Wicklow welcomes over 2,500 people to enjoy a spectacular array of activities
in beautiful surroundings
Issued, 19th April 2010
The Wicklow Outdoors Festival enjoyed tremendous success last weekend (16th – 18th April), as over 2,500 people came to enjoy an impressive range of outdoor activities, most of which were absolutely free. The Festival was organised by Wicklow County Tourism and Fáilte Ireland.
The Festival also included the two-day Tinahely Trail Walking Festival, which drew a crowd of approximately 600 people for its impressive schedule of walks and hikes.
A further 700 people took part in the Wicklow Adventure Race on Saturday, 17th April, a challenging running, kayaking and cycling competition, which was held in Glendalough. An estimated 1,200+ people came to Wicklow to take part in the Festival’s free activities alone.
The Festival, which was the first of its kind, kicked off on Friday, 16th April, as members of the public learned to pull wheelies with Wicklow Cycles, went rock climbing with the Adventure Agency, enjoyed an evening guided walk with Hilltop Treks and took in the beauty of Glencree with a walk organised by Walkabout Wicklow.
Events were held in every corner of Wicklow on Saturday, including sea kayaking with Deep Blue Sea Kayaks, paintballing with Crossfire Paintball, a 13km hike with Mountain, Moor and Glen and boating with Wicklow Boat Hire.
Sunday was another jam-packed day of activities, including historical guided walks with Avoca Tours, multi-activities with Glendalough Equestrian Centre, sailing, kayaking and windsurfing with Avon Ri, and fly fishing at Rathcon Farm.
There were also sky treks and zip lines with Kippure Estate, kayaks and rowboats with Hidden Valley Holiday Park, mountain biking with Biking.ie, orienteering at Avondale House, and plenty more besides, including archery, treasure hunts, sailing and hiking for all ages and fitness levels.
Commenting on the success of the Festival, Tourism Development Officer with Wicklow County Tourism Fred Verdier said, “The impressive number of people who came to Wicklow to enjoy the Wicklow Outdoors Festival is a testament to the fantastic range of activities to be enjoyed by people of all ages in the Garden County. We were lucky to have some great weather and warm sunshine over the weekend, which really brought out the beauty of the Wicklow countryside.”
He added, “Wicklow County Tourism would like to express its gratitude to the many activity providers in the county, who opened their doors to the public for free to give everyone a taste of what Wicklow has to offer. We would also like to thank Fáilte Ireland for co-organising, advertising and promoting the Festival.”
Michael Brady, Fáilte Ireland representative said, “We are delighted with the success of the Wicklow Outdoors Festival. A great awareness has been created over the last weekend about the range of activities in Wicklow.”
He added, “Hopefully the 1,200+ visitors that came to Wicklow to take part in the free events will now become ambassadors for the county in the coming year and help create a brand through word of mouth for Wicklow as the outdoor recreation county of choice in Ireland. We are delighted with the turnout over the weekend and would like to thank the outdoor providers who kindly participated in the event.”
The Wicklow Outdoors Festival may be over for this year, but people can still enjoy all of these outdoor activities and enjoy the splendour of our wonderful countryside. To find out more about outdoor activities in Wicklow just log onto www.visitwicklow.ie and start planning your summer!
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