fleet at a glance

The fleet in Erne is made up of 3 motor yachts.

Most boats here are motor yachts, averaging 13.5 metres.

Weekly prices start in the €1,500 – €3,000 range, where 3 boats are listed.

Boats sleep between 8 and 10 guests, with cabins up to 4.

The most common size band is 13 – 16 m, with 3 boats.

The fullest month on the calendar right now is May 2027: 100% of the fleet already has at least one booking, while 0 boats are still completely open.

3
Motor yachts
from €1.642

Budget

Charter prices in Erne

Weekly rate, set by the operator. No booking fee.

Space on board

Boat sizes

Sleeping 8–10 guests

  • 13 – 16 m 3

Availability

How full is the calendar in Erne?

Share of the Erne fleet that already holds at least one reservation, for each of the next twelve months. Taken from the operators' own calendars and refreshed daily — a boat with one week booked can still be chartered in the others.

Months further out look emptier simply because they are further away — most charters are booked a few months ahead, not a year.

Most booked month

May 2027

100% of the fleet already booked

Most still open

Apr 2027

2 boats with no booking yet

Pick a month to see what is still open that week.

  • Quiet
  • Picking up
  • Busy
  • Peak
0%
Nov
’26
3 open
0%
Dec
’26
3 open
0%
Jan
’27
3 open
0%
Feb
’27
3 open
0%
Mar
’27
3 open
33%
Apr
’27
2 open
100%
May
’27
0 open
67%
Jun
’27
1 open
0%
Jul
’27
3 open
0%
Aug
’27
3 open
0%
Sep
’27
3 open
0%
Oct
’27
3 open

Most common models in Erne

Counted from our live catalogue.

Nicols Yacht Nicols Estivale Sixto
2 available · from €1.642

Yachts in Erne

Cruiser Premium 6/8 Pers. 2016

Cruiser Premium 6/8 Pers.

Bellanaleck

13.5 m 3 cabins 8 guests
From €235 / day €1.642 / week
Cruiser Premium 6/8 Pers. 2012

Cruiser Premium 6/8 Pers.

Bellanaleck

13.5 m 3 cabins 8 guests
From €235 / day €1.642 / week

About the destination

Why charter from Erne

Three motor cruisers at Bellanaleck in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland — the quietest boating in the United Kingdom and nothing like the south-coast sailing the country is better known for.

Lough Erne is two connected lakes. The Upper Lough is a maze of some 150 small islands and winding channels; the Lower Lough is a single large open sheet of water with real fetch when the wind gets up. Bellanaleck sits near the junction, so you can do either from handover. There are almost no locks and no tide, which makes this the most undemanding week in our catalogue in terms of boat handling — the skill required is reading the navigation markers through the island channels.

The unusual feature is the border. Since 1994 the Shannon–Erne Waterway has linked this system to the River Shannon in the Republic of Ireland, which means you can cross an international frontier on inland water and keep going for another 200 kilometres. In practice most week-long charters stay on the Erne, but the link is there and some operators permit it — worth asking if a longer one-way interests you.

No licence is needed. These are hire boats on inland water and the handover briefing is the training. Rates are €1,523 to €2,053 a week, which is modest, and the season runs roughly April to October with the weather being the honest caveat: this is the wettest part of a wet island.

What you get for that is water with nobody on it, islands with monastic ruins and round towers, and Enniskillen's island castle a short cruise from base. All three boats change over on a Saturday.

Charter bases

Marinas in Erne

Bellanaleck

3 yachts

The Moorings, 156 Derrylin Rd

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Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Our Erne listings include 3 motor yachts.
Weekly rates here fall mostly in the €1,500 – €3,000 range. Prices are set by the charter operator; we add no booking fee.
In May, 100% of boats here already hold at least one reservation, with 0 still completely open.

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