Delegates in Letterkenny to develop 8200km EuroVelo cycle route

Delegates attending the Atlantic On Bike Euro Velo seminar

hosted by Donegal County Council in Dillons Hotel Letterkenny this week

50 delegates from France, Spain, Portugal, Norway, UK and Belgium arrived in Donegal this week to continue their work of developing the 8,200km EuroVelo 1 transnational cycle route across six countries along the Atlantic coast of Europe.

The Atlantic On Bike project is an exciting and ambitious project and one that sees Donegal County Council working closely with their counterparts in Mayo and Sligo to advance the EuroVelo cycle route along the Wild Atlantic Way. 

Delegates from France, Spain, Portugal, Norway, UK, Belgium

and Ireland visiting Letterkenny this week for the Atlantic On Bike

Euro Velo seminar pictured with Cathaoirleach of Donegal County

Council Cllr. Gerry McMonagle and Cathaoirleach of Mayo County

Council Cllr. Richard Finn

“This will be an exceptional tourism product” says Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr. Gerry McMonagle.

“It will build on the unique identities and diversity of landscape and culture of the countries along the route such as Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, the Basque Country, Andalusia and the Algarve.  We will be creating attractive, quality and connected services for cyclists and will be supporting businesses and enterprises in rural areas along the route and the experience of the Wild Atlantic Way will contribute greatly to the value of the route from a visitor’s perspective”.

Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr. Gerry McMonagle

getting ready for a cycle with onlookers Cllr. Jimmy Kavangh,

Mayor of Letterkenny MD and Cllr. Richard Finn, Cathaoirleach

of Mayo County Council

He added “cycle tourism is a growing market and we must ensure we position ourselves as regions that offer high quality cycling services and are willing to go that one step further to welcome cycle tourists”.

This week’s event in Letterkenny allowed participants to come together to find out how to improve the quality of the EuroVelo cycle route network within their respective regions.  The successful participants learned how to survey a cycle route using different types of criteria such as infrastructure, services and promotion.  The two day training event included both indoor and outdoor training with the latter training involving a 15km cycle from Letterkenny to the picturesque town of Ramelton. 

Pictured at the Atlantic On Bike Euro Velo seminar in Dillons Hotel

in Letterkenny this week is Barney McLaughlin, Donegal County

Council, Cllr. Jimmy Kavanagh, Mayor of Letterkenny MD,

Cllr. Gerry McMonagle, Cathaoirleach, Donegal County Council,

Frances Conaghan, Donegal County Council, Caroline Britton,

Donegal County Council and John McFadden, Donegal County Council

Within Donegal the project will connect Bridgend to Derry as part of the North West Greenway Network and on the southern border; Bundoran will be connected to Leitrim.  Through the combined efforts of all the European Partners, the project will facilitate the promotion of the respective regions and countries to a wider European market.

European delegates taking part in Atlantic on Bike training in

Letterkenny this week getting ready for 15km cycle from

Letterkenny to the picturesque town of Ramelton

Donegal County Council is one of 22 European Partners involved in the three year Atlantic On Bike project which is funded to the tune of over €4.5million by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the INTERREG Atlantic Area Programme under Priority 4  Enhancing biodiversity and the natural and cultural assets.