History
The Ulster Way was the idea of Wilfrid Capper, who in 1946 conceived a circular walking route through the six counties of Northern Ireland. It was first planned to link the ring of youth hostels that then encircled the country.
Towards the end of the 20th century large parts of the route fell into disrepair or were lost, because of traffic on road sections and unclear ownership and access rights. In 2003 the Environment Minister, Angela Smith, announced a project to improve it, and a new route was agreed in early 2009 and officially opened by the Department of the Environment on 16 September 2009.
The route is now a circular walk of 636 miles. Each of Northern Ireland's 11 councils looks after its own sections.
Sources: WalkNI: About the Ulster Way; Wikipedia: Ulster Way
Facts
- Code
- UK 009 (provisional)
- Distance
- 636 miles (1,024 km). We measure 414 miles
- Type
- Circular
- Opened
- 1979
- Designation
- National route
- Looked after by
- 11 Northern Ireland district councils (promoted by Outdoor Recreation NI / WalkNI)
- Nations
- Northern Ireland
- Total ascent
- Still to be measured