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SLIEVE DONARD Counts NEWCASTLE NORTHERN IRELAND

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SLIEVE DONARD Counts NEWCASTLE NORTHERN IRELAND T3.1 PARTICIPATORY METHODS Slieve Donard SLIEVE DONARD Counts NEWCASTLE NORTHERN IRELAND Cedars Walking Group - Glen River, Slieve Donard Surveying to inform strategic management of iconic landscapes The Mournes are a highly accessible landscape and Slieve Donard is the most significant ‘control point’ within the whole of the Mournes, with increasing use in recent years. The majority of recreational activity is walking, fell running & orienteering with a low level of mountain biking. Slieve Donard is also increasingly popular for events including charity fund raising walks, and adventure and mountain races. Counts show that the main access As visitors increase, so do impacts To this end ASCENT staff have routes to Donard from Glen River, such as path and habitat erosion been involved in a number of visitor Bloody Bridge and the Granite Trail, and littering. The site is a designated monitoring activities including have over 130,000 journeys p.a. habitat and farmed landscape, and has detailed visual surveys at fixed points Moreover, other routes such as the a number of landowners, including to assess not just who uses the Black Stairs have no maintained paths state, NGO and private trustee, so there mountain but what ‘lines’ they take in with steep vegetated/peat outcrops to is a need to understand the visitor eroded areas (informing path repair), navigate, but is particularly popular for dynamic to be able to mitigate current, event monitoring, and contributed fell running events, and experiencing and predict future pressures on Slieve to planning and delivery of site higher use than before. Donard and inform a strategic way questionnaires including an IPSOS forward. MORI poll at key Donard access points. Outcome A detailed survey at Slieve Donard undertaking lowland walks/bouldering was undertaken in July 2018 on the and wildlife watching. Reasons for Glen River path where it exits the forest visiting included relaxation, health and enters the open mountain near the and well-being, stress relief and social. icehouse, where counters show 90,000 The Glen River path was rated well for journeys p.a. Weather was an overcast aesthetics & accessibility; but litter was 19C. pointed out as a problem. 166 visitors were counted; 97 male and Other surveys in August/September 69 females, and age profile ranged from 2017 showed that 79% of visitors to children to 60+ with a large proportion Donard access points lived in NI and being 30-50yrs. People tended to walk only 6% were from outside UK/Ireland. in pairs or in small groups with only 17 The most popular activity was walking Key Findings & people visiting on their own. Two youth and 73% been to the site before. groups were observed including a Duke In 2018, a total of 68 walking, running of Edinburgh group of 9 teenagers, and or cycling events were identified in the Learning Points another of 11 people that appeared Mourne AONB. 36 (53%) of these events less prepared wearing sweat pants and were held in the Mourne Mountains and trainers and carried plastic bags rather 16 (44%) of these were on Slieve Donard. than rucksacks. Out of the 16 events on Donard; 7 were Monitoring provides a Preparedness for the open mountain charity events (44%). This is consistent ranged from experienced and well kitted with previous years and shows a general baseline from which to predict out fell-runners and walkers through heightened interest in events, with the impact and opportunity of to the youth group. Only 2 groups had Donard being a main hook for charities developments and potential dogs - this has been an issue for sheep and challenge event organisers. An farmers, who have been concerned event protocol has been developed to ‘game changers’. Donard in about worrying livestock, so observing try and mitigate environmental impact particular is seen as an important how owners ’behave’ is important. and encourage best practice, and site for the delivery of a wide Questionnaires showed that most ASCENT has contributed to a recent range of government agendas people using Donard hill-walked over review and seminar to promote buy-in the previous 12 months, with some from organisers. relating to tourism, economic regeneration and health and well-being. For example the Mourne Gateway Study proposes options to develop visitor experiences based on the combined attraction of Slieve Donard, Donard Forest and Newcastle, including a gondola lift and visitor facility at Thomas’s quarry above the tree line on the foothills of Donard. Popular events using the Going forward, ASCENT Black Stairs, Slieve Donard is working with Donard land owners including the National FURTHER INFORMATION Trust and the District Council to Contact details: Matthew Bushby play a key role in coordinating Countryside Services Manager surveys to inform the vision for Mourne Heritage Trust Donard. e-mail: [email protected] mobile: +44 77 12 877 733 www.ascent-project.eu Date of Publication: April 2019.
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