Sunday Feb 05

National Trails Day 2009 - Sunday 4th October


National_Trails_Day_LogoNATIONAL TRAILS DAY is a celebration of Irelands wonderful variety of trails and a chance for everyone to enjoy some of our most beautiful countryside, forests, mountains and lakes.

National Trails Day 2008 was very successful, with more than 6,000 people getting out to enjoy trails in a variety of ways at over 67 events held across the country. Last year we had "bat walks", mountain bike cycles, family orienteering,  Leave No Trace hikes, trail conservation work, heritage walks and just plain ordinary walking! This year we hope that we can do even more interesting and exciting things on a trail, be it  on land or water.

This year we are delighted to announce that National Trails Day will be an all-island event and we are delighted to welcome the Northern Ireland Forest Service and Northern Ireland Tourist Board as sponsors of this event along with the Dept. of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Coillte, the Irish Sports Council/ National Trails Office and Fáilte Ireland.

The partners in National Trails Day wish to invite you to organise your local trail event. We include some guidance on the types of events to be held and assistance on how to get your event onto the National Trails Day website.

Who is it for?

This year National Trails Day will be held on Sunday 4th October with the objectives of:

  • Promoting an awareness of the recreation trails (walking and biking) and allied outdoor recreation facilities that are currently available in Ireland
  • Promoting an understanding of the need to manage and resource our trails and other facilities
  • Promotion and awareness of the work of all key agencies in delivering trails and other facilities

The target audience is the general public maybe those who haven't considered going out or using a trail or maybe those that don't know where to start. There are many different trails aimed at many different users across the country and National Trails Day is intended to promote the diversity of what we have to offer.

Getting the message across

National Trails Day will be launched in early September to promote maximum coverage for this year's events. There will be a media campaign in local, regional and national press beginning in September, to promote the events taking place on the day. Schools will also be circulated with details of events to be held on the day. You will be sent an event pack in early September which will include posters for your local area to promote your local event, along with 'giveaway' items for participants and site banners.

The event website ( www.nationaltrailsday.ie or www.nationaltrailsday.co.uk ) is set up to give all information on any particular event, including location, description, time and duration, who the event is aimed at, etc...

What events can be included for National Trails Day?

We aim to have over 100 events organised and promoted for 2009 Trails Day. They can include:

  • Organised cycles
  • Organised walks / organised runs
  • Trail repair work shops/demonstrations
  • Events on Multi access trails to highlight new wheelchair accessible trails
  • Beginner's ride on a mountain-bike trail
  • Nature trail events
  • Leave No Trace awareness walks
  • National Looped Walks events
  • Ride out on an equestrian trail
  • Orienteering for beginners on trails
  • Family treasure hunt events based on trails
  • Railway walks (on upgraded trails on disused lines), etc...

This year we ask organisers to nominate a theme for their trail event to allow the public to search by theme for an event that they may wish to participate in. The event information form has a space to enter the theme of your event.

Guidelines for planning events

Some guidelines for planning events are:

  • The events must be trail-based as the emphasis is on the use of trails across the country
  • All events must be on 'off-road' trails
  • Try to 'theme' your event, e.g. Nature Walk/ Family Cycle/ Orienteering, etc...
  • Permission of the landowner to hold the event is required.
  • There must be a clear leader/ host organisation who are responsible for organising and running the event. (this includes any site clean-up that may also be required)
  • Events should typically run for between 1 and 3 hours.
  • Adequate and safe parking must be available for predicted level of visitors at each site - the Gardaí must be informed of the proposed event.
  • First-aid provision appropriate to the event should be available if necessary.
  • Children at all events must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  • All events must be free-of-charge.

Request for events

The organising partners of National Trails Day now request interested groups or organisations throughout the country to plan and run an event on the day. It is hoped that there will be a number of events organised in every county throughout Ireland.

There are 3 ways to get your event information to us for inclusion on the website. We would ask that you use option 1 if possible, for ease of management of information due to the large number of events taking place. Please fill in all areas on the form. Partial or incorrect information will not be posted on the website.

  1. Organisations wishing to plan and run an event should access the website and fill in the online form with details of your event (click on this link http://www.nationaltrailsday.ie/information.html or www.nationaltrailsday.co.uk/information.html ). Please fill in all categories on the form.
  2. If you cannot access the website, please fill in the form on the next page and email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  3. Call Carol Ryan at 01-2011132 to request a form to be posted to you for your event information.


Deadline for events: Please forward details of your event to us by Friday, September 4th .

Events in Gaeltacht Areas

If your event is taking place in a Gaeltacht area, provide the information in Irish language also, for inclusion on the website.

Further Information or Queries

For any queries you may have about any aspect of organising your event, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or alternatively contact Daithi de Forge on 086-2058873 or Carol Ryan on 01-2011132.

Thank you in anticipation of your trail event for 2009! Please forward this notice to others who may be interested in organising an event on their local trail.