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Stretching from the shores of the vast Lough Neagh in the east to the border of the Republic and Donegal in the west, County Tyrone lies bang in the middle of Northern Ireland. Its northeastern limits are high in the desolate and beautiful Sperrin Mountains , and in the south it reaches towards the lakes of County Fermanagh. This is first and foremost farming country, with little evidence of industrialization apart from the starchily neat planters' villages that grew up with the linen industry. The Sperrin range offers major scenic attractions; it's rich in wildlife and is an excellent target for determined, lonesome walking. The place to head for is Gortin , a village on the Ulster Way footpath and the most easily accessible overnight stop in the area. Tyrone also has no shortage of archeological remains, the most remarkable being the Beaghmore Stone Circles , in the southeast of the Sperrins. The towns, though, are not much of a draw. Omagh is the county's largest town, agreeable enough but with little to warrant a stop. Cookstown and Dungannon in the east, and Strabane on the Donegal border, are similarly places to pass through, with minimal points of interest scattered around. The nearest the county's settlements get to being picturesque are the villages to the north and northwest of Omagh: Castlederg , Newtownstewart , Sion Mills and the tiny hamlets of the Sperrins. There's little else in the way of sights around the county beyond the heritage centres that celebrate the historic connections between Ulster and the US. Of these, the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh is by far the best. The only local transport in the region is Ulsterbus, which is reliable along main routes and not as infrequent as you might expect in such a rural area. Nonetheless, if this is your only way of getting around, it makes sense to pick up a timetable in a major bus station before you head off into the country. However, so scattered are Tyrone's attractions that you're likely to see little of the most interesting parts without a car or a bike. The one exception, of course, is in the Sperrins, where hiking is the best way to get around.
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