County Kildare Walking Routes Project - Kildare.ie

County Kildare Walking Routes Project
Failte, Newbridge Library, Naas Town Council, Inland Waterways Ireland, KELT, and
IPCC were conducted.
Recreational walking routes in County Kildare can be divided into three types, canal bank
walks, forest walks and town walks.
Walking routes were examined under the headings of nature and characteristics of the
route. Based on maps compiled for the County Development Plan (CDP), the nature and
characteristics of the routes were scored against:
• Landscape characterisation
• Proposed Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs)
• Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)
• Sites and Monuments records
• Landscape robustness factors
• Landscape sensitivity factors
• Topography and ridgelines
• Scenic routes and view points
• Protected structures
• Special Amenity Areas
• Proposed Regional Park along the Liffey Valley
Other maps such as Noble and Keenan, Alex Taylor’s and early Ordnance Survey maps of
Kildare were examined in parallel with the consultation and analysis.
The second part of the map audit reviewed the sites and monuments records, the
proposed and protected structures database and the architectural conservation areas
identified in the CDP. Documentary sources referred to included historical maps of County
Kildare, Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary (1832), the archaeological inventory of county
Kildare and other sources held in the County Council library and heritage offices. The
routes were scored for the variety of landscape, built heritage and archaeology, SACs and
NHAs along the route and how the route links between villages, town and countryside.
The map based audit was followed by a physical audit. For the selected walks a review of
the natural, built and historical heritage along the course of the walk were examined under
the headings of ‘nature and characteristics’ and ‘physical attributes of the route’. Suitably
scaled maps for each walk, using GIS data sourced from the Kildare County Development
Plan, have been prepared and are included in Appendix 2.
The Evaluation Criteria acted as a checklist. Using a map, compass, field notebook and
reference books 1 , the consultants walked each route noting access, flora and fauna,
underfoot conditions, accessibility, condition of signage, stiles and map boards, health and
safety, escape routes, accommodation, cafes, pubs, restaurants, pottery, craft shops etc
along the route. Relevant public transport routes, bus stops and train stations were
investigated. Certain characteristics of the route, such as the level of community
involvement and co-operation from landowners and the diversity of natural flora and fauna,
were assessed. The audit included informal interview of other walkers, landowners and
service providers along the route. A list of amenities such as picnic areas, public toilets
and public playgrounds were identified. The presence of fishing locations, berthing
facilities and car parks were identified.
1 eg Collins Complete Irish Wildlife by Derek Mooney / Reading the Irish Landscape by Frank Mitchell / Atlas of
the Irish Rural Landscape, etc
CSA Project 3419 2