Ballyhoura Development’s 15 year ‘Trails Masterplan’ was launched on Tuesday at Griston Bog, where the development committee have designed a plan to increase the appeal and access to trails throughout the southeast of Limerick and areas of north Cork.
It is the group’s hope that the plan will be supported in the future by funding schemes like the Outdoor Recreation Strategies and Fáilte Ireland. The whole project is anticipated to need over €12 million investment; the report notes the success of this is heavily reliant on the various partners in the region working together. Furthermore, the development of the trails themselves will need the cooperation of landowners, both public and private.
DIFFICULTIES
The report identified weaknesses in the marketing of the Ballyhoura region, including the belief that visitors bypass the region entirely in favour of travelling further south or west. There is also a lack of public transport to the trails and no formal opportunity for cycling in the region that is not mountain biking.
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