Carndonagh's Barrack Hill Town Park hosting Bike Week event next weekend

A community event with a focus on engaging families across the generations to get on their bikes is taking place at Barrack Hill Town Park in Carndonagh next weekend.

The Barrack Hill Town Park Steering Committee is running the event in Carndonagh for Bike Week for the third year.

This year’s event will take place from 1pm to 3pm on Sunday, May 19 and will aim to encourage families to join in and give them the opportunity to rediscover the joy of social cycling in a group, enjoying the great outdoors. 

There will be a 5km route from the Barrack Hill Town Park to Foden and back to the park again. This route will be marshalled to ensure safety for everyone. The cycle starts at 1.30pm sharp. There will also be an obstacle course at Barrack Hill with Alison McLaughlin for children on scooters, balance bikes, stabilisers and wheelchair users. This course will also run between 1pm and 3pm. Accessible bicycles on loan from local community enterprise Spraoi agus Spórt will be available to use on the day but will need to be booked in advance. 

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The free event is not exclusively for families and everyone is welcome. “We are continuously working to improve the amenities in the park and enable the community to enjoy more time in the great outdoors. We have reopened the play parks and there is a really delightful buzz around the park, especially in this fine weather.” said Carmel, chairperson of the Barrack Hill Town Park Steering Committee. 

“We are so grateful for the local support, especially at our recent Easter event last month, which was a huge success again this year. Events like this are enriching and joyful for the community and we hope to host many other events in the future” 

There will be complimentary delicious snacks available at Barrack Hill after the cycle. All children must be accompanied by an adult and everyone must wear a helmet. No runners, walkers or children on stabilisers or scooters can participate on the 5km route for safety reasons. The event is sponsored by Donegal Sports Partnership and Sporting Ireland, with the kind help of Saddle Rock cycling club, the 8th Donegal Scouts,  Spraoi agus Spórt, the Garda Síochána and also all our wonderful volunteers. Anyone with queries or looking to book an accessible bike is asked to email bhtpsc@gmail.com.