Old Railway Line

North_West_Art

I was thinking would it be a plan to have the old railway line turned into a cycle track. The old line in Barnes Gap would be great... I saw a jeep drive along it not so long ago. There would be at least 5 miles of decent flat cycle path along the old line.
I know that there is development plans for Killeter forest at the moment, where they intend make the trails through the forest suitable for walkers, and also bike tracks so that the whole forest from the Castlederg road over to Lough Derg would be interconnected. There are also plans for equestrian trails though the forest.
I suppose it would also depend on who owns the land that the old railway runs along.

muffler

Fine idea.

Mint Sauce

great idea have cycled the N15 through there on a road bike several times, but would almost put the mountain bike back together to experience that

weiss

..and also bike tracks so that the whole forest from the Castlederg road over to Lough Derg would be interconnected. There are also plans for equestrian trails though the forest.

let's get it done! some craic

North_West_Art

ok then... Im going to find out how do-able this would be. Watch this space

mikemac

It's a great idea, fair play to you

Contact the Office of Public Works. And the local council of course

LoanShark

I think thats a very good idea!

I actually think I'll take my mountain bike out next weekend and go for a quick spin around there!

Senna

If you were able to talk to someone in the Fintown Railway, they could probably give you a good idea who to contact, i'm sure they had to go through it all when they bough the tracks back into operation.

Lobster

Great idea NWA

ednwireland

wasnt it mentioned as part of the gov scheme to convert old railway lines ?

yep there it is

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6591558.ece

quote

The Irish government wants to fuel the boom in walking and cycling tourism by converting dozens of disused railway lines into cycle paths.

Eamon Ó Cuív, the rural affairs minister, has invited communities living along the most scenic former rail routes, including the famous West Clare Railway, to convert them into tourist cycle paths using the annual €85m rural development fund.

The West Clare line stretches 50 miles from Ennis around the Burren rock formation to Kilkee on the Atlantic coast and Kilrush on the Shannon estuary. It is typical of the type of route Ó Cuív believes could be surfaced and signposted as cycle paths.

“We have so many spectacular, old, abandoned railway lines,” he said. “The two that come to mind are the one through the Barnesmore gap, and the one to Caherciveen from Farranfore in Co Kerry, which tracks half of the Ring of Kerry.”

North_West_Art

looks like their on it already then... I was talking with a forestry worker in Killeter forest who told me that they were going to create cycle routes through the whole area; I thought it would be a good plan to do it in the Gap aswell...
on the subject, theres a great cycle trail you can do in the Gap I only discovered last week, if your going towards Donegal, just before you come to the first parking area, there is a gravel roadway up to the right with a gate that seems to be open at weekends... if you go up that road, you will eventually come out at Dooish at the back of Ballybofey.

muffler

Any routes available to connect Killeter with Barnesmoe?

Durnish

very interesting.

Whilst driving round up behind Killybegs we came across "roads" and tracks that were not marked on the Discovery 10.
Not a big surprise, it's a fairly crap map series, but there was a lot of new track, made for the windfarm, which must open up the hills for bike/ walk exploration. I don't know how legal walking on these things would be? Would one be accosted by hillbillies with rifles and dogs, have yr bike thrown into the lake, be rescued by Bear Grylls or used as a human midge magnet

ednwireland

North_West_Art wrote: »

looks like their on it already then... I was talking with a forestry worker in Killeter forest who told me that they were going to create cycle routes through the whole area; I thought it would be a good plan to do it in the Gap aswell...
on the subject, theres a great cycle trail you can do in the Gap I only discovered last week, if your going towards Donegal, just before you come to the first parking area, there is a gravel roadway up to the right with a gate that seems to be open at weekends... if you go up that road, you will eventually come out at Dooish at the back of Ballybofey.

always meant to do that on the mtb, its access to forestry, the walking club would walk up there occasionally, i knew there were plans to open up killeter but thought they'd died a death. they were supposed too build trails like in Gortin glen (omagh), shame coillte cant take the same steps as the forestry commision in NI.

North_West_Art

There are roads that connect Killeter with the Gap, but on our side, their not always accessible by car as there are forestry gates on the entrances... heres an interesting spin though,
just when you come through the Gap going towards Ballybofey, take the right turn for Castlederg over the small hump back bridge. Follow the road for approx 5 miles, Killeter forset will be on your right. Keep going until you see a sign on the right for Meanblath road, 4th Corrary (which means its the 4th road you can take to Corrary), follow this road over the hill (2 miles) and you will come to a T junction; take a right and follow the road over to Big Bridge where the border of Tyrone meets Donegal. There is a small parking area with a picnic table there. This road runs through Kelly's Bridge in the area of forestry behind Barnes Gap, and eventually out at Laghey Barr and the Pettigo road....you can also take a right turn off it and it will bring you near where the windmills are and out at Copany. Its not a great road but worth the spin.
I must find out again what the plans for Killeter forest are.