Inspiration from Fortwilliam
Developers of outdoor recreation in Northern Ireland were involved in an action packed 3-day study trip to Fortwilliam, Scotland during the first week of September.
The trip was organised by CAAN and was part funded by NIEA. In attendance were 12 representatives from Councils and other organisations including the Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust and the Mourne Heritage Trust. The aim of the trip was to learn about, discuss and experience at first hand, a range of outdoor recreation opportunities on offer and consider the transfer of these ideas and activities to Northern Ireland. The group met staff from the Highland Council, who gave an interesting and informative talk on challenges faced by the tourism department within the Highland Council. The group also visited ‘Neptunes Staircase’ in Fortwilliam, a ladder of eight locks that raises vessels to a height of 70 feet above sea level over a distance of 500 yards. The Nevis Partnership provided the group with an enlightening presentation on the trials faced with mananging an area for outdoor recreation whilst being faced with huge numbers of visitors, over 200, 000 people make it to the peak of Ben Nevis every year. Issues surrounding charity events in the outdoors provided an interesting topic for debate. The Footpath consultant for the Nevis Partenrship, kindly accompanied the group on a walk up Ben Nevis whilst discussing the logistics of path management in such a high use area. The group excelled themselves by making it to the peak and back again within 4-5 hours, the average climb taking between 6-8 hours!
Representatives of the ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’ provided the group with a marketing and private business perspective of the outdoor recreation scene in the Fortwilliam and Lochaber areas. Interesting ideas concerning public relations and methods of presenting current and up to date information were discussed. A gondola ride and an informative discussion with a representative of the ‘Nevis Range Mountain Experience’ proved to be an uplifting experience. Downhill mountain bike tracks, cross country tracks, ski slopes and their value to the local economy were the subject of inspection. The value of the Mountain Biking World Cup and various championships being held there were obvious, given the numbers of visitors to the centre and the importance of the maintenance of the bike tracks. A ‘wind down’ activity at the end of the trip of white water rafting with Monster Activities was enjoyed by all, with some interesting discussions regarding river access and local partnership issues being addressed. Overall the trip received excellent positive feedback with participants coming home impressed and motivated. Many thanks to all who shared time and information with us and to those who participated.
It is hoped that ‘idea sharing’ trips such as this will continue and hopefully inspire land managers in Northern Ireland to develop outdoor recreation products comparable to those seen and experienced in Fortwilliam.
