This article is from page 20 of the 2013-04-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
AFTER months of delegations meeting with ministers, political lobbying and strategic plans drawn up, the Loophead Peninsula was part of the new tourism imitative, the Wild Atlantic way, announced this week.
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring (FG) unveiled the final route for the new touring route running from Donegal to Cork, which includes the picturesque and rugged coastline of Clare.
The 2,500km final route was unveiled following a comprehensive public consultation process and includes 156 strategically placed discovery points for tourists along the way. While the route comprises the main spine of the Wild Atlantic Way, a series of looped itineraries off the spine are also planned to further develop the experience for visitors.
This includes a detour to Clare sights such as the Loophead Light- house and the Bridges of Ross.
While new clearer signage is to be erected to accommodate busloads of tourists embarking on the longest coastline drive for tourists in Europe, there are no immediate plans to upgrade the road infrastructure along the Clare part of the route.
The majority of the Clare part of the tour is along the N67, a national primary road, but the route also diversifies on to secondary routes particularly around Fanore.
Senior engineer with Clare County Council Tom Tiernan said that while realignment along the route is desirable, it is not on likely in the near future.
“Significant allocations of the route need significant improvement, but that is not part of any immediate plans,” he said.
He explained the buses and coaches are already using this route, and that the condition of the roads is similar to a lot of other counties along the scenic route.