Mayor helps to launch 'community led' Peace Camino between Portadown and Carlingford
A new cross-border walking route encouraging people to explore landscapes that unite communities has been launched.
The North South Way Peace Camino is a 40 miles/65kms, walking route linking Portadown to Carlingford, and connecting the historic Newry Canal towpath with the Carlingford Lough Greenway.
Following waterways, landscapes and villages along the route, the Peace Camino, which is supported by REACT Armagh, creates a shared journey through some of the most beautiful and historically rich areas on the island.
In what is believed to be the first all-island peace walking route, the North South Way Peace Camino is being developed as a flagship Shared Island peacebuilding initiative.
It provides a new civic and community space where people can walk together, connect with nature, explore local heritage and experience the landscapes that unite communities.
Shirley Hayes, REACT CEO, said: “The North South Way Peace Camino is a community-led initiative designed as a shared pathway for peace, bringing people together across communities, places and traditions.”
The Peace Camino is open to everyone and encourages people to walk together as one for peace.
Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council, Councillor Jessica Johnston, said: “I am pleased to support the North South Way Peace Camino as a community led initiative that will encourage community development, peacebuilding, tourism, environmental stewardship, health and wellbeing, and local economic growth.”
Following the launch, the North South Way Peace Camino is now connecting communities one step at a time.