National Trails Day
Sunday 2nd October 2011

Leave No Trace at Cranny Falls, Carnlough

Enjoy, discover and learn about our environment through the experience

Enjoy a gentle walk with local walking guide Cowper Lynas of WalkAntrimHills.com through lovely scenery to the spectacular Cranny Falls waterfall in Carnlough.  On the way visit the limestone quarries and discover how limestone was quarried and transported from the village.  Learn about the extraction of peat from peat dug from the surrounding hills.  Become aware of how we can minimise our impact on the environment through following the principles of Leave No Trace such as developing respect for farm animals or properly disposing of our waste.

The walk starts at the Carnlough Community Centre at 2.30 pm on Sunday 2nd October.  The event is completely free but please register for the walk either through ‘Contact Us’ on the website www.walkantrimhills.com, email to cowper@walkantrimhills.com  or text to 07855960870 or phone to 02828583483.  (Click here to register)

The event is taking place as part of National Trails Day 2011; a cross-border celebration of local trails which is now in it’s forth year and continuing to grow from strength to strength.

Aideen Exley from the Countryside Access and Activities Network (CAAN) explains, “Last year we were delighted to see around 1,500 people taking part in free events on local trails across Northern Ireland. However, with everything from guided canoeing trips to historic walking tours and mountain biking skills courses to equestrian trail rides, this year’s National Trails Day is set to raise the bar even higher. We want people to try something different this year and discover the wealth of opportunities that these local trails offer us right on our doorstep.”

Aideen continued, “National Trails Day also highlights the great work of the organisations which develop and maintain these stunning trails and aims to educate trail users on ongoing sustainability issues surrounding the trails. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a variety of trails through our local forests, mountains, rivers and lakes so we hope that people will take this great opportunity to learn about the history of their local trails as well as how we can all conserve these great resources for future generations.”

There are over 40 free activity events planned on trails throughout Northern Ireland as part of National Trails Day 2011. This celebratory day has been funded by Waterways Ireland, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and SportNI with support from the Northern Ireland Forest Service, British Horse Society and the National Trust. There is a full list of all the free events taking place across Northern Ireland and booking information on the dedicated website www.nationaltrailsday.co.uk.