Walk
NI
Darkley Forest Walking Trails Launched
A £220,000 project to design and create 4.6km of beautiful walking trails in Darkley Forest, Co. Armagh for all of the community to enjoy is now complete and open for everyone to enjoy!
Work began on site earlier this year following extensive consultation with the community who decided that a walking trail was a priority project for the area.
The trails, which start at the new eight space car park at Mountain Lodge Road, accommodates a wide range of users, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of outdoor exercise in a safe environment.
This scheme was delivered thanks to a partnership between Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Outdoor Recreation NI (ORNI) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development (DAERA) – Rural Affairs Division and Forest Service. Funding was provided from DEARA’s Targeting Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) programme and from the National Lottery through Sport Northern Ireland’s ‘Every Body Active: Outdoor Spaces’ programme.
“It was a great honour for me to cut the ribbon and officially declare the brand new walking trails at Darkley open, and what an absolutely beautiful place it is,” commented the Lord Mayor of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Julie Flaherty.
“It is wonderful to see something that the community has wanted for so long coming to fruition and I know that these trails will really make a difference to the lives of those living within the Darkley area. This Forest was once inaccessible but now residents have something truly unique to enjoy right here on their doorsteps. So get out, experience and explore this fantastic new facility!”
Forest Service Chief Executive John Joe O’Boyle said: “Our forests are an outstanding and valuable natural resource. The excellent new facilities here at Darkley Forest are a great example of partnership working delivering a living, active landscape valued by all through the social and recreational benefits it creates for local communities”.
His sentiments were echoed by DAERA’s Southern Rural Affairs Manager, Jerome Burns, who said, “The need for safe walking trails in the forest was identified by the local community and I am delighted that DAERA, through the TRPSI Programme was able to help bring this project to fruition, creating an asset which will be enjoyed by the residents of Darkley and beyond.”
Sport NI Chief Executive Antoinette McKeown added: “Northern Ireland boasts a rich variety of outdoor spaces and Sport NI is delighted to be investing in projects like this which are helping communities to connect to the natural environment through sport and physical activity. Every day, National Lottery players are helping people across Northern Ireland enjoy, engage and excel in sport and we look forward to seeing these new trails help more people in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area get active and get involved.”
“We are delighted to have been involved in the development of two high quality community trails within Darkley Forest,” said Outdoor Recreation NI Executive Director Caro Lynne Ferris. “Expected to improve health and wellbeing, these trails are a fantastic asset to the rural community of Darkley, providing accessible opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty of this environment.”
The trail was designed by renowned trail designer Hugh Clixby and built by local Camlough firm Euro Services.
,
Green Flag Winners Revealed 2019
Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful are celebrating a record 76 Green Flag awards this year.
Click here to download the Green Flag Award 2019 Map
The Winners:
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough council achieved 15 Green Flags.
Parks awarded were;
Antrim Castle Gardens (Heritage)
Antrim/Belmont Cemetery
Ballynure Old Graveyard
Jordanstown Loughshore Park, Hazelbank Park and Gideons Green
Kilbride Cemetery
Lilian Bland Park
Mallusk Cemetery
Mill Race Trail
Newtownabbey Way
Randalstown Riverside Walk
Rashee Cemetery
Sentry Hill Historic House & Visitor Centre (Heritage)
Sixmile Water Park
Valley Park (V36 and Glas-na-braden Glen)
Wallace Park
Ards and North Down Borough Council achieved 5 Green Flags.
Parks awarded were;
Ballymenoch Park
Castle Park
Kiltonga Nature Reserve
Linear Park Bangor
Londonderry Park
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council achieved 9 Green Flags.
Parks awarded were;
ABC Canal Greenway
Brownstown Park
Edenvilla Park
Gosford Forest Park
Lurgan Public Park
Portadown People’s Park
Solitude Park
Tannaghmore Gardens
The Palace Park
Belfast City Council achieved 20 Green Flags.
Parks awarded were;
Barnett Demesne
Belfast Botanic Gardens (Heritage)
Belmont Park
Cavehill Country Park
Connswater Community Greenway
Drumglass Park
Dunmurry Village
Dunville Park
Falls Park
Grove Park
Half Moon Lake
Knocknagoney Park
Lagan Meadows
Musgrave Park
Ormeau Park
Roselawn Cemetery
Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park
Tullycarnet Park
Waterworks Park
Woodvale Park
Derry City & Strabane District Council for achieved 1 Green Flag.
Park awarded;
Brooke Park (Heritage)
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council achieved 2 Green Flags.
Parks awarded were;
Grange Park
Broadmeadow
Mid Ulster District Council achieved 3 Green Flags.
Parks awarded were;
Dungannon Park
Maghera Walled Garden
Hill of the O’Neill
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council achieved 4 Green Flags.
Parks awarded were;
Castle Gardens
Moat Park
Moira Demense
Wallace Park
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council achieved 8 Green Flags.
Parks awarded were;
Bashfordsland Wood and Oakfield Glen
Carnfunnock Country Park
Carrickfergus Mill Ponds, Shaftesbury Park & Marine Gardens
Diamond Jubilee Wood
Dixon Park
Ecos Nature Park
Eden Allotment Garden
The People’s Park
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council achieved 3 Green Flags.
Parks awarded were;
Kilbroney Park
Slieve Gullion Forest Park
Warrenpoint Municipal Park
The Department of Finance achieved 1 Green Flag.
Park awarded;
Stormont Estate
Wild Camping Blog
Wild camping sounds exotic and exciting. There’s no getting around that –plus we enjoy a challenge! Not only are you camping, but it’s ‘wild’ as well! Out of context and without an understanding of the potential risks it sounds wonderful.
And don’t get us wrong – camping is great. We love it! And we love it because we love the outdoors, which is why we’ve recorded this recent video about the risk to nature that wild camping presents.
Let’s look at toilets for example. Do you know how to properly pee and poo in the wild? How far away from nearby water sources you should be? How deep to bury your waste? Is it even possible to bury it with the soil type and depth available to you? People often respond that human waste is natural, and we couldn’t agree more. But so is dog poo and we don’t exactly celebrate that being all over our garden. The good news is, there are resources out there so that if you’re camping at a permitted site that has no toilet facilities, you can relax and enjoy your bathroom break in the great outdoors.
Fun stuff out of the way, let’s think about the implications for wildlife. Many wild campers will preach their affection for wildlife and then think nothing of camping out on their doorstep without regard for potential disruption to mating season, endangered status or impact on nesting. Food potentially left behind can be hazardous to animals health and in areas where wild camping is taking place frequently, can make the animals become dependent on scraps which might one day stop for an extended period of time.
Then there’s the biggie. Wild camping is, put simply, illegal. Unless you have the express permission of the landowner to be on their site, you are breaking the law and an innocuous ‘I didn’t know’ won’t always get you off the hook for trespassing on someone’s land. If a landowner prosecutes, it’s a relatively open and shut case.
This can all sound a little harsh or heavy on the red tape, and again we want to emphasise that we love camping. We just happen to want everyone to do it the right way. You could even say we want you to stay on the #RightSideOfOutside!
,
