County Kildare Walking Routes Project - Kildare.ie

County Kildare Walking Routes Project
10. The Royal Canal Way (77 kms), Grand Canal Way (114kms) and Barrow Way
(109kms) are three of the forty eight Great Irish Walks (Waymarked Ways) promoted
in Tourism Ireland’s brochure “Walking in Ireland”. This walk is on the Barrow Way.
11. There are several well established community groups who run community enterprises
and organise festivals such as the Blueberry Fair, Open Day on the Bog of Allen and
International Bog Day in February, March, May, June July and August along the route.
The groups include Ballyteague Community Council; Lullymore Heritage and
Discovery Park Ltd; Monasterevin Community Council; Allenwood Community
Development Association; Tir na Móna Community Development Council;
Robertstown Development Association; Kildare European Leader Teoranta (KELT).
KELT has funded several projects in the area including tea rooms at Lullymore
Heritage Park, self catering accommodation at Robertstown and marketing grants to
community development organisations. KELT has also secured EC funding for
Waterwaysnet a project aimed at producing a set of best practice guidelines for
dealing with waterways that are distressed or under some form of pressure from
pollution, invasive species, or other sources. The project concentrates on the
Blackwood Feeder adjacent to this walk.
12. There is a need for focus. Many different community groups are pursuing separate
agendas that would benefit from co-ordinated action lead by the public sector. There is
potential for private sector involvement through lending of resources or financial
support for signage or route maintenance. Roadstone has a quarry at the Hill of Allen
and may consider exploring ways of contributing to local initiatives.
13. Shops, pub and post office is available at Robertstown at the start of the walk. The
Barge pub serves meals. There is a pub, the Traveller’s Rest, at Littletown. There are
good shopping facilities and other services in Rathangan and Monasterevin. Walkers
are not particularly catered for along the route (eg drying rooms). Accommodation is
limited. There are self catering cottages in the village of Robertstown at the beginning
of the walk and in Rathangan at the end of the walk. There is Bord Failte approved
B&B accommodation available 3kms outside Rathangan and 3kms outside
Monasterevin. The Hazel Hotel in Monasterevin is adjacent to the walking route.
14. Two successful visitor attractions, Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park (25,000
visitors per annum) and the recently opened Bog of Allen Nature Centre at Lullymore
run by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council are within 5kms walk of the main route
along country roads. There is the potential to incorporate these attractions in a looped
walk (see note 9).
15. Tour Operators that specialise in Walking Tours report that lowland walking routes, in
spite of heavy promotion including TV coverage, do not attract any bookings. The
market is the independent traveller or the Irish Walking Clubs that look for weekend
breaks.
16. Fishing is well promoted along the canal by Waterways Ireland. The recent publication
of a book on cycling the towpaths will generate interest in cycling. Although the canal
bye-laws prohibit swimming in the locks, harbours and docks the locks are attractive to
swimmers because of the deep weed free water. Perhaps selected appropriate areas
could be designated for swimming. The development of towpaths for cycling could be
encouraged along appropriate selected stages while ensuring that motorcycle use is
discouraged in the design of gates. The towpaths are not suitable for pony trekking
because of the physical damage caused. There are opportunities for bird watching,
photography and landscape art along the canals.
17. Facilities for walkers such as drying rooms are available from the Hazel Hotel in
Monasterevin. Entertainment including dancing on Sunday and Monday nights in the