IRELAND is aptly described as a land of rivers and lakes. In the north of the island the beauty of these waterways is at times breathtaking - rivers fringed by forest and meadows, lakes remote and at times wild, overshadowed by spectacular cliffs and craggy hills.

From Belleek, at the northern tip of Lough Erne, in Northern Ireland, to Killaloe, at the southern end of the River Shannon, in the Republic, there are more than 300 miles of inter-connecting rivers and lakes to explore in our six-berth cruiser from CarrickCraft, the only cruiser company with marinas in both the Republic (Carrick-on-Shannon and Banagher) and Northern Ireland (Tully Bay).

Our voyage began on Lough Erne, in the county of Fermanagh. At 80km long and 8km wide in places, it is Europe's biggest inland water, studded with more than 300 tree-covered islands. Lower Lough Erne is the bigger, wider part, in the north, while Upper Lough Erne is the smaller southerly section.

This awesome lake offers endless attractions. Water sport is going on all around us - in one bay we encounter speed boats, jetskis and waterskiers, in another yachts, windsurfers and canoeists, and in a third fishermen peacefully casting their lines from boats or along the water's edge.

At every turn we are surrounded by nature that is both rich and diverse. As a half-hearted twitcher, I was delighted to reacquaint myself with the great crested grebe, a diving bird with quite remarkable lung capacity, while heron, hooded crow, grey wagtails, kingfishers and sandmartins, rare delights back home, are as common as sparrows.

The region, we discover, is also well-endowed in the historical sense.

In no other part of Ireland are castles and forts of the Ulster Plantation to be found in such numbers as by the shores of Upper and Lower Lough Erne. They were built to protect English and Scottish planters who seized land following the flight of the Irish Earls in 1607.

The castles - we visited Tully, Caldwell and Archdale - were mostly burned to the ground by Rory Maguire, a Gaelic chief who raised an army of rebels.

One, Castle Archdale, was the home of the RAF's flying boats during the Second World War and is now a museum dedicated to the war the airmen waged on Germany's U-boats. The castle and museum are part of an impressive country estate, complete with marina and caravan park.

Another castle is found at Enniskillen, County Fermanagh's main town, and built on an island where Upper and Lower Lough Erne meet. Sadly, most famous as the scene of the Remembrance Sunday bombing, Enniskillen is a bustling town which, in addition to the castle - now home to a heritage centre and military museum - also boasts the Buttermarket craft centre, Portora Royal School (attended by Irish writers Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett) and the Ardhowen Theatre.

Religious ruins also abound in the area - most notably the round tower and ruined sixth century abbey on Devenish Island, the 12th century Pagan-Christian figures on White Island, and the Janus idol on Boa island.

A third must-visit castle is on the Crom Estate, with the ruins and visitor centre in 1,900 acres of woodland.

Cruising is a holiday to enjoy with family and friends. It is by its very nature an activity holiday, because tethering boats is often done in competition with tide and the elements, and negotiating locks demands teamwork. But everything, especially piloting the boat, is done at a leisurely pace. Watching the wildlife and the endlessly changing landscape is a daily and pleasant ritual.

All boats should have a name. Ours, one of CarrickCraft's six-berth Kilkenny class cruisers, didn't. It was registered simply as E31, but we dubbed it Ethel.

Designed and built exclusively for CarrickCraft, Ethel was wide-beam craft, airy, and easy to handle.

The holiday had begun with a brief classroom instruction, followed by an on-board demonstration and then a supervised run on the boat. Safety is at the heart of everything, but far from being overawed, we cruised out of CarrickCraft's Tully Bay harbour relaxed and confident.

No licence is required to cruise the rivers of Ireland, therefore anyone over the age of 21 can take command of one of Carrickcraft's cruisers.

In order to keep Ethel's electrics fully charged, it was necessary to run her engine for at least two hours a day. But the fuel economy of cruisers is remarkable. A typical fuel bill for a two-week holiday is £100 to £150, depending on the size of boat. Ours was £134 - and we cruised for 12 days, sometimes up to ten hours a day.

Our journey took us as far south as Athlone, where the magnificent St Peter and Paul's Church overlooks a modern marina.

Navigation, whether on the Erne, Shannon/Erne Waterway or the Shannon, was very straightforward, as long as we followed the charts and the Captain's Handbook supplied by CarrickCraft, it was plain-sailing all the way.

A definite highlight was the Shannon-Erne Waterway, a marvellous combination of canals, rivers and small lakes. Along the Ballyconnell-Ballinamore canal stretch, there are 16 locks, but, unlike the English canals, all are fully-automatic, hydraulic systems, controlled at the push of a button. Between the locks, the waterway twists and turns through rich farmland. Where trees overhang the banks, there is little room for maneouvre, particularly with two biggish cruisers squeezing past each other.

The lakes, on the other hand, offer more than enough passing space. This, however, presented its own little challenge. At the start of our holiday, Lower Lough Erne was as still and serene as the proverbial mill pond. Twelve days later, when we returned, a strengthening breeze had whipped up waves that turned plain sailing into a white-knuckle ride.

I was George Clooney in Perfect Storm, keeping the boat's bow pitching into the waves. The problem was our destination lay to starboard and turning, so the waves slapped against our sides, causing Ethel to rock so violently that my crew below were left clinging to their seats.

While Northern Ireland continues to negotiate its own troubled waters, particularly on the streets of Belfast 100 miles to the east, only a few physical reminders remain in County Fermanagh of the aggression that a short time ago made the country something of a no-go tourist destination.

Police stations, with their reinforced gates, steel fencing and watch towers, are ominously at odds with such pretty towns as Belleek and Kesh; flags of allegiance continue to adorn many homes and the graffiti still pledges "No surrender".

The IRA announcement, on July 28, midway through our holiday, of the end of its armed campaign, is hopefully the best sign yet that the real Northern Ireland, a place of peace, beauty and friendship, is ready to break free from the shackles of its violent past.

Ironically, if a lasting peace does prevail, it will surely only be shattered by the stampede of holidaymakers to this lovely country.

TRAVELFACTS

Dave Horsley cruised with CarrickCraft, one of Ireland's longest-established cruiser hire companies. Boats range from four (2+2) to eight-berth. Carrickcraft has just launched its new Wexford class, a high-quality eight-berth vessel made specially for the company. Prices vary throughout the season. For more information, visit www.carrickcraft.com