Take a walk on the wild side of the county

ClARE Sports Partnership and Clare Local Development Company are co-ordinating a weekend of county-wide walking to celebrate National Trails Day on October 2.
More than 10 guided walks and an orienteering event are to be organised by walking clubs and guides across the county.

The inaugural County Clare Walking Weekend, funded by the Irish Sports Council, will take place on the weekend of September 30 to October 2.
East Clare Walking Club, West Clare Walking Club, Ballyvaughan/Fanore Walking Club and the Clare Outdoor Club, as well as the Burren National Park guides, Burren Guided Walks, Burrenbeo Trust and Meelick Venture Scout Crew are all organising free events to mark the occasion.
Clare Sports Partnership co-ordinator John Sweeney is hoping the festival will become an annual event.
“We are delighted to be in a position to promote this weekend of walking in conjunction with the Clare Trails Steering Group, Clare’s Rural Recreation Officer and indeed the different walking clubs within the county. Walking is an activity that has huge health benefits and it’s free. We hope that this weekend will be a precursor to an annual weekend event that will tie in with National Trails Day and get the county out and about using the many fantastic trails in Clare,” he added.
There are now almost 20 off-road and countryside looped walks in the county, as well as four national long distance waymarked ways, four historic town trails and six Sli na Sláinte routes.
Eimer McCarthy, rural recreation officer with Clare Local Development Company says support from landowners is important to the development of walking trails. 
“With support from communities and permission from landowners, many spectacular looped walks have been developed over the past few years in Clare. These walks are both a recreational resource for Clare people, as well as attracting visitors from other counties and countries. Some walking routes are maintained by landowners themselves, through a department funded scheme called the Walks Scheme,” Eimer McCarthy explained.
“Other routes are maintained by local community groups, by the Rural Social Scheme participants, FÁS and more recently by TÚS participants in some areas. Public Liability Insurance is provided through Clare County Council for all landowners on these routes. Maps, directions and details of all of mapped and marked walks can be downloaded from www.shannonregiontrails.ie,” she added.
All guided walks as part of the walking weekend in conjunction with National Trails Day are free, with experienced guides and clubs. The walks will have varying levels of difficulty. It is hoped that after the weekend, people will be more aware of the walking possibilities in Clare, may consider joining one of the walking, cycling or other outdoor clubs in the county, or make use of the services of the local walking guides.
A full list of events for the Walking Weekend will be published in The Clare Champion on Thursday, September 29. Details for the National Trails Day events on Sunday, October 2 are available on www.nationaltrailsday.ie. Weekend events are available on www.claresportspartnership.ie.
Details of all approved walking and cycling routes in Clare including downloadable maps are available on www.shannonregiontrails.ie.
National Trails Day is an all-Ireland event organised by Coillte, the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and Fáilte Ireland, along with the Countryside Access and Activities Network in Northern Ireland.
It’s aim is to increase awareness about the recreation opportunities in the Irish countryside and encourage people to experience a trail in their locality.
The weekend is co-ordinated jointly by the Clare Sports Partnership and the Clare Local Development Company’s Rural Recreation Officer on behalf of the Clare Trails Steering Group.
The Clare Trails Steering group is an inter-agency group made up of Clare Local Development Company, Rural Recreation Officer, Walks Officer, Clare Sports Partnership, Shannon Development, Clare County Council, Burren Way Ltd, Clare Walks Ltd (East & Mid-Clare Way), HSE, Burren Connect, Coillte, National Parks and Wildlife Service and a landowner representative. The group oversees the development and promotion of trails in the county.