Is one of your New Year resolutions to take up the breezy, bracing pastime of hillwalking? Perhaps, you may even be considering reaching the roof of Ireland? Then it may come as a surprise that you will, in the technical sense at least, become a trespasser, for Carrauntoohil – like most of Ireland’s uplands — is privately owned, in this case by four landowners.
Don’t let access worries put you off hillwalking though. Despite publicity suggesting we are losing shedloads of overseas visitors because of access denial, the reality is that the Irish countryside has never been more accessible. Having rambled in virtually every corner of Ireland, I can vouch that walkers are, pretty much, allowed unhindered access to all our major uplands and scenic areas.
Primarily, this arises from the goodwill of landowners. The overwhelming majority gain nothing except occasional hassles from walking tourism, but generously take no steps to prevent access even though they are fully entitled to do so. The second reason is that Fáilte Ireland, in conjunction with local community groups, has developed a nationwide series of waymarked trails that take a half day or less to complete and conveniently return walkers to their start point. So, while still punching below its potential when compared with, for example Scotland, hiking has in recent years become a considerable money spinner for the Irish economy and presently attracts more overseas participants than all other major outdoor activities combined. In 2013, 742,000 overseas visitors to Ireland engaged in hiking and cross country walking and in the process generated €650m. Add in expenditure by domestic hikers, and the total revenue generated comes close to €1 billion.
The old saying "there is gold in them thar hills", certainly carries a ring of truth but not, it seems, for the communities involved. What became apparent on a journey I undertook between Antrim and Kerry, when researching my book Pilgrim Paths in Ireland, was the rapid economic decline of Ireland's small farms and fishing ports leading to the loss of local services such as banks, post offices and shops. Consequent outward migration of young people was clearly creating a vicious circle of further economic decline and more service loss. In some rural areas, I found it impossible to obtain overnight accommodation and was forced to retreat to the nearest town because local B&Bs had closed. The noticeable exception was in areas where tourism had taken root. Here, accommodation was available along with quality local cuisine and all the services needed to maintain a viable community. The disproportionate value of tourism for rural communities was abundantly clear and convinced me that the hospitality industry along with locally branded food is the key to regenerating the Irish countryside.
But the reverse is actually happening. Irish Tourism has been urbanising for over a decade with visitor spending increasingly migrating to our cities and larger towns where its economic impact is proportionately less. Redressing this trend must now be a priority and walking-based tourism is, I believe, key. The thousands who have responded with their feet to the Cliffs of Moher Coastal Path since it re-opened in 2013 are a clear demonstration of Ireland’s potential as a walking destination. The Mayo Greenway, the Sheep’s Head Way, Pilgrim Paths Day 2014 and the Spinc Boardwalk in Glendalough are other examples of well-focused products using the Irish countryside to energise latent demand.
Of course, it would help the development of walking tourism if access to the countryside could be improved even further with greater certainty on the right to roam. The way to do this is not by imposing a legal right of access – which would be counterproductive, and like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut – but by ensuring the economic benefits from countryside recreation are seen to remain with local communities.
Occasionally, I have been asked to assist with the development of tourism in rural areas. The first problem I encounter is not one of access to the countryside but almost invariably the absence of an accommodation base. Almost half of B&Bs, which were once the very heartbeat of Ireland’s countryside tourism, have closed in the past seven years making it virtually impossible in many areas to package the recreation product without distributing the real economic benefit to the nearest urban centre. Supports to re-establish a dispersed rural accommodation base along the Scottish model should now be a priority if we are to re-ignite activity holidays and bring tourism spending back to rural communities.
John G O’Dwyer is a tourism consultant and author of walking guidebooks: www.collinspress.ie