An urgent call has been made to build a car park for the Bridle Path at Glenveagh National Park in the interest of road safety.
Cllr Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly says roadblocks are not uncommon on the Glendowan entrance to the path due to tourists having nowhere to park.
Cllr Kelly, who called for a car park at the same location in 2023, says the infrastructure must be provided by the 2025 tourist season.
He told the Letterkenny-Milford MD that the Bridle Path is “probably one of the most scenic walks we have here in the municipal district, even the whole county.”
“We have seen on numerous occasions, due to the lack of parking there, tourists are left with no option but to park alongside the road,” Cllr Kelly said.
Cllr Kelly said that on occasions where the narrow road is impassable due to vehicles on the roadside, local residents who use this route have to turn back to make a trek through Fintown, Doochary and the R250.
“The other aspect of this is, should emergency service have to go out that road, they are never sure if the road is blocked or clear,” Cllr Kelly said.
“I feel we should be promoting this Bridle path more and, if doing that, we need to have the infrastructure in place.”
The current car parking area at the Bridle Path entrance to Glenveagh National Park
The council agreed to explore options but said the car park should be a “collaborative approach” including all agencies who have a vested interest – namely Donegal County Council, Glenveagh (OPW) and Failte Ireland.
Cllr Kelly was also told that the area is a Special Area of Conservation and may require consent for any development so planning may need to be sought for a carpark.
“An initial approach can be made to NPWS along with seeking advice from the Planning Department in the first instance,” a council spokesperson said.
Cllr Kelly said it is important that councillors are brought into a meeting with relevant bodies to express their views.
