Roscommon is one of Ireland's quieter counties, all lakes, forest and green midland farmland. Its best-known attraction is a 9-metre-high timber and steel walkway that winds through the treetops of Lough Key Forest Park, and its county town still runs on Georgian streets and proper pubs rather than tour buses.

Stay in Roscommon Town for the pubs and the short walk to everything, or base yourself lakeside near Lough Key or Lough Ree if you want to be closer to the water. Either way, there's a bed to match the trip.

Where to stay in Roscommon

• Roscommon Town - the county town, with Georgian streetscapes, the old gaol and courthouse, and the biggest spread of hotels and guesthouses close to shops and pubs.
• Boyle - the gateway to Lough Key Forest Park and Boyle Abbey, a good lakeside and forest base with the Tree Canopy Walk and Zipit ziplines a short drive away.
• Strokestown - a small Georgian estate town built around Strokestown Park House, handy if you want the walled gardens and mansion on your doorstep.
• Hodson Bay, on Lough Ree - the pick for lake views and water sports, right on the Shannon's second-biggest lake, a short hop from Athlone.

How much is Roscommon accommodation?

Rooms in Roscommon start from around AU$128 a night, about what you'd pay for a decent dinner out back in Oz. It's one of the more affordable counties in the Irish midlands, and prices stay reasonable even in the town centre.

• Budget B&Bs and guesthouses - from around AU$90-120 a night, usually a family-run guesthouse or farmhouse stay with breakfast included.
• Mid-range hotels - from around AU$130-180 a night, three-star comfort in Roscommon Town or Boyle, an easy walk to the main street.
• Lakeside and boutique stays - from around AU$180-260 a night, water views on Lough Ree or Lough Key, often with a pool or leisure centre.
• Castle and luxury stays - from around AU$450 a night, four-star countryside estates with spas, four-poster beds and fine dining.

Top-rated hotels in Roscommon

• Kilronan Castle - a four-star castle hotel outside Boyle, with a thermal spa suite, an indoor pool and antique-furnished rooms looking over Lough Meelagh. Rooms from around AU$483 a night.
• Abbey Hotel Roscommon - a well-rated town-centre hotel in Roscommon Town, an easy walk to the shops, pubs and the old gaol. Guest rating of 8.8.
• Hodson Bay Hotel - right on the shore of Lough Ree, with a leisure centre and water views, a solid pick for families or anyone keen to get out on the lake. Guest rating of 8.6.
• Coachmans Inn - a straightforward, well-located stay in Roscommon Town, close to everything and consistently well reviewed. Guest rating of 8.4.
• Gleeson's Restaurant & Rooms - a guesthouse above one of the county's best-known restaurants, famous locally for its Roscommon lamb stew.

Things to do around Roscommon

Lough Key Forest Park, just outside Boyle, is the county's biggest drawcard. Its Tree Canopy Walk is a 300-metre timber and steel walkway that rises 9 metres above the forest floor, wheelchair and pram-friendly, with views across the lake's wooded islands. The park also runs a Zipit treetop zipline course, boat trips on Lough Key, and walking and cycling trails through the old estate grounds.

In Boyle itself, Boyle Abbey is one of Ireland's best-preserved medieval abbeys. Built from 1161 on the banks of the River Boyle, its stone church, chapter house and cloister arches are still standing after more than 800 years, a solid, walk-through example of early medieval stonework.

Strokestown Park House, near the Roscommon-Longford border, is a grand Georgian Palladian mansion set on 300 acres. Its 6-acre walled garden holds one of the longest herbaceous borders recorded in Britain and Ireland, and the wider grounds run to woodland walks and formal pleasure gardens open daily.

For time on the water, head to Lough Ree at Hodson Bay or book a Shannon cruise from nearby Ballyleague. Lough Ree is the second-biggest lake on the River Shannon, with dozens of small islands to explore by boat and good fishing along the shore.

Roscommon lamb is the county's food speciality. It's the highest lamb-producing county in Ireland, and Gleeson's in Roscommon Town is the local favourite for a proper lamb stew. Time your trip around the Roscommon Lamb Festival if you want the county's food scene at its best.

Tips for finding the perfect accommodation in Roscommon

• Book ahead for the Boyle Arts Festival in July and the Roscommon Lamb Festival, when the county's small hotel and B&B supply fills up fast.
• Stay in Roscommon Town if you don't have a car. It's the only base with hotels an easy walk from restaurants and pubs.
• Book a lakeside room at Hodson Bay or Kilronan Castle well ahead in summer. Water-view rooms sell out first.
• Roscommon works best as a quiet, self-drive stop between Galway, Sligo and Dublin, rather than a standalone week-long base.
• Pack for rain. This is Irish lake country, and the forest trails and castle grounds are at their best after a wet spell.

Roscommon won't overwhelm you with sights, and that's rather the point. Forest, lake, a couple of well-preserved ruins and a proper lamb stew, no crowds. Pair it with a few nights in Galway or Sligo for the fuller midlands-and-west trip.