WHAT a better way to celebrate a new walking trail than with a walk! On Sunday May 11th, the Fastnet Trails Walks Group will be launching their latest and final 12km route, with a 3km saunter over Skibbereen’s New Bridge to the old Abbey Cemetery and a return via the GAA pitch to the heritage centre.
Brigid O’Brien, the group’s assistant secretary, said local historian William Casey will lead that walk after the official launch by Fastnet Trails chairman, Tommy Jermyn, and Patricia Bevan, retired Rural Recreation Officre from the West Cork Development Partnership.
The new walk goes from Skibbereen Heritage Centre to Kilcoe Church, and it will round-out to the 16 looped and six linear walks that are included in the overall 57km trail.
Brigid explained that there was already a walk from Kilcoe to the Mizen Head, but this will allow enthusiasts to enjoy quieter and more scenic back roads to within 4km of the head of the peninsula.
In addition to the appeal of the narrow back roads, the trails also take in the line of the old tramway as well as the Schull Butter Road.
Brigid admitted it was ‘a difficult road getting these walks off the ground,’ but they had a niche beginning with locals recognising that Aughadown, just outside Skibbereen, had huge potential because of its seascapes, islands, river, narrow roads, and minimal traffic.
‘People loved walking there and seeing something different each day so we thought: “Why not share with visitors and tourists and get them to visit this rural area too?”
She said it was one way of getting people who otherwise would have driven past on the N71 to Schull or the Mizen to get out of their cars and enjoy nature.
Members of the Community Council in Ballydehob came together to form a small committee, and one person, Eugene McSweeney, who knows the history of the area was of great assistance.
Brigid explained: ‘Our neighbours at Schull Community Council had already established five walks, as had Toormore in Goleen, so we joined with them and called ourselves the Fastnet Trails Walks Group.’
Together, they applied to the local authority for grants to cover the cost of map boards, signs and arrows, and The Gwendoline Harold Barry Trust also proved to be a great support.
Ms O’Brien thanked the Fastnet Trails committee for their hard work, and acknowledged the engineering support provided by Cork County Council, as wel as the financial support through the Council’s amenity and community grants scheme.
‘We have lots of other sponsors throughout Skibbereen and the Mizen Peninsula and we are grateful to them too for helping us to complete this project,’ she said.
‘Advisory help was provided by Sport Ireland and Peter Ross from the Drimoleague Walks gave us a presentation on their work and encouraged us to get started,’ said Brigid.
‘And Patricia Bevan formerly of the Rural Recreational Office West Cork Development Partnership was a great asset because her knowledge of the requirements for Sport Ireland and of the appropriate grants to apply for was most helpful.’
