Countryside walks
Background
The local borough council Countryside Walks group approached this partnership of several landowners in the summer of 2000 with the view to opening an access route for public walks. Two routes were identified; both of which proved successful to a local rambling club, which approached the partnership with the idea of amalgamating the two routes into a Sunday walk for their club.
As a result of this interest the partnership decided to investigate the possibility of setting up an access route taking into account the detail of the selected routes and the capital costs involved.
The overall aim of the partnership was to allow specific organised access walks to the community and possible eventually to the tourist industry.
How was the project carried out?
1st Step
- Meeting of local landowners
- Potential local walks discussed and 2 identified
- Project study to be carried out
2nd Step
It was decided that more information was required on countryside walks. As a result a consultant and an Environmental Officer from the local borough council were contacted to help the group identify the most suitable routes to investigate.
3rd Step
2 fact finding visits were organised:
- North East area Open farm.
From this the group realised that if they were to offer a more valuable walk then they would need to consider other aspects such as protecting and enhancing the natural environment through which the walk would go through.
- Down District Council Area Walk
The group visited several walks where they looked at such aspects as signage, access points, brochures and distances. They were very impressed with the level of access to farmland on these walks, as this was an area of concern but viewing these walks alleviated this concern.
4th Step
A further meeting of the landowners involved took place where it was decided that the walks would be during the summer season as the group were not putting down stone pathways and as such the grass areas would be too wet in the winter and springtime.
What are the returns to the group?
From the outset the group was not looking for financial gain, rather they believed this type of project would be a good advertisement for the area and as a public relations exercise to show the general public the beautiful countryside, which the farmers lived and worked in.
However, whist the aim of the project was ‘not for profit’, a project like this does have maintenance costs and as such it was planned that any promotional literature would mention a fee per walker but the amount would depend on the individual walker. It was felt however that it would be possible to gather a fee from larger, more organised, groups.
Financial aspects
Financial assistance: Whilst the group felt that it might be difficult to source financial assistance for this type of project they believe that the Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment, supported by the local borough council may soon provide funding towards some of the capital outlay.
Insurance: This was a major issue for the landowners as the fear of a public liability claim could jeopardise their farm businesses. The local council however indicated that they would most likely cover the insurance aspects of this project but this would need further investigation.
Conclusion
- walks have identified to cater for all abilities. However, unfortunately these would not be suitable for those with disabilities but a number of shorter routes have been identified, which may be of interest to those with mobility problems.
- It will be necessary to make some changes in some farm practices if more open access is to be made available. Farm biosecurity and safety is paramount to the group and some access areas will have to be facilitated with stiles and gates.
- The group believes that the concept is implementable but it will need the support of the local landowners as regard maintenance, initial financial support as regard capital costs and possibly some annual financial incentive.
- Whilst the area in question is not traditionally regarded as an attractive walking area, due to the limited number of access points, its close proximity to the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty can be used as an effective marketing tool.
- The relationship with the local borough council will be very important and the group believes that if the financial funding were to improve they would be in a position to quickly implement the project.
Important note
The information within these case studies is for general information only. It is not necessarily complete and is not intended to address all issues relating to the proposed diversification ideas. Market and circumstances may change substantially and thus this information should not be used directly within the development of other business cases for diversification without checking its validity at the present time and directly to your particular project and circumstances. Further research is recommended before embarking on any new enterprise.