Funding of more than €900,000 was approved by the Government this week to develop walking/cycling trails at Letterfrack National Park, and in Portumna, Woodford, and Loughrea.
On Monday, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, announced €933,000 in funding for outdoor adventure projects in Galway.
The works at Letterfrack National Park will see the development of a looped walking and cycling trail at Bealach Shéanadh Mhacha, along with a number of nature trails, and the upgrading of the existing woodland loop trail that forms part of the Atlantic Waterfall Walk in Letterfrack.
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The works for south Galway will see the regeneration of the Derrygill Millennium Oak Forest paths and the development of a new multi-use shared 2.4km leisure route at Portumna Blueway, Wayfinding, Sculpture Park.
The funding has been welcomed by Galway politicians. Minister of State, Hildegarde Naughton, said the walking trails and cycleways will “serve to showcase much of our country’s natural beauty, offering locals and visitors alike spectacular perspectives of our bogs, forests, beaches, mountains and rivers”.
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Fine Gael senator, Sean Kyne [pictured above], said the investment will “add greatly to the range of outdoor pursuits available in Galway and increase the attractiveness of the county for tourism, and will encourage exercise and activity in a safe environment”.
Green senator Pauline O’Reilly said this was “a major investment in our mountain and forest walks, cliffways, beaches, bogs, lakes, rivers, greenways, and blueways. It will develop and enhance the fantastic natural amenities in Galway, and open them up to more and more people.”
