County Kildare Walking Routes Project - Kildare.ie

County Kildare Walking Routes Project
3.2 Evaluation of each Route by Established Criteria
Each of selected routes was evaluated against the established criteria. Each is described
in summary below, with results also on Table 2. Detailed heritage descriptions and
scorings, together with a series of maps for each route, are presented in Appendix 2.
EVALUATION WALKING ROUTE 1: Athy Town
This 3.0km town and canal walk combines an established Sli na Slainte and a town
heritage trail that includes a town park, canal bank and riverside walk. Athy is a designated
Heritage Town with exceptional built heritage. The route
includes a stretch of the Barrow River which is a Special
Area of Conservation and the Grand Canal which is a
Natural Heritage Area in the Draft County Development
Plan for Kildare. The walking route can be enjoyed by
people of all ages and fitness. The route is well
signposted. Public transport and local services are
excellent. Management and access comes under the
control of Athy Urban District Council and Waterways
Ireland. There are plenty of eating places in the town.
Toilets, seating and picnic tables are provided. The walk is promoted by local tourism
agencies and several well established community groups operate in the area. There is
potential to promote the walk in association with established local visitor attractions. Other
activities such as bird watching fishing and cycling can be enjoyed along the route.
Route 1 scored 189 out of a potential total of 250 (75%). See detailed scoring in
Appendix 2.
EVALUATION WALKING ROUTE 2: Donadea Forest Park
This forest route consists of 10.9kms of forest road and walking paths in a mixed
woodland park that contains the ruins of a magnificent
castle, a church, a tower, an eighteenth century ice
house and 17 th century walled garden. There is also a
9/11 memorial in the Park which attracts international
visitors. The site is a designated Natural Heritage Area
(NHA). There are 7.6kms of forest road and 3.3kms of
nature trail. The walking routes can be enjoyed by people
of all ages and fitness. The paths are well signposted.
There is a significant range of natural and built heritage
in the Park. Although public transport and local services
are restricted the management and access comes under the control of Coillte. There is a
coffee shop, toilets, seating and picnic tables provided. The walk is already well promoted
by regional and national tourism agencies and several well established community groups
operate in the area. There is potential to develop the walled garden as an additional visitor
attraction. Other activities such as bird watching fishing and cycling can be enjoyed in the
Park.
Route 2 scored 196 out of a potential total of 250 (78%). See detailed scoring in
Appendix 2.
CSA Project 3419 4