Irish Gravel Routes (Check out my Gravel Tips)

Can't post the link at the moment, but the Galway Gravel Grinder posted the below on Facebook yesterday...

No, just saw the post on Facebook. They do say in the comments they have the insurance via CI which has been enough previous years. If it's a blanket ban, that's effectively every gravel event (and MTB?) in the State gone.

That's crap.

I get the impression Coillte just might not be engaging or interested in doing so. When we were discussing this last summer, I was talking to one of my local TDs on it, who is receptive to the idea - at least in the MTB context. He shared a 2 pager with me the gist of which was that information sought from Coillte wasn't forthcoming (my apologies for the vagueness, but he specifically asked me not to share the doc so I'm treading carefully).

Whatever way you cut it, it's not encouraging

1.4billon for some vague zero detail plan on a cycle network but a refusal for a simple stroke of a pen to open up an existing 3000km and more existing road network for events and general tourism.

Linking up our local road network with Coillte and other random tracks is as good as cycling gets, but we can't promote it here because our politicians won't compel Coillte to actually comply with their own mission statement.

https://www.fieldfisher.com/en-ie/locations/ireland/ireland-blog/changes-to-the-occupiers-liability-act#:~:text=Section%2040%20of%20the%202023,of%20eliminating%20the%20risk%3B%20and

The primary legislation on which a claim can be made has been amended wtf is their problem.

They allow uncertified hunters with rifles(who are then charged with erecting signs to warn the public) but not cycling events, it'd make your head spin.

So then if a CI registered rider is using Coillte lands solo his policy is n/a possibly?

Has there been any statement about what the actual issue is?

I wonder do these events need to move from Leisure to LC like MTB/ CX? Does that up the insurance cover?

Any update on this issue? I see that Gravel Grind West are still advertising their 2024 race, I would have assumed (without looking at the route) that they used at least some Coilte lands.

On a separate note, I see figures of between 3 and 8,000 km of Coilte fire roads being stated above. Can anyone provide a link with the actual numbers?

I know the organiser and they managed to create a route avoiding Coilte properties.

People cycling and people walking are expected to share greenways and much of the new "active travel" infrastructure but can't share forestry fire roads in Coillte!?! fwiw I've never experienced any issue or complaint using fire roads on the Wicklow Way, or other forestry areas. Only self entitled (dog) walkers I've met have been on non-coillte trails where cycling is allowed in the byelaws (unlike walking your dog off lead!)!

Although, if cycling was still banned in in non-FCA's, it would rule out a lot of the Wicklow Mountains!

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47842246

A bit of wandering, porting and trespassing in the Knockmealdowns.

70% off road.

Got a dirty cut on my hand on the farm road section a few years back. Cycled into cord type electric fence. Nice bloody fork when I got home on the other side of mountain.

so we're not allowed ride our bikes in the woods, yet this, from the Irish gravel cycling facebook group. (allegedly a coillte forest)

the mind boggles.

Has anyone done any cycling in wind farms? Was out for a spin yesterday, did a bit of my usual canal route from Robertstown ad far as Edenderry and after continuing on past the town for a bit and turning south, I ended up in a wind farm. And there are apparently a few of them in the area, some with signs up advertising cycling/walking routes. They a seem to have nice hard packed gravel roads, bit like the forests I suppose. Between these wind farms, the bogs and the canals, there is a crazy amount of completely asphalt-free cycling to be done in the midlands