Mourne Heritage Trust Path Work in the mournes

[Daithi2004]

I came across this photo on my facebook account from one of my "friends" and he agrees with this argument. I don't. There are merits to reconstruct paths up into the mountains. The reason I think is cause by the number of people talking up the hillwalking, rambling and mountaineering. While I agree that we shouldn't interfere with the mountains, we have to manage the pathways for environmental reasons. There has been some discussions about this on Facebook. Just want to hear your views.

[mregan]

Down with this sort of thing!!! Careful Now!!

[Mourneman]

just noticed we started the same thread ,me i neither for or against,be interesting to hear some views

[Samm]

Down with this sort of thing!!! Careful Now!!

Ha! What did I start!!

[LandyLiam]

I think they're doing a grand job on that Glen River path, it'll look natural when they've finished, might not be truly wild but if i wanted to go somewhere wild I wouldn't pick Donard  . I also think they should build a railway up it, then they could build a pub on top, i'm purely thinking of the tourists 

[mregan]

My post was a joke BTW 

I reckon there are places could do with a bit of work to prevent further erosion. Done right it will help the area. I couldn't be against anything like this Campaigning for MTB Trails etc LOL

I think they should build a motorway style one way up and one way down. Wide concrete path with flashing lights all the way up.

[Ed]

I think they're doing a grand job on that Glen River path, it'll look natural when they've finished, might not be truly wild but if i wanted to go somewhere wild I wouldn't pick Donard  . I also think they should build a railway up it, then they could build a pub on top, i'm purely thinking of the tourists 

In parts of America this is exactly what the forest service would do - according to Bill Bryson anyway.

There are times when I get back down donard I find it hard to walk past Hugh McCanns - a guinness and a steak pie seem tantalizing after you've just burned 1000 calories of fat off your bones

Ed

[RedLeader]

This is a really thorny one. I the outdoors to be left alone but the path up Donard is so well trodden goodness knows what it might be like in a decade or two. However, putting a train or ski lift up it seems like a terrible idea. The whole idea of a mountain seems to be that you should climb it. Trekking to the top of Donard to meet a fat American standing around eating an ice cream sounds horrible. Wild places need to be kept wild, we con't commercialise everything.

[mregan]

I think like me people are being sarcastic about trains and wide paths 

[RedLeader]

Tell that to Snowdon

I think like me people are being sarcastic about trains and wide paths 

[mregan]

Tell that to Snowdon

True! 

[LennyJ1]

Tell that to Snowdon

I think like me people are being sarcastic about trains and wide paths 

Was the snowdon train not put in for the slate not the torisum?

[whoRya]

I think errosion is something to be managed sympathetically.  But I don't think paths should be put in just because the terrain is difficult.  It is the mountains, it is meant to be that way! 

If for example we had a forest-park type path up from Ben Crom to the Binnian/Lamagan col then there would no impediment to anyone walking up Binnian in their Sunday-best without the need for any gear whatsoever.  It wouldn't hold any appeal for me if it got to be that way.

When I think of the bridge on the Bloody Bridge River route I wonder why that was put in.  There is no magic in crossing a bridge.  I know the last time I took my kids up they were busting a gut to get to the place where the path met the river. 

It shouldn't have been put in for safety reasons, up there you should have to make your own decisions about when it is (or is not) safe to make river crossings.  If it was about directing people along certain paths well then there could have been some obstacle* put in place or instructions* to direct people, instead of the bridge.

*persuasive rather than preventive.

Daithi, your friend doesn't go by the name of B**c* C*** by any chance?   

[Mourneman]

I think errosion is something to be managed sympathetically.  But I don't think paths should be put in just because the terrain is difficult.  It is the mountains, it is meant to be that way! 

If for example we had a forest-park type path up from Ben Crom to the Binnian/Lamagan col then there would no impediment to anyone walking up Binnian in their Sunday-best without the need for any gear whatsoever.  It wouldn't hold any appeal for me if it got to be that way.

When I think of the bridge on the Bloody Bridge River route I wonder why that was put in.  There is no magic in crossing a bridge.  I know the last time I took my kids up they were busting a gut to get to the place where the path met the river. 

It shouldn't have been put in for safety reasons, up there you should have to make your own decisions about when it is (or is not) safe to make river crossings.  If it was about directing people along certain paths well then there could have been some obstacle* put in place or instructions* to direct people, instead of the bridge.

Lots of really good point's whoRya
I made the mistake of stating how i feel about this issue on  Daithi2004 facebook,one of his facebook friends made he's view very clear!It is indeed an interesting debate with valid points on both sides,but i do agreed that the new wooden footbridge is terrible,following furher discussion i have since found out that the MHT do not follow any such guidelines & it's a more ,"make it up on the day attitude"indeed local farmers are now stopping peolpe walk across there lands unless the MHT built them fence's & stiles, & what happens when then decide that the mourne wall is unnessary & is a new edition to the lanscape,so time to take it down ,only a few years back the MHT wanted to take down the rail track on Carrs face stating it was not  in keeping with the area,this in itself is complete madness as the granite stone was mined here for generation and is indeed keeping with the Mournes,Thinking about this even more now,this mountain have been here for thousands of years,why now to we have to be improving them!something to think about

[Ed]

This is a really thorny one. I the outdoors to be left alone but the path up Donard is so well trodden goodness knows what it might be like in a decade or two. However, putting a train or ski lift up it seems like a terrible idea. The whole idea of a mountain seems to be that you should climb it. Trekking to the top of Donard to meet a fat American standing around eating an ice cream sounds horrible. Wild places need to be kept wild, we con't commercialise everything.

+1 Karma I had such a laugh at the mental image of the ice cream eating fatty