TWO NEW HERITAGE TRAIL BROCHURES ARE LAUNCHED WITH A THIRD IN THE PIPELINE
AN extensive walking trails brochure and a number of heritage trail brochures created to compliment sections of the Wicklow Heritage Trails, were officially unveiled on Monday.
The brochures were created as part of a joint initiative between Wicklow Uplands Council, County Wicklow Partnership, Wicklow County Council and Wicklow Tourism.
The Walking Trails booklet unfolds to reveal a countywide map highlighting each of the 38 way marked trails found throughout County Wicklow.
It will be distributed to public access points throughout the county in the coming weeks.
The free publication is designed to inform local communities eager to explore their surroundings and for visitors keen to experience some of the trails the area is increasingly becoming known for.
The location and length of each walk, its difficulty grade and expected duration, all feature to ensure that the information appeals to all types of walkers.
Taking in Wicklow’s beautiful setting, the collection of trails range from coastal to mountainous and take in woodlands, reservoirs, towns and a host of other highlights.
The variety of walks that are open to everyone, range from smooth, flat trails suitable for all including users with reduced mobility and wheelchair users through to strenuous and dif- ficult trails suitable for more competent and fit mountain walkers.
According to Brian Dunne, coordinator of Wicklow Uplands Council, ‘County Wicklow offers a huge choice of walks for its residents and visitors, whether it’s in the uplands, along the varied coastline or is based around a heritage site, we are lucky to have them all available at our doorstep. The reputation that Wicklow enjoys as a centre of recreational activity, is greatly enhanced with their production and will assist in attracting visitors seeking the unique experiences Wicklow can offer’.
Bryan Fennell, Rural Recreation Officer for County Wicklow Partnership said that it is expected that there will be great interest across the county in the new brochures.
‘As walking is the most popular recreational activity in Ireland across all ages, these brochures will be of great interest across Wicklow’s communities and for the visitors who come to enjoy its trails. Trail development is a key focus in Wicklow and the number of marked routes will continue to grow and as awareness increases, we expect their usage to be grow to,’ he said.
Following the completion of the Wicklow Trails Heritage Recording Project, two heritage trail brochures have been produced for the Avonmore Way and the Vartry Reservoir Trails
Produced by Abarta Heritage, the colourful brochures are designed to highlight heritage found on or close to these walking trails and are full of interesting facts, photographs and a simple map.
Completed in 2018, the Wicklow Trails Heritage Recording Project, which was co-ordinated jointly by the Heritage Office of Wicklow County Council and Wicklow Uplands Council, discovered and recorded much of the cultural history found along a 60km walking route in development, from Bray to the village of Woodenbridge.
A third brochure for the soon to be opened Bray Head Trail, which encompasses a trail through Belmont and the Sugar Loaf Way, will also be released this year.
Funding for the production of the maps was secured through County Wicklow Partnership under Measure 1 of the Department of Rural and Community Development’s Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure Scheme 2018.