More than 2,000 farmers, landowners, outdoor enthusiasts and community groups have converged in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, for Ireland's inaugural National Trail Conference.
The conference is organised by Leitrim Development Company in conjunction with the Irish Local Development Network and Rural Recreational Officers.
Speaking at the conference, Mark Rowlette of Fáilte Ireland said the "latest figures show that tourism benefits by €1.4 billion from outdoor activity walking in Ireland".
Leitrim Development Company Chief Executive Chris Gonley said a lot of work has been done nationally in trail development in respect of waymark trails, greenways, loop walks and blueways.
"There’s a huge tourism interest in trails at present. We couldn’t do it without the landowners' involvement and a lot of that goes back to establishing trust and a working relationship from the bottom up," Mr Gonley said.
The conference discussions provided insights into the benefits and challenges of granting permissive access and how such initiatives can positively impact rural communities.
Chairperson of the IFA’s National Farm Family and Social Affairs Committee ,Teresa Roche, said some of the main challenges their members have voiced include farmer’s right to privacy on their farming land, accessibility to land, dogs off leashes, anti-social behaviour and people going off route which may lead to farm safety issues.
A short distance from Carrick-on-Shannon in Cloone village, a looped trail across woodland, bog and farms has been accepted in principle into the National Walks Scheme.
Cloone Tidy Town Committee oversees the management of the Bóthar na Naomh trail.
Committee member Séamus Tiernan said that "the most important thing is to sit down with the farmers".
The National Walks Scheme, run by the Department of Rural and Community Development, has been critical to developing recreational tourism in peripheral areas and supports farmers in creating walking routes.
Currently, 81 trails are part of the scheme, and there is already approval in principle for this to increase to 142 trails.
A spokesperson for the Department of Rural and Community Development said they are inviting expressions of interest from new trails and substantial extensions to existing trails before 11 October.
The Walks Scheme contracts landholders to undertake maintenance work in line with agreed work plans.
There are currently 2,495 participants in the scheme, with an average payment of €1,190.
This payment is dependent on the amount of work needed to ensure the trail is maintained to a high standard and the amount varies from participant to participant.
Trails that are eligible for inclusion in the Walks Scheme are those that are registered on Sport Ireland’s trail register.
All registered trails are covered under the Trails Public Liability insurance.
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