If you build it...

That demand for access to the countryside has never been greater is not in question. Wherever access is made possible, where an attractive piece or countryside is opened, or a corridor through the country is made available, then people will flock to it.

That thought struck me when we recently visited the Newry Canal Trail at Scarva. Walkers, runners, and cyclists were out in there hundreds enjoying the canal towpath. As a result, the cafe at Scarva Visitor's Centre was doing a roaring trade.

One has to ask would it be doing such great business if the canal trail was not there to attract all those people in the first place? Not likely. And one can only wonder what other economic opportunities are being missed out on where such access to the countryside does not exist.