Eleven Munster walking trails to be upgraded and enhanced
Denis Duhallow Trail Updated The On Minihane Will Picture: Signage Be Way
Eleven Munster walking trails are among a group of 23 set to be upgraded and enhanced, thanks to more than €209,000 in Government funding.
The funding, announced by Community Development Minister Heather Humphreys, will improve trail surfaces and deliver additional seating and signage for the benefit of walkers, tourists, and families.
A number of trails and walks will also be ‘re-routed’ to improve their safety and to protect the rural countryside.
The initiative is designed to boost outdoor recreation and adventure tourism, and to enhance some of the country’s most popular outdoor trails.
Under the Walks Scheme, funding is provided to farmers and other landholders to maintain the trails that travel through their land.
Funding is also provided to local development companies for the management of the scheme and the upkeep of the trails.
Announcing the funding on Wednesday, Ms Humphreys said: “Our walkways and outdoor trails really showcase the unique beauty of our rural towns and villages.
“I’m pleased too that these projects will be delivered through local contractors and workers, therefore providing a boost to our rural economies.”
Eleven out of the 23 trails due to receive funding are based in Munster — three in Cork, three in Kerry and five in Waterford. They account for almost half of the €209,000 allotment, receiving €99,314.61 in total.
In Cork, signage on the Duhallow Way trail will be updated and resurfacing will be carried out at Mushera.
The Slí Mhúscraí trail at Cappagh and The Mills, Ballyvourney will also be upgraded — works there will include the installation of fencing, pedestrian gates, and some resurfacing.
Boggy stretches on the Mullaghmesha Loop trail will also be resurfaced.
In Kerry, a new fence will be erected in two separate sections of the Glanageenty Loop to prevent livestock breaking onto the walking path.
The timber Black Valley pedestrian bridge on the Kerry Way will be also replaced with a fully galvanised steel structure and handrails will be installed on two sections of the Cailleach Beara Loop to aid walkers with inclines on rocky sections.
In Waterford, six wooden viewing platforms on the Anne Valley Way will be replaced with six recycled plastic viewing platforms. On the same trail, the current wooden waymakers and arrowplates will be replaced with recycled plastic.
Seven mapboards will be installed on St Declan’s Way. The trail will be resurfaced, and drainage installed to prevent extremely wet, muddy and boggy conditions over the winter.
Elsewhere, two pedestrian bridges will be repaired on the Offaly Way.
In Roscommon, a boardwalk will be installed across a bog section of the Lung Lough Gara, and part of the Croagh Patrick Heritage trail in Mayo will be rerouted to relocate an existing walkway bridge.