Baun to be wild!
Hiking boots and warm jackets at the ready! A new recreation and nature trail has been opened in Cork for all to enjoy.
The new facility at the popular Coillte owned Moanbaun Woods near Watergrasshill includes an upgraded interactive nature trail, new picnic furniture and a new car park for visitors, and it’s all free.
The upgraded nature trail walk is a self-guided, educational route for all ages consisting of 13 information points. Each point has an interpretative panel QR codes with links to nuggets of interesting information on the local flora and fauna of the woodland and its history.
The new developments were officially opened yesterday, Wednesday, by Coillte, with support from Cork County Council, Watergrasshill Community Association, and the Department of Rural and Community Development through the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.
Announcing the new additions, Daithí de Forge, Head of Recreation at Coillte, offered a warm welcome to visitors: “The new looped walk here at Moanbaun takes the visitor through the forest with clearly marked signs showing off the natural beauty of the woodland. These developments on the trail will be an exciting new addition to the visitor’s experience. We’d also like to pay tribute to Barry Curtain from the Watergrasshill Community Association for his support in enabling this development.”
In addition, the Watergrasshill Community Association received financial support from Kepak for a survey of the woodland while also receiving guidance and support from ecologists Leslie Lewis and John Deasy.
Moanbaun Woods sit on a high exposed plateau giving great views of the surrounding countryside.
From the higher points, there are expansive views of the landscape to the northwest with the Nagle, Galtys and Ballyhoura Hills visible. First opened to the public in 2000, Moanbaun Woods is one of Coillte’s 250 recreational forests nationwide.
Earlier this year Coillte launched its new forestry strategic vision which aims to deliver multiple benefits from its forests and bring more focus to climate action, setting ambitious new targets on biodiversity and recreation, while continuing to deliver for the forest and wood products industry.
The new approach aims to sustainably balance and deliver the multiple benefits from Ireland’s state forests across four strategic pillars: climate, wood, nature, and people.
Coillte is Ireland’s state forestry company amd is responsible for managing 440,000 hectares of primarily forested lands. It is the nation’s largest forester and producer of certified wood, a natural, renewable and sustainable resource.
Coillte is also the largest provider of outdoor recreation space in Ireland.
Details of the new walk at Moanbaun, including directions to the forest can be found on coillte.ie.