"Our mission is to promote the sustainable use and enjoyment
of the local environment in partnership with the people
who live, work and recreate there."
The Wicklow Sustainable Trails Network Project was established to co-ordinate management of the Wicklow Way, St Kevin’s Way and other trails in the Wicklow region. The project has resulted in a marked improvement on the long distance walking routes in Wicklow over the past three years.
Wicklow Sustainable Trails Network (WSTN) is a partnership project involving key stakeholders and major landowners along the Wicklow Way. Wicklow Uplands Council manages this initiative on behalf of the project partners. WSTN is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through a scheme administered by Fáilte Ireland. The project commenced in July, 2004 and was completed on 28th February 2007. The total budget for the project was €235,000, 50% granted by Fáilte Ireland and 50% contributed by the project partners.
The project delivered a five year development, management and promotional plan for a new ‘Wicklow Trails Network’ with a focus on the Wicklow Way and St Kevin’s Way. The network will be managed with a focus on developing sustainable rural tourism and encouraging a healthy local population in County Wicklow in addition to managing visitor pressure from Dublin on the Wicklow countryside. Further information on this project and other ‘Wicklow Trails’ will be available shortly from www.wicklow.ie .
A step-by-step guide to developing a new walking trail was produced as part of the WSTN project, which can be downloaded here.
‘Developing
a New Walking Trail’
As part of the research work of WSTN, a project was established in 2005 to monitor trail usage and seasonal patterns through installation of computerised counters at six key locations along the Wicklow Way.
A summary of results for a full year is outlined in Table 1. The results indicate that the section of the Wicklow Way from Marlay Park to Glendalough is the most utilised section of the Way with significant local usage at Ballinafunshogue overlooking Lough Tay and Luggala Estate. The traffic counts at more remote locations on the southern section of the Wicklow Way are representative of the total number of people waking the Wicklow Way from beginning to end. Based on counts at Stokeen Hill near Parkbridge, the total number of long distance walkers within one year is 2300. Monthly usage patterns on the Way reveal that the peak walking season is from April to September.
Table 1. Traffic Counts on the Wicklow Way June 2005 - July 2006
| Counter Location | Traffic Count |
| Glencullen Rd | 8043 |
| Luggala | 24101 |
| Brockagh | 8983 |
| Drumgoff | 2334 |
| Coolafunshoge, Tinahely | 4699 |
| Stokeen Hill | 2349 |
During 2005, as part of the WSTN project, Dublin Institute of Technology was commissioned to co-ordinate a study on Wicklow Way user profiles and characteristics. The survey was conducted from June 2005 through to July 2006. Interviews were conducted with 430 users at four key locations: Glencullen, Luggala, Glendalough and Glenmalure. The key objectives of the survey were to help determine Wicklow Way usage, distribution patterns, satisfaction, needs and priorities. The findings of this survey are reflected in recommendations for the future management of the Wicklow Way. A full copy of the report and its findings is available from Wicklow Uplands Council.