[Article] €5.3m plan to attract walkers and cyclists

Ghost Rider

[By Tim O'Brien in today's Irish Times]

A €5.3 million initiative to provide outdoor recreation facilities for walkers and cyclists across the State has been unveiled by Coillte and Fáilte Ireland.

The initiative provides 250km of walking, hiking and biking trails at 34 sites, as well as a website to help people, especially visitors from abroad, research and plan activities in Ireland.

The initiative includes investment in new and existing walking trails, car parks, way marking and signage, as well as mountain biking and family cycling.

New signage has been designed to increase public awareness of the access to the countryside that Coillte lands provide. Funding for the project came from Fáilte Ireland, through its Forest Recreation Infrastructure Upgrading Programme.

The Welcome Initiative was jointly launched in Coillte headquarters in Co Wicklow yesterday by Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Mary Wallace.

The locations of the sites include stretches of the Wicklow Way; Donadea Forest Park, Co Kildare; Carrick Wood, Brittas and the Slieve Bloom Way in Co Laois; Portumna Forest Park and the Western Way in Co Galway; the Western Way in Co Mayo, Ards Forest Park and Drumboe in Co Donegal; Deerpark, Co Sligo; Ravensdale Co Louth; Mullaghmeen, Co Westmeath; Ballycuggeran, Co Clare; Guagan Barra Forest Park and Corrin, in Co Cork; and Glanteenassig in Co Cork.
© 2007 The Irish Times

ruprect

I only hope they discuss the plans with people who actually walk & cycle...

Bicyclegadabout

I hope they don’t think walking and cycling are the same thing.

kona

and how are we ment to use all this when cie are anti-bikes??:rolleyes:
waste of money tbh unless they allow bikes on trains at off peak times

i hope ravensdale is 100% bikes, walkers will jst tear the tracks apart

Cabaal

Bicyclegadabout wrote: »

I hope they don’t think walking and cycling are the same thing.

pfft, don't be stupid of course its the same thing!
You only need a stone covered path and that'll do both



Should be fun when they make yet another balls of some plan to help tourists enjoy Ireland when walking or cylcing

Johnny Jukebox

Cabaal wrote: »

pfft, don't be stupid of course its the same thing!
You only need a stone covered path and that'll do both



Should be fun when they make yet another balls of some plan to help tourists enjoy Ireland when walking or cylcing

Ease yourself off the couch buddy and take a trip up to Ballinstoe forest park in Co. Wicklow. There you will find a newly constructed 15km loop of purpose built MTB singletrack of very high quality and interest. There is an equally good but much longer set of trails developing in Ballyhoura.

These initiatives are not "yet another balls of some plan"; they rank up there with the best singletrack I've ridden in other parts of Europe. So credit and kudos to the people who worked hard to make these things happen.

trinewbie

Johnny Jukebox wrote: »

Ease yourself off the couch buddy and take a trip up to Ballinstoe forest park in Co. Wicklow. There you will find a newly constructed 15km loop of purpose built MTB singletrack of very high quality and interest. There is an equally good but much longer set of trails developing in Ballyhoura.

These initiatives are not "yet another balls of some plan"; they rank up there with the best singletrack I've ridden in other parts of Europe. So credit and kudos to the people who worked hard to make these things happen.

the Ballinastoe trails are wicked - was up there last night for 2 laps of the 15km loop. There was some doubt amongst MTB community that the trails would be little more than for lesiure cyclists. This certainly is not the case, trails are made up of some of the best singletrack I have seen, some nice berms top it all off. the trails were funded 50 50 , coillte and NDP as far as I know. Well played coillte for recognising that all mountain bikers are not a menace.

check out the trail map at -
http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie/index.php?id=54&trail=135&trail_type=2&no_cache=1

Ghost Rider

Fair whack, play AND balls.

trinewbie wrote: »

the Ballinastoe trails are wicked - was up there last night for 2 laps of the 15km loop. There was some doubt amongst MTB community that the trails would be little more than for lesiure cyclists. This certainly is not the case, trails are made up of some of the best singletrack I have seen, some nice berms top it all off. the trails were funded 50 50 , coillte and NDP as far as I know. Well played coillte for recognising that all mountain bikers are not a menace.

check out the trail map at -
http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie/index.php?id=54&trail=135&trail_type=2&no_cache=1

Cabaal

Johnny Jukebox wrote: »

Ease yourself off the couch buddy and take a trip up to Ballinstoe forest park in Co. Wicklow.

haha, couch rofl
Yeah sure

oobydooby

I see at the bottom of the track it says 'walkers welcome' ! (it's just a logo for a walking initiative) but I can imagine hiking up a steep single track which is meant for experienced MTBers :eek:

Too many negative responses to the original news. I think they can get their stuff together and accomodate walkers and leisure cyclists on one hand and sportspeople on the other. Getting your bikes there is the only problem, but that's not their job to sort out, we should be making noise about that! Good luck to the planners and credit to whoever was behind such a successful initiative.

Tomas_V

Ghost Rider wrote: »

The initiative includes investment in new and existing walking trails, car parks, way marking and signage, as well as mountain biking and family cycling.

It might be a good start to fix the cycle track leaving Dublin airport.

Prowetod

Ghost Rider wrote: »

[By Tim O'Brien in today's Irish Times]
Glanteenassig in Co Cork.

Where?? never heard of the place!!!