Tourism award success from industry events

Tourism award success from industry events

17 January 2018

TOURISM in Mournes and Lecale received a huge boost this week through major awards at two prestigious events.

The Mournes, Murlough Nature Reserve and Castle Ward were all winners in the second annual WalkNI awards while there were a swathe of awards for the Castlewellan mountain bike trails at the MountainBikeNI.com awards.

The Mournes were awarded several coveted titles including ‘Best Walking Destination’ and ‘Most Epic View’ in Northern Ireland, as voted for by members of the public in the WalkNI Awards.

Beating off stiff competition from across Northern Ireland, the local area also claimed awards in three other categories with Murlough National Nature Reserve voted ‘Favourite Nature Reserve’, Castlewellan Forest Park voted ‘Favourite Family Friendly Walk’ and The Mournes International Walking Festival crowned ‘Best Walking Festival/Event’.

Jayne Woodrow, who manages WalkNI.com, said with such spectacular landscapes, mountaintop views and walks accessible to all in both the Mourne Mountains and surrounding foothills, it’s easy to see why the location came out on top.

Heather Wilson, Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s countryside officer and joint organiser of the Mournes International Walking Festival, said the mountain range and surrounding area offers endless routes for walkers to experience wild landscapes and breath-taking views.

Also picking up an award at the WalkNI Awards was Castle Ward, near Strangford, which was voted ‘Favourite Country Park/Estate’ in Northern Ireland.

Located on the shores of Strangford Lough the National Trust property boasts over 34km of varied walking trails and an 18th century mansion house where gothic and classical styles collide.

Jacqueline Baird, general manager of Castle Ward, said it is fantastic to see the estate recognised in this way.

“There are so many elements to this beautiful National Trust estate that make it a winner,” she said.

“There are over 34km of varied walking trails for visitors to discover, allowing them to explore Victorian gardens, the Lime Tree walk, ancient woodlands, the historic Temple Water and the farmyard. Pair this with a year-round calendar of events for families of all ages and there is 

something for everyone to enjoy. We look forward to welcoming more visitors in 2018.”

In the MountainBikeNI.com awards Castlewellan was, for the first time, named the ‘Trail Centre of the Year’, the top section at the event.

Overall, Castlewellan took home six out of the nine awards, including ‘Favourite Trail Section’ and ‘Favourite Trailhead Provider’.

Willie Clarke, the vice-chairman of Newry, Mourne and Down Council, said with annual visitor figures so high, this “fantastic recreation venue” in Castlewellan Forest Park is a shining example of how capital investment and private sector endeavour can successfully combine to bring a sustainable economic injection to rural economies.

“We would like to also congratulate Castlewellan’s official trailhead provider, Life Adventure Centre, as well as Urban Café, Maginn’s Bar, organisers of the Red Bull Foxhunt and Sam Thompson, who all won their own respective categories in these prestigious awards,” he added.

Ethan Loughrey from MountainBikeNI.com outlined the significance of Castlewellan’s success.

“This is a huge public vote of confidence in the quality of the mountain bike trails and nearby facilities at Castlewellan,” she said. 

“We’ve known for some time now how popular the region is with mountain bikers from both north and south of the border and we’re increasingly seeing people travel from other parts of the UK as well. Latest figures show almost 30,000 riders visited these trails in the last year.”