Omagh Farmland Landscape

Key Characteristics

• Lowland landscape densely packed with drumlins which create deeply undulating terrain with rounded slopes and a dynamic, quirky character.
• Numerous small, winding streams, with peaty marsh on some floodplains and occasional small, rounded loughs.
• Diverse, small-scale field pattern, with fields forming an even, geometric patchwork over the drumlins, but becoming irregular in shape on the flatter land in between; broader more open field pattern near Omagh.
• Dense hedgerows, many hedgerow trees and small deciduous woodlands; often wire fencing on marginal farmland.
• Numerous farms, typically sited half-way up drumlin slopes; many small villages and settlements, generally at road junctions.
• Principal routes tend to be straight and deeply undulating, minor roads are tortuous; straight roads across small, marshy floodplains are embanked.

Landscape Description

The Omagh Farmland landscape is a drumlin lowland landscape which extends from Omagh to Fintona and includes the river valley landscapes of the Camowen River to the north and the branching river systems of Drumragh River, Ballynahatt Water and Quiggery Water, which wind amongst the drumlins, to the south. The regional town of Omagh is sited at the confluence of the Camowen, Strule and Drumragh Rivers, within a natural bowl-shaped valley which is enclosed to the north by the summit of Mullaghcarn. The landform in this area is relatively broad, with the rivers flowing close to the foot of the Sperrins.

To the south of Omagh, the drumlins become the dominant influence on landform, with the sandstone ridges to the east of Fintona and the uplands of West Tyrone forming a distant backdrop. The drumlins are packed quite densely to form a deeply undulating lowland landscape with a distinctive character. Narrow river valleys tend to follow and widen slight gaps between the drumlins and minor tributaries wind around the small hills. There are often patches of marsh in low-lying areas between the drumlins. The drumlins are predominantly pasture but have a diverse, small-scale landscape pattern. Typically, each drumlin is divided evenly by straight hedgerows which continue right over the ridge of each hill. This pattern is repeated on most drumlins but is complicated by many small copses, isolated trees and woodlands. These form varied patterns giving each drumlin an individual identity and the landscape as a whole, a dynamic, secretive character.

Farms generally nestle in sheltered sites halfway up the slopes of the drumlins and are linked by tortuous narrow winding lanes. However, the principal communication routes are often straight and deeply undulating as they cross the grain of the landscape. There are no long views and the consistent size and shape of the drumlins can be disorientating.

Landscape Condition and Sensitivity to Change

Most farmland is in good condition, particularly in areas where drumlins are smaller, with relatively shallow slopes. However, the low-lying areas between the drumlins are often poorly-drained, with gleyed soils (soils starved of oxygen due to water saturation). Fields in such areas may be partially infested with rushes and there are patches of uncultivated land. There is little indication that many of the numerous small woodlands are actively managed and their condition may be in decline.

The river corridors and their associated wetlands are the most sensitive areas within this landscape; many of the inter-drumlin hollows support valuable fenland habitats. Local skylines and ridges are often prominent and relatively sensitive, particularly if there is a striking landscape feature - a clump of trees, a farmhouse or even an attractive field pattern on the ridgetop.

Principles for Landscape Management

• Management of riverside meadows and woodlands and incorporation of appropriate access points or picnic sites, will ensure these features are conserved and appreciated by the public.
• The management and continued planting of hedgerows and hedgerow trees will conserve them as important features of the lowland landscape.

Principles for Accommodating New Development

• Siting new development away from the many river and stream corridors will ensure the survival of tranquil and often wooded riversides.
• The lowlands close to Omagh are under particular pressure for built development. Development could be accommodated within this undulating, well treed landscape although there is a need for sensitive design appropriate to a rural situation; linear development, closely spaced along roads is not characteristic and should be avoided.
• Houses are traditionally sited away from the road and on the mid-slopes of drumlins; if new development follows this pattern, buildings need not be prominent on local skylines and could possibly be well-integrated into the landscape.