New programme for outdoor enthusiasts to be piloted in Kildare forest

A new programme will offer an “innovative way” for outdoor enthusiasts to experience Coillte forests.

Coillte, Ireland's semi-state forestry company and leading provider of outdoor recreation,has announced an exciting new pilot programme in partnership with Irish start-up HiiKER, creators of an innovative hiking app. 

This initiative will offer a new and innovative way for local and visiting outdoor enthusiasts to experience Coillte forests by providing walkers and hikers with real-time forest and walking trail insights before and during their visits.  

This new technology will be piloted in Donadea Forest Park in Kildare.  Other forests throughout the country include Cruagh Woods, Ticknock, and Tibradden Woods in Dublin, Portumna Forest Park in Galway, Farran Forest Park in Cork and Dromore Forest in Kerry. Visitors to these forests will be the first to experience the enhanced capabilities offered by HiiKER.

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Launching this summer, the pilot programme will introduce advanced features to HiiKER’s ‘Parks and Recreation’ functionality. New enhancements include trail distances, accessibility reports and difficulty levels. Users will also benefit from real-time updates on trail busyness, parking availability, food options and toilet facilities. The HiiKer app will, for the first time, give visitors a real sense of the various activities available in Coillte’s forests and improve the overall visitor experience.

HiiKER, is an Irish start up founded by Paul Finlay in Co. Meath. The app has helped over 1 million hikers to plan and navigate their hiking adventures all around the world. The app curates the best hikes on the planet, along with important points of interest to help users to plan the perfect hike. Most importantly, it works with the most notable map developers and cartographers to bring a wealth of verified route information to the public.  

 Daithi de Forge, Head of Recreation at Coillte, said: "Coillte forests attract an average of 18 million visits annually and we are delighted to partner with HiiKER on this pilot which aims to enhance the walking and hiking experience across several of our beautiful forests. This innovative programme supports our commitment to enhancing the recreational, social and wellbeing benefits from our forests and to making them more accessible and enjoyable for all."

Paul Finlay, HiiKER CEO, added: "We are excited to join forces with Coillte to launch this innovative pilot programme that will transform the way people explore Ireland's forests. Our new HiiKER Parks and Recreation functionality and Coillte's extensive database of recreational maps and data, enables the public to explore Coillte forests like never before. We’re encouraging everyone to download the app for free and start exploring these forests today."