Farrell calls to have county create walk routes in rural areas

Westmeath councillors have backed a call for the county to secure a rural recreation officer, after being told that Westmeath currently has no trails included in the National Walk Scheme.

Cllr Tom Farrell brought the motion before Westmeath County Council, calling on the Dept of Rural, Community Development and the Gaeltacht to provide an officer to facilitate sustainable rural development here.

He said Westmeath currently had no rural recreation officer and, “we have no walk scheme in Westmeath at the moment”.

He said the appointment would help rural communities develop National Walk Scheme trails, and provide income for farmers and landowners whose property was used by trails.

The National Walk Scheme has been in operation since 2008 and has resulted in the development and enhancement of 48 trails nationally, said Cllr Farrell.

The trails pass through private land under permissive access agreements, and landowners receive payment every two years.

Cllr Farrell said rural recreation officers were employed in 12 participating counties and administered the scheme, helping to maintain and develop trails.

More than 2,000 farmers and landowners benefit from the scheme through ‘National Waymarked Ways’, looped walking routes, heritage routes and other approved trails, he said.

Cllr Farrell said Westmeath could link potential walking routes with existing tourism infrastructure, including greenways and the Lilliput Trail.

He pointed to Offaly and Roscommon as examples, saying that more than 100 farmers in Roscommon were involved in the scheme, which is fully funded by the Dept of Rural, Community Development and the Gaeltacht.

The scheme could potentially be operated through Westmeath’s Local Community Development Committee (LCDC), but the immediate priority was to get the county into a position to qualify for the appointment of an officer.

Cllr Denis Leonard seconded the motion, describing it as “very worthwhile”.

He said a rural development officer could look beyond walking trails and examine the wider needs of rural towns and communities.

“Over 50% of us live in rural parts of Westmeath, do not live in Athlone or Mullingar,” he said.

“We need someone specific looking after our needs.”

Cllr Leonard said he was involved in the development of a trail near Kinnegad and had been told by a temporarily appointed trails officer that Westmeath had “one of the poorest levels of trails” in the country.

He said the lack of a full-time officer was one of the reasons for that and argued that the investment in an officer “would more than pay for itself” through increased investment and recreational access.

Cllr Aengus O’Rourke also supported the motion, saying Westmeath could begin developing trails even before the appointment of a rural recreation officer.

Cllr Farrell said the potential of walking tourism was demonstrated by figures in Westmeath’s tourism strategy, which estimated that 2.4 million visitors to Ireland in 2019 engaged in hiking and cross-country walking, compared with 361,000 who engaged in cycling and 37,000 who played golf.

Supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme