Cuilcagh Mountain is now accessible to more walkers following an innovative way to protect the blanket bog from the damage of tramping feet and yet provide an easier way to negotiate the difficult terrain.

The new Cuilcagh Boardwalk is now in operation taking walkers from the end of the stone track to the summit, over one and a half kilometres further on.

It’s a project which has brought together a specialist construction method as well as a highly protected timber design and funding from Europe to help cover the £250,000 cost.

For Richard Watson, Manager of the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, this is another chapter in the development of the area which continues to bring thousands of visitors to the area to enjoy the outdoor environment which is particularly special in terms of landscape features.

“This path is solely to protect the habitat. It has taken thousands of years to develop this naturally. The area is botanically rich with a very diverse range of species of birds, plants and insects. The Golden Plover is seen in this area,” he said.

The design of the boardwalk means that it sits or “floats” above the terrain leaving it undisturbed.

But for the team of construction workers tasked with the job of building this walkway, it became quite a long and difficult project.

“It was an arduous job for the four men involved who had to be careful they didn’t damage the ground. The 1.2 metres wide boardwalk sitting on posts driven into the ground, is just wide enough for a quad to be driven on which assisted the workers to build the pathway, which had to be done within a narrow route ahead of them, operating as if they were laying a railway line. No sections could be made in advance as gradients were all different and could only be done on site, to create flights of stairs.” The workers also had to endure some extreme weather conditions. Starting late last summer, they experienced all types of weather from warm sunshine to strong wind, heavy rain and cold with sub-zero temperatures during the winter. In fact the conditions became so bad that the workmen’s storage boxes to lock away their equipment could not be found for several days because of the snowfall. However the project had to be completed during this time of year as it was the dormant season for most species.

Because of the special circumstances for this project, the boardwalk is shortlisted for a national construction industry award.

Treated redwood timber has been used throughout the project to withstand the difficult weather conditions.

Despite this new easier managed route, it is recommended that walkers allow up to five hours for the complete return journey.

The boardwalk has already become useful, as members of the North West Mountain Rescue Team used the part that had been built, to make quick access to rescue walkers during the winter as visibility was extremely difficult.

The accessibility which the boardwalk provides has not gone unnoticed by a local doctor.

He iss now recommending the boardwalk to a number of his patients as a good way for them to get healthy exercise while introducing them to the hills.

The Cuilcagh roadway which had been constructed and is affectionately known as “Sheridan’s Track,” was completed after flash floods entered the cave system and was believed to have resulted from machine harvesting of peat. With co-operation from local landowners and new restrictions on farming practices, the result has seen protection for this delicate environment.

Further protection from the boardwalk should preserve it even longer.