Boardwalk plan to connect Bettystown and Mornington

A PROPOSAL for a boardwalk through the dunes from Bettystown to Mornington has been made to Meath County Council.

Cllr Sharon Tolan has made an expression of interest in securing funding from the Outdoor Recreation Scheme to design the walkway.

"It would help protect the dunes, provide accessibility for those with mobility issues and could link in the with Boyne Greenway and the Fingal Coastal Path," she says.

Cllr Tolan explains that she is asking the Council to apply for funding for the project, which would include a 2.5km boardwalk between Bettystown town centre and Mornington.

"It would significantly enhance the beach experience for users. It would provide a connection for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users to the proposed Mornington to Drogheda Greenway.

“It would improve access, enhancing the natural heritage experience of walkers, providing a permanent hard walking surface of a two-metre wide boardwalk which would successfully facilitate easy access for wheelchair users, pushchairs and the elderly.

“It would also provide permanent protection of the dune structure and biodiversity.

"It would protect the rest of the dunes. At the moment people walk all over the dunes."

Cllr Tolan explained that she had recently seen the boardwalk between Redbarn beach and Youghal in Co Cork and believes something similar could be done in Meath.

She believes the boardwalk could eventually link with the proposed Fingal Coastal path which will stretch from Donabate to Delvin Bridge at Gormanston.

"It would also provide a link to the Boyne Greenway from Mornington to Oldbridge and onto Navan."

Cllr Tolan said there would have to be public consultation.

Meanwhile, an application for the proposed Boyne Greenway is expected to be lodged towards the end of this year.

The project will include the restoration of the Boyne Navigation from the canal harbour in Navan to the Oldbridge Guard Lock. Meath County Council has appointed WS Atkins consultants to design "a safe, attractive and environmentally sympathetic canal and river walking and cycling route" between Andy Brennan Park in Navan and the main gates of Oldbridge Estate, Drogheda in tandem with the restoration of the Boyne navigation route.

The route will be adjacent to some of Ireland’s most significant visitor attractions on the East Coast including Slane Castle, the Battle of Boyne site and the UNESCO World Heritage site at Brú na Bóinne.

The completed scheme will provide "a high-quality walking, cycling and navigation route with connectivity to key towns and villages which will encourage physical activity and create a sense of ownership among the adjacent communities."

The stretch of the Boyne Greenway is approximately 26.5km in length and will also link with the Athlumney to Trim Road Cycle and Pedestrian Scheme.