Blaze a Trail on Breathtaking North West Cycle Route.

For immediate release:
Blaze a Trail on Breathtaking North West Cycle Route.

The North West Trail is a new 326km circular signed cycle route developed by a Sustrans led cross border partnership through sections of counties Donegal, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Leitrim, and Sligo in the North West of Ireland. Travelling through a wide variety of scenic landscapes, the route escapes the traffic and mainly uses quiet country roads with scenic cycling in remote uplands and offering dramatic views of the Atlantic Ocean on coastal stretches in counties Sligo and Donegal.

Speaking at the launch Minister for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Michelle Gildernew MP MLA said:

“I am delighted to officially launch the North West Trail as it marks the culmination of a lot of hard work and commitment not only by the officers of Sustrans but also by the members of the North West Trail Steering Committee. I am confident the North West Trail will act as a magnet to cyclists from both the local community and further afield. The cycle tourism generated as a result of the development of the Trail will benefit rural communities, pubs, village shops, visitor attractions and accommodation providers along its length.”

The placid trail can be explored in its entirety as a long distance touring holiday as the route meanders through picturesque rural towns and villages with plenty of opportunities to change gear and stop for a well earned break to sample local hospitality and cuisine. 

Shorter sections of the route can be explored on two wheels, the traffic free riverside paths in Enniskillen and Omagh and the riverside path through Doorley Park in Sligo are particularly suited for family cycling. Traffic free coastal cycling is even possible along the golden sands of Rossnowlagh beach in County Donegal.

From Strabane the route passes by the famous Let the Dance Begin Sculpture into Lifford via Stranorlar and onto Donegal town across peat lands and through scenic Barnesmore Gap where it follows adjacent to the line of the old railway. The trail continues from Donegal Town to Sligo via the coastal towns of Bundoran and Mullaghmore taking in the heart of the Yeats Country passing by Lissadell House and Yeats’ Grave at Drumcliffe before reaching Sligo town.

In Leitrim the North West Trail takes in a variety of castles and ancient ruins including the picturesque Creevlea Abbey on the banks of Lough Gill. Crossing the border at Blacklion the trail follows quiet country roads in the shadow of Cuilcagh mountain and from Enniskillen continues to Omagh passing the Ulster American Folk Park and onwards via Newtownstewart to Strabane. The main towns on the trail, Enniskillen, Sligo, Donegal, Ballybofey, Stranorlar, Lifford, Strabane and Omagh act as an ideal base for cycling trips in the North West.

A  North West Trail guide leaflet and map outlining the trail is available from Tourist Information Offices in the North West. The North West Trail also has a dedicated website www.northwest-trail.com with information on the route, attractions, suggested itineraries and of cycle shops in the North West. A touring map and brochure are in development and will be available in 2008.

The North West is rich with rural cycling opportunities, the trail links with the existing National Cycle Network Route 92 to Derry, the Kingfisher Trail through counties of Fermanagh, Leitrim, Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan and to National Cycle Network Route 91. The Trail also links to the Inis Eoghain Cycle Way in counties Londonderry and Donegal and with twelve circular signed cycling routes in the Sperrins that range in length from 11 – 41 miles. Sperrin Routes 3 and 6 can be accessed from the North West Trail at Sion Mills and Newtownstewart. For further information on the National Cycle Network, The Inis Eoghain Cycle Way and cycling in the Sperrins go to www.sustrans.org.uk.

Notes to editors
• The North West Trail has been developed through a long standing cross-border partnership led by Sustrans between Fermanagh, Strabane and Omagh District Councils and Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal County Councils, with support from Fáilte Ireland, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the PSNI and An Garda Síochána.  The North West Trail secured EU Interreg IIIA funding through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland (DARD) and Border Action. 

• Sustrans is the UK's leading sustainable transport charity. Its vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. It is achieving this through innovative but practical solutions to the UK's transport challenges.

Further information about Sustrans, including other news releases and detailed online route mapping, is available through our website: www.sustrans.org.uk
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For further information please contact:
Kathryn Magee, on 00 44 (0) 28 9043 4569 kathryn.magee@sustrans.org.uk
Bristol Press Office telephone: 0117 927 7555; Fax: 0117 930 4149;
E-mail: press@sustrans.org.uk.
Out of office hours (mobile: 07802 986728)
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NOTES

• Sustrans is the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity. Its vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. It is achieving this through innovative but practical solutions to the UK’s transport challenges. This year Sustrans celebrates its 30th anniversary, it was founded in Bristol on 7 July 1977.

• Sustrans’ flagship project, the National Cycle Network, is now around 12,000 miles and runs within one mile of over half the UK population. During 2006 over 338 million trips were made on the Network. It is maintained by a team of 2,400 volunteer Rangers.
• Sustrans' groundbreaking UK-wide Connect2 programme aims to transform local travel, by making it easier to walk and cycle for everyday journeys, bringing significant health and environmental benefits.  Connect2 consists of 79 projects to create practical and accessible walking and cycling routes around the UK.  The programme is up against three other organisations competing for a grant of up to £50m in the Big Lottery Fund's Living Landmarks: The People's Millions competition.  The winner will ultimately be decided by a TV vote in December 2007. To find out more about Connect2, and to register your support, visit www.sustransconnect2.org.uk or text Connect2 to 80010.