The unprecedented adverse weather conditions which we have experienced last year show no sign of easing and the start of 2013 has seen yet more rain. The huge volume of water in swollen rivers and streams has had an inevitable effect around the countryside and several National Glens have suffered river bank erosion and path damage.
Colby Glen has suffered significantly and the undermining of a number of paths has required the Department’s Forestry team to temporarily close the lower part of the Glen due to sections of path being either washed away or unsafe. Members of the public are asked to bear with the Department until repairs can be made. This is scheduled to be undertaken in early spring, by which time it is hoped that the weather will have improved and resources can be made available. Access can still be made through the upper gate to the paddock area and to the public footpath to Ballakilpheric.
A similar picture has resulted in the closure of one of the riverside paths at Glen Helen. In addition, a routine inspection in the Glen found one of the bridges to be structurally unsound. Unfortunately, due to the cost of a new structure being significant, at around ?15,000, it is planned that this bridge, one of six in the Glen, will be removed in due course and will not be replaced.
Elsewhere, access to National Glens and the Department’s other amenities, such as the Tynwald National Park and Millennium Oakwood remain open. However, visitors should be aware that ground conditions may be poor in certain areas and extra care should be taken where paths are muddy or slippery.
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