A feast of walking destinations are also opening up in Ireland’s Ancient East, including the new Borris Viaduct Walk in County Carlow, which offers a leisurely stroll around a spectacular sixteen-arch viaduct with beautiful views to the Blackstairs Mountains and Mount Leinster.
The South East Greenway, currently under construction and set to eventually link up with the well-known Waterford Greenway, should be finished and ready to open in 2022. The South East Greenway will connect the Norman town of New Ross in County Wexford to the Viking city of Waterford, through the scenic countryside of south Kilkenny, all in Ireland’s Ancient East.
In this historic landscape of Ireland’s Ancient East there are also many ancient pilgrim walking routes to be found, including St Declan’s Way, officially opened just last September. The 96km route links the ecclesiastical centres of Ardmore in County Waterford and Cashel in County Tipperary and follows a path that Declan took on his way to meet St Patrick in Cashel in the fifth century.
Meanwhile in the south of the island, Youghal in County Cork is now the home of Ireland’s longest seafront boardwalk, after a major extension to the existing structure. Opened last year, the 2m-wide and 7km boardwalk is wheelchair-friendly and provides a scenic link between Youghal town centre, a popular holiday destination for centuries, and Redbarn Beach, a breath-taking wide-open strand.
Those who look to the heavens for inspiration will not want to miss Our Place in Space, a brand new immersive solar system sculpture trail set to open in Derry~Londonderry in April 2022. The immersive 10km sculpture trail will feature various 4m high sculptures, including scale models of the sun and each of the planets in our solar system. It will take you on a journey through the solar system without leaving the ground.
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