Slí Chonemara, Bealach na Gaeltachta... Dead or Alive ?

Rob A. Bank

You may have noticed signs like the above down by the Spanish Arch where this trail is supposed to begin.

The Great Western Greenway in Mayo is a roaring success, with an estimated 300 people cycling and walking the trail each day, and paying for itself in less than a year. Additional funding totalling €1.8 million has been made available for it this year in order to extend the greenway to Castlebar and Croach Patrick.

Meanwhile our own local embryonic walking/?cycling trail ‘Sli Chonemara’ languishes… with not even a map available and with the following message on the Irish Trails website.

Sli Chonemara is currently closed. The layout and presentation of the walking route is being reviewed by the management group.

Seems like a terrible shame and a wasted resource… are we going to have to wait until the Mayo Greenway extends as far as Galway before we see any action ?

Does anyone know what the state of play is with 'the powers that be' regarding this trail ?

Sponge Bob

Most is open but the bits that are not open are a mess. It would be an idea to organise a SERIES of walks of a weekend to figure out which bits are usable and put them up on Openstreetmap! It is a walking trail not a cycling trail for now!

Rob A. Bank

The only map Google could find of it are the tiny squiggles to the west of Galway… number 9 is Sli Chonamara.

It follows the coast from the Spanish Arch to the end of the golf links, then takes a hike inland to avoid Lough Rusheen, which is a shame IMHO. Lough Rusheen and it’s rapids are beautiful and a wonderful spot for wildlife. A bit of minor engineering, a few CPOs and a bridge or two would allow access from the golf links to Silver Strand along the coast.

Sli Chonamara then goes up the Cappagh Road and around the Lake above Barna before connecting with the coast again at Furbo. It then follows the shore as far as Rossaveel, with occasional diversions inland to avoid rivers, salt marshes and man made (? illegal) obstacles.

I know nothing of the spurs towards Oughterard, Carraroe, Lettermore, Rosmuc or when it heads north to peter out in the mountainous area to the south west of Recess.

Coastal trails are phenomenal tourist draws worldwide and a half decent walking/cycling coastal trail along or around Galway Bay, say from Black Head to Golam Head would draw far more than the 100,000 + who use the Mayo Greenway annually.

It’s a potential tourist goldmine, totally neglected and going to waste, on our own doorstep !

Micilin Muc

I was up by the Slí Chonamara entrance to Cloosh Forest today. A simple 700m boardwalk, a map and some advertising would open up the whole forest to users.

Here's a link to a part of the route.

Iwannahurl

As someone who prefers walking/cycling leisure routes to be just that (ie routes for walkers and cyclists) I'm inclined towards the view that at least some of these "trails" exist mainly in the minds of tourism officials with modest ideas and minuscule budgets.

A bunch of signposts does not a walking route make. In Galway many such "trails" are along boreens which are more heavily trafficked by cars than they should be, because of the scale of "one-off" house construction over the years.

Also, I dislike the lack of continuity on these "routes". Fragmentation makes a nonsense of the concept, IMO.

Fuinseog

Iwannahurl wrote: »

As someone who prefers walking/cycling leisure routes to be just that (ie routes for walkers and cyclists) I'm inclined towards the view that at least some of these "trails" exist mainly in the minds of tourism officials with modest ideas and minuscule budgets.

A bunch of signposts does not a walking route make. In Galway many such "trails" are along boreens which are more heavily trafficked by cars than they should be, because of the scale of "one-off" house construction over the years.

Also, I dislike the lack of continuity on these "routes". Fragmentation makes a nonsense of the concept, IMO.

Galway is not tuned into tourism as other arts of the country.
there is a bit of a cycle track around Clifden, but those on cycling holidays are looking for more than a bit of a track and the N59, which is supposed to be the western way walking trail, is not safe for walking or cycling.

nuac

When Mayo get the currently planned extensions to the Western Greenway to Murrisk and Castlebar up and running, they will come to Galway's rescue by further extending the Greenway to Louisburgh, around to Bundorragha on N side of Killary, then around Gleanagimhla to county line near Leenane. Galway could then continue into Leenane and along the S side of the Killaries onto Renvyle and eventually CLifden.

By that stage Galway may have managed to organise a Greeway along the old Galway - Clifden Railway line

Fuinseog

nuac wrote: »

When Mayo get the currently planned extensions to the Western Greenway to Murrisk and Castlebar up and running, they will come to Galway's rescue by further extending the Greenway to Louisburgh, around to Bundorragha on N side of Killary, then around Gleanagimhla to county line near Leenane. Galway could then continue into Leenane and along the S side of the Killaries onto Renvyle and eventually CLifden.

By that stage Galway may have managed to organise a Greeway along the old Galway - Clifden Railway line

the former railway line is partially in private hands so developing a track there could be awkward.

JohnFalstaff

Fuinseog wrote: »

the former railway line is partially in private hands so developing a track there could be awkward.

Sections of the Mayo Greenway are also privately owned but the landowners have granted unrestricted access of their property to the public to use the cycle path.

Hopefully a similar arrangement will allow the Galway-Clifden project to move forward.

Aiel

This was in the news a few months ago.They had planned to start on the Galway-Cliftden Greenway route along the old railway line at the end of the year but its been delayed till the Spring.They'll do the Cliftden-Ougtherard half of it first and then from there it will come right into the city centre by the college.Dont hold your breath for it.It will be an amazing amenity when its complete though.

Iwannahurl

Rob A. Bank wrote: »

http://www.irishtrails.ie/images/interactive_map.gif
The only map Google could find of it are the tiny squiggles to the west of Galway… number 9 is Sli Chonamara.

It follows the coast from the Spanish Arch to the end of the golf links, then takes a hike inland to avoid Lough Rusheen, which is a shame IMHO. Lough Rusheen and it’s rapids are beautiful and a wonderful spot for wildlife. A bit of minor engineering, a few CPOs and a bridge or two would allow access from the golf links to Silver Strand along the coast.

Sli Chonamara then goes up the Cappagh Road and around the Lake above Barna before connecting with the coast again at Furbo. It then follows the shore as far as Rossaveel, with occasional diversions inland to avoid rivers, salt marshes and man made (? illegal) obstacles.

I know nothing of the spurs towards Oughterard, Carraroe, Lettermore, Rosmuc or when it heads north to peter out in the mountainous area to the south west of Recess.

Coastal trails are phenomenal tourist draws worldwide and a half decent walking/cycling coastal trail along or around Galway Bay, say from Black Head to Golam Head would draw far more than the 100,000 + who use the Mayo Greenway annually.

It’s a potential tourist goldmine, totally neglected and going to waste, on our own doorstep !

I've known of the Sli Chonamara for a few years, and no doubt walked sections of it, but since it lacks a coherent identity I can't say I've 'done' it. I can say I've done the Mulranny to Achill Greenway precisely because of its coherence and connectivity, which is far from perfect but still infinitely better developed (in the good sense of that word) than Sli Chonamara.

Walking trails of this kind are indeed major tourist attractions, but I wouldn't say they're totally neglected. I suspect there's a lack of joined-up thinking, and a lot of competing interests.

According to Failte Ireland, overseas visitors who went hiking and/or hillwalking while in Ireland spent an estimated €494 million in 2009. More than you could shake a walking stick at.

The map above is in the Irish Trails Strategy 2007, but that is too general to give any details about Sli Chonamara.

Uterus na Gaeltachta and Eamon O Cuiv obviously believed in the existence of a Bealach na Gaeltachta/Sli Chonamara a few years ago. Maybe they still do?


.

Fuinseog

Aiel wrote: »

This was in the news a few months ago.They had planned to start on the Galway-Cliftden Greenway route along the old railway line at the end of the year but its been delayed till the Spring.They'll do the Cliftden-Ougtherard half of it first and then from there it will come right into the city centre by the college.Dont hold your breath for it.It will be an amazing amenity when its complete though.

what kind of track was planned tarmac, gravel or sand. its not not great walking on tarmac.someone has to convince the council that it would be good for the community as a whole.

nuac

Fuinseog wrote: »

the former railway line is partially in private hands so developing a track there could be awkward.

Actually all of the Westport - Achill line was sold off c 1940 to mainly to adjoining farmers.

Failte Éireann and Mayo County Council in cooperation with local community groups evolved a type of licence acceptable to practically all of the owners concerned. Owners allowed work such as surfacing to be carried out. No compensation requested as it was for the good of the communiry. Some bridges had to be rebuilt, and in some cases short diversions onto adjoining road or adjoinng land.

Is a very successful project, highly popular.

Perhaps when the hurling and football is over, and hopefully Galway and Mayo are winners, Galway CC could liase with Mayo CC about these projects

Sponge Bob

nuac wrote: »

Failte Éireann and Mayo County Council in cooperation with local community groups evolved a type of licence acceptable to practically all of the owners concerned. Owners allowed work such as surfacing to be carried out. No compensation requested as it was for the good of the community.

Permissive Access. A rolling 1 year wayleave.

Perrhaps when the hurling and football is over, and hopefully Galway and Mayo are winners, Galway CC could liase with Mayo CC about these projects

They have ...already.