Josephine Kelly Residents were asked not to climb a mountain in County Donegal later this week as a helicopter was dropping heavy equipment overhead for repair work.
Repairs to Errigal Way are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, but may continue until Thursday.
Large parts of the €630,000 (£536,500) path, which opened in October 2022, were washed away after heavy rain.
Errigal is the highest of the seven peaks in the Derryveagh Mountains in Donegal, known as the Seven Sisters.
Hoberman Collection/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesIt is estimated that over 40,000 people climb the mountain every year.
Cairde na hEaragaile (Friends of Errigal), a coalition of several organisations working to protect the mountain region, has asked walkers to avoid the area as urgent repair work is currently being carried out on the path by helicopter.
What work is being carried out on the mountain?
Stephen BellProject manager Josephine Kelly explained that people should not walk under the helicopter while it is transporting materials, such as heavy rocks, up and down the mountain.
A stop-and-go system will be set up for motorists on the road next to the parking lot at the end of the trail, so that access to the mountain is restricted for cars.
Ms Kelly said the path was badly damaged when 12 centimetres of rain fell in three hours.
“There is a stream running alongside the path that simply could not cope with the enormous amount of water. Large parts of the embankment were washed away and parts of the path were destroyed. Large boulders were also swept away,” she said.
“While we cannot physically close the mountain path, we ask people to stay away on Wednesday and Thursday.
“There are obviously safety concerns for the community in the area when a helicopter is operating with heavy loads. We are also asking people not to use the area so that the workers can carry out their work efficiently.”
Stephen Bell Sam Hesling, who is overseeing the project, told BBC News NI that working on a mountain trail was complex and presented many practical challenges.
“We stockpile aggregate from the quarries, gravel with dust mixed in, and fly it up by helicopter using concrete troughs, spread it along the path and then equip and compact it,” he said.
“We will also use more rocks from the mountain itself to add more features to the trails, such as more cross drainage and a little more slope.”
“A small sacrifice for long-term benefits”
Ms Kelly said restoring the trail was vital to better protect the landscape and provide better access to the mountain.
She said the trail would allow walkers and climbers of all abilities to enjoy Errigal’s beautiful scenery and climb the 751m (2,464ft) summit.
“I spoke to an 84-year-old man last week who said he hadn’t been able to climb Errigal again until the trail was built,” she said.
