We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
FÁILTE IRELAND HAS issued a tender worth €500,000 to come up with a “masterplan” on how to manage traffic and the visitor experience around Glendalough.
Glendalough is one of Ireland’s most popular free tourist attractions, with hundreds of thousands of people visiting each year.
Such is the popularity of Glendalough and its surrounding areas, that car parks in the area were closed “due to the sheer volume of traffic” last month amid fears there were so many people there that it would be impossible to practice social distancing.
While visitors are largely staying away for now, a number of agencies are seeking a “visitor experience and management masterplan” that will allow Glendalough and the surrounding areas to cope with tourism demand in future.
There are around 735,000 visitors per annum to Glendalough, with 1.5 million visitors to the Wicklow Mountains National Park.
In the tender documents, Fáilte Ireland says it is working with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Office of Public Works, Wicklow County Council and others on the project.
There are a number of “challenges” being faced by the region in recent times.
This includes parking challenges at peak times, lack of clarity of which car park is the best option and security at these car parks.
It also notes “too many confusing options” for visitors on what path to take and an intensification of visitors at a small number of sites with “most of the park underutilised”.
Furthermore, there’s “limited/no understanding of the delineating between the national park and the monastic site” and a “lack of adequate restroom facilities”.
It says: “Glendalough and Wicklow Mountains National Park is an obvious jewel in Wicklow’s tourism offering but at peak times the experience can be undermined by poor traffic and visitor management issues and the potential to maximise visitor spending and keep visitors in the region are often not maximised.”
It emphasises the importance of not having everyone visiting Glendalough and other parts of Wicklow Mountains National Park at the same time.
“Improving the regional and seasonal spread of visitors is very important,” Fáilte Ireland said.
“Persuading more tourists to visit outside seasonal peaks and to visit areas outside of the main attractions will mitigate against regional and seasonal congestion and deliver a better experience for all.”
Those vying to create a masterplan for the region need to make recommendations for what elements of the visitor experience currently work well, what needs to be improved and how to create a “welcome and sense of arrival” in Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains National Park.
Additional entrances to the Wicklow Mountains Park should be explored, as well concept designs for how the visitor experience could be developed.
The project will see recommendations for how to access these attractions, including public transport, pedestrian access, bicycle, traffic management, parking, park and ride and transport links to provide connectivity.
It should also: “Identify what techniques could be developed to alleviate capacity issues at pressure points within Glendalough, Wicklow Mountains National Park and greater county Wicklow.”
The closing date for response to this tender is 29 May, with the project expected to last 26 weeks.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Just more money for consultants
@Martin Sinnott: instead of just asking the locals they’ll pay some lad or lassie with a title who’ll charge a couple of K per hour to ask the locals and present the reply’s in a fancy hotel on a fancy slide with fancy documents.
@Martin Sinnott: Yep I’d worry about this too. And they don’t have a good record with the national parks in this country either imho. Not one of them is in good health! Wicklow Mountains & Glens have huge potential for land regeneration and rewilding, and it’s mostly not happening. Re Glendalough and traffic.. perhaps a one way system although knowing the area I’m not sure how this would work? They need to keep what makes the place so special for many of us and be very sensitive to the nature there but also retain the small village feel to nearby Laragh and surrounds. There have been a number of builds that should not have been given PP in recent times and they have damaged the look of the place. also more street lighting was put in effecting the dark skies. Some people just don’t get it, their desensitised and don’t know any better.
@eric nelligan: not that simple, ‘‘tis Ireland
Locals won’t be consulted because it will have to go to court/inquiry, drag out for 10 years.
Then get go ahead, half finished , out of Money.
Tax incentives, get finished 5years after. AND then go to tender to be brought up to date.!!!!
I hope they dont try and wreck it, like they are trying to wreck the Hellfire Club
@Tinky Freeman:
I that was cancelled
@Tinky Freeman: the parking issues on the weekends up are appalling. People just dump their cars on road leading to traffic jams. A cable car from the square up is the way forward… Or maybe people should park responsibility
I’ll only invoice €150,000 for solving this pressing issue with the use of bollards.
#masterplan
If they stopped taking money from people to park cars in the car park it would stop people just abandoning their cars anywhere to avoid paying. I have witnessed this may times
The solution is Easy peasy, just operate a one way circular system and time based entry. Car parks ate a separate issue.
@Kevin T Finn: you should include your proposal as part of your submission for the €500k design fees
@Kevin T Finn: a one way circular system into a cul de sac?
Build a wall, build a wall, build a wall
No need for 500k. Prebooked parking and hard enforcement of badly parked cars is all hats needed. No need for one way systems, all of these parks will benefit from less cars and people overall.
They could open a second destination though to get people higher up and I suggest Turlough hill. It has lots of hard standing already, is already an industrial site.. Provide a walkway,.
Do like Glenveagh , parking is away from the main building , shuttle buses to the site . Sorted .
Simple build carpark at Glendalough mines site further on from the upper lake carpark. Therefore, 3 carpark’s which should spread the footfall of visitor’s to different area’s of the lakes.
Love going hiking up there but the facilities are atrocious. The toilets are from the 60s and stink, are filthy, hand dryers not working. Just god damn awful. I’d rather piss in a forest than in those toilets
No car parks. Public bus transport only? Having never been there I’m not sure if this would work
@Thomas Maher: it wouldn’t
Not the type of place it would be easy to spread visitors over periods of time. It’s a great place for a hike or just bringing the family up for a relaxing say where kids have a bit of space to run around. Park & ride might work but you would still need a big carpark in the vicinity.
have your say