Galway Bay fm newsroom - There's been an 18% decrease in the number of people who have walked along the Western Way route in Connemara over the past two years.
It comes as the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, which has a strong presence in Connemara, has expressed concerns about certain aspects of hill walking to the Minister for Rural and Community affairs, Michael Ring.
Hill walking has become a significant part of tourism in Ireland and while the Hill and Natura Farmers Organisation state their support for the industry, they also pointed out at their meeting with Minister Ring that the hills are privately owned and are part of the business and farming activity of the landowners.
They mentioned mountain fires, inappropriate parking, dogs accompanying walkers and insurance concerns as issues which affect farmers.
Meanwhile, bucking the national trend, the latest statistics show an 18% decline in the number of people who are walking the Western Way over the past two years.
The Western Way is a mountain walking route between Oughterard and Leenane and it passes through the Maam Valley and into the Mám Tuirc Mountains.
Figures from the counters along the route show 10,600 people walked there in 2016.
However, that had dropped to 8,725 during 2018, a drop of almost 2,000 over two years.
