The Woodland Trust appreciate concerns raised but as a charity their resources are limited
An ancient woodland on the outskirts of Maghera popular with dog walkers and nature lovers has been described as “a total disgrace.”
Drumnaph Nature Reserve is reputed to have the remnants of trees dating back to the ancient Glenconkeyne and Killetra forest, which covered most of Mid Ulster – occuping some 80 square miles of land between Lough Neagh and the Sperrin Mountains, until the 17th Century by which time most of it had been cut down and used to build the city of Derry/Londonderry and other plantation settlements.
Alan Millar said three or four years ago Drumnaph was a beautiful walk that in good weather would have seen the carpark full and the paths bustling.
"It is now quite frankly the worst kept park/wood in Ireland,” Mr Millar claimed. “Some 18 months ago the path washed out is a flood and apart from putting up a sigh to say the obvious it is still not repaired. The boardwalk was closed due to lack of maintenance last year and has been left rotting away.”
He said the forest steps and path are a mess and the handrails all gone.
"The paths are a total disgrace with virtually no place to walk that is not in gutters and dangerous. The gates are rotten around the full walk,” he continued.
“The is a broken steel bollard a few meters from the small carpark that is going to cause a serious injury so please be aware that you are now served with a formal notice of its presence should anyone suffer as a result of this hazard the trust will be liable.
"There are several wooden structures to cross running water that have been left to rot.”
Mr Millar claimed that pallets are in place to allow walkers to cross large puddles and mud areas.
“This was a beautiful area and the way the trust have left it is shameful,” he added.
A spokesperson for The Woodland Trust stressed they appreciated the concerns expressed.
"We are continually managing our woods for informal recreation and to provide homes for wildlife. Inevitably over time parts of the infrastructure need to be removed or replaced when they come to the end of their use. We do this when we have funding – as a charity our resources are limited,” said the spokesperson.
“We’d like to address a couple of the points raised about the boardwalk and the broken bollard. The boardwalk is in the process of being removed by our volunteers which does take time. The broken bollard has now been removed. We do keep the site management under constant review, and we will certainly take these observations into account when prioritising our resources.”
The Trust is the UK's largest woodland conservation charity and look after 1000 woods with a view to protect, conserve and create woods for future generations to enjoy.
As a charity, it relies on contributions from its members and the generosity of the public who share its views. Details of how to support it can be found by visiting its website.