The Walks Scheme and Rural Recreation Officers

The Walks Scheme is a national scheme involving landholders on National Waymarked Ways, Looped Walking Routes and Heritage Routes, and other trails approved by the Sport Ireland Outdoors. Rural Recreation Officers are responsible for the rollout of the National Walks Scheme.

The Walks Scheme has resulted in the development and enhancement of 80 trails. The rural recreation officers have also negotiated and managed maintenance contracts with over 2,040 landowners.

As a result, significant social and economic benefits for local communities have been achieved including:

• additional jobs in the accommodation sector
• new business ventures such as bike hire and coffee shops, including more jobs in the supply of outdoor recreational equipment and services
• a noticeable growth in registered walking clubs
• a significant increase in the number and duration of walking festivals which generate additional bed nights in small villages and the wider rural area
• maintenance payments to landholders for trail development, generating an income stream for rural communities of €7.6 million over a 4-year period
• an injection of €600,000 into the local economy, over the same period, as a result of spending on materials for the maintenance of trails

You can find a list of the trails and walks on the scheme here.

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, announced that 62 new walking trails across the country are approved in principle to join the Walks Scheme in February 2024. The expansion recognises the importance of the scheme in delivering high quality trails.

A key action in Embracing Irelands Outdoors, the National Outdoor Recreation Strategy 2023-2027, is to expand the Walks Scheme to 150 trails by end 2024.

In light of this, a Call for Expressions of Interest to join the Walks Scheme was announced in February 2024. 33 Expression of Interests were received and these are currently being assessed. Successful applications will be announced in Q1 2025.

For a trail to qualify for inclusion on the Scheme the following conditions must be met:

1. The trail must be included on Sport Ireland’s Trail Register.

2. The trail must be fully available to the public.

3. Where possible all elements of the trail should be off-road.

4. The entire length of the trail is defined and no part of it crosses an undefined area.

5. There must be agreement in place with all private landholders along the entire route that permissive access across their land is allowed and that at least one of the landholders are interested in joining the Walks Scheme.

6. Extensive engagement with communities and trail management organisations must have taken place. It is essential that any expression of interest is developed based on direct engagement with the relevant trail management organisations, community group, local authority and landholders. Evidence of this will be required.

Further information on the Walks Scheme Expansion is available in this document:

A review carried out in 2021 evaluated the delivery and strategic development of the Walks Scheme and assessed the role and resourcing of Rural Recreation Officers in contributing to the delivery of the scheme and the development of the outdoor recreation sector generally.

This Memorandum of Understanding is a voluntary agreement that applies to all trails that are fully or partially covered under the Walks Scheme.

This Memorandum of Understanding builds on the strong working relationship that already exists between landowners, Trail Management Organisations and Local Development Companies under the Walks Scheme. It sets out the agreement for the management of the trail between the Trail Management Organisation, who developed and are actively involved in maintaining and promoting the trail, and the Local Development Company who are responsible for administering the Walks Scheme in the relevant area.

The Memorandum of Understanding aims to ensure that the trails on the Walks Scheme are managed and maintained through a process of collaboration and cooperation; and that decisions are made on the basis of consensus between the Trail Management Organisation and Local Development Company. The role that the Trail Management Organisation has played in bringing the trail to a stage where it is eligible to be included on the Walks Scheme is recognised and appreciated.

It is a voluntary agreement that has been developed in response to a recommendation in the independent review of the Department’s Walk Scheme. The agreement is not legally binding but rather gives clarity to all parties of what is expected and is done in the spirit of partnership to ensure good working relationships.

An information session was held for Trail Management Organisations on 31st January 2024 to give an overview of the Walks Scheme Memorandum of Understanding. You can watch it here:

The department funds the employment of Rural Recreation Officers through Local Development Companies in the following counties:

The responsibilities of the rural recreation officer include:

• carrying out of the National Countryside Recreation strategy
• overseeing work on the general upkeep, upgrade and rerouting of trails
• assisting Fáilte Ireland in the development, marketing and promotion of trails and key walking destinations, including media and trade visits
• working with local communities in developing trails and assisting in organising walking festivals
• assisting with the implementation of the ‘Leave No Trace’ initiative

If you have any questions about the Walks Scheme and Rural Recreation Officers please contactwalks@drcd.gov.ie