Wonderful walk crying out to be completed

RETURNING from a recent walking holiday on the Dingle peninsula, my partner and I chanced to stop off in Abbeyfeale where we heard about the Great Southern Trail, the walking and cycling route being developed along the trackbed of the old Limerick-to-Tralee railway line.

As we had a couple of hours to spare, we decided to walk a short stretch of the trail between the former Devon Road station and Barnagh tunnel. It was a wonderfully peaceful walk, surrounded by rolling countryside and woodland with nesting birds and wild flowers much in evidence, far from the noise and fumes of the main road.

The surface of the trail is first class, making for very comfortable walking or cycling, and access is easy.

The trail is a world class tourist asset in a very pleasant but comparatively little visited part of Ireland, and it enables local people and visitors to enjoy the countryside without having to tramp across farmland or walk along busy and dangerous main roads.

Local hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, shops and pubs would gain immense benefits from its development and ultimate completion.

Andy Grant

20 Granville Street

Skipton

North Yorkshire, BD23

1QD, England