Ballymoney Borough Council Deputy Mayor Alderman Cecil Cousley was joined by project funders and Sustrans Volunteers at Drumaheglis Marina on the banks of the Lower Bann to officially launch The Lower Bann Cycleway, a new 45 mile linear cycle route from Toome to Castlerock.
The Lower Bann Cycleway project has put in place a quality signed cycle route that follows the Lower Bann River corridor from Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the UK, through the rolling countryside of counties Antrim and Londonderry to the North Coast where it meets with the Atlantic Ocean at the Barmouth near Castlerock. A series of interpretation panels have been installed along the route and a free Lower Bann Cycleway route map has been produced.
The low-lying landscape of the river corridor provides a gentle cycle leaving cyclists to enjoy the route at their leisure, relax and take in the scenery of the Lower Bann. The cycleway passes through or close to the towns of Toome, Portglenone, Kilrea, Ballymoney and Coleraine. Running predominantly along quiet country roads the route includes traffic-free sections through parkland at Canal Walk in Toome, Riverside Park in Ballymoney and Christie Park in Coleraine, which are ideal locations for family cycling.
The Lower Bann Cycleway is part of the National Cycle Network which now runs within one mile of 55 per cent of the UK population. From Toome to Coleraine the cycleway follows National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 96 while from Coleraine to Castlerock it follows existing NCN Route 93. Sign posts along the route are branded with Lower Bann Cycleway finials.
Attractions along the way include the environmentally protected Lough Neagh and Lough Beg system which are a haven for wildlife and renowned for their diversity of bird life. Portglenone Forest lies close to the route and is a beautiful natural area of ancient woodland, famed for its spectacular shows of Bluebells in spring. Historic attractions along the route include Kilrea Old Church, Ballymoney Old Church and graveyard and the impressive archaeological monument Mountsandel Fort in Coleraine, the oldest known site of human habitation in Ireland (circa 7000BC).
Infrastructure improvements were made to the route as part of the Lower Bann project. In Ballymoney, DRD Roads Service extended a shared use path along the A26 Frosses Road which links to the town’s Riverside Park, practically completing a traffic-free circuit around the perimeter of the town. In Coleraine further route improvements are being made to create shared-use path facilities between Christie Park and Somerset Park. The new infrastructure provides a facility for people of all ages and abilities to travel sustainably for everyday trips, leisure and recreation.
The free Lower Bann Cycleway map with information on the routes and attractions along the way is available from local Tourist Information Centres and bike shops. It can also be downloaded from the Sustrans website www.sustrans.org.uk or by calling Sustrans Information Line on 0845 113 00 65.
Ciaran Mullan, Sustrans’ Lower Bann Project Manager said:
“The nature of the landscape along the Lower Bann corridor means the route is relatively flat. This combined with the varied scenery of the Lower Bann area make it an ideal location for leisure and touring cyclists to explore the countryside. Cycling is a healthy and environmentally friendly leisure pursuit and the completion of the Lower Bann Cycleway project and the publication of the free leaflet and map gives tourists and locals alike the opportunity to take to two wheels and enjoy this attractive and high quality waymarked route.”
Speaking at the launch Deputy Mayor Alderman Cecil Cousley congratulated the partners on completing the Lower Bann Cycleway and added:
“I welcome the development of this branded route which passes through some of the most scenic and unspoiled countryside that Northern Ireland has to offer. The Lower Bann corridor offers a wealth of attractions for all cyclists who explore it whether they be domestic day-trippers or foreign tourists alike. In addition to this signed route, in Ballymoney we also now have designated National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 96 which passes through Riverside Park and on to newly created shared use cycle and walking path along the A26 Frosses Road. An exemplary network for cycling is evolving around the town centre.”
DARD / Lower Bann Partnership
The development of the Lower Bann Cycleway was managed by Sustrans and funded under the EU Programme Building for Sustainable Prosperity administered by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (DARD) Rural Development Programme, through The Lower Bann Partnership. It attracted match funding contributions from Department for Regional Development (DRD) Roads Service and Ballymoney, Antrim, Coleraine and Ballymena Borough Councils.