As part of the upcoming IUCN Peatlands Programme 2025 conference, our Irish Action Site partners are coordinating a site visit to the Bencroy Blanket Bog on behalf of WaterLANDS on Wednesday, 1st October 2025.

The IUCN Conference is integrating several field visits across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on day two of the conference, allowing attendees to explore different peatland habitats, restoration techniques and approaches to research, monitoring and engagement. Field visit bookings will open in September!

Irish Action Site Walk

📅 Date: 1st October 2025, 8:00 - 16:30

📌Departure location: Ebrington Hotel, Derry, Northern Ireland

🚍 Capacity: 35 people

➡️ Distance: ~3km

⏰Time: ~3 hours

⛰️Terrain: Elevation change 110m (from 404m to 514m), average slope 13%

This visit will require a good level of physical fitness. The walk starts with a walk along an old track with a substantial elevation change. After 600m, the walk will continue over the bog surface with an irregular surface. Risk areas will be clearly labelled.

Bencroy is a blanket bog located in the Cuilcagh-Anierin Uplands Special Area of Conservation in the Republic of Ireland. This blanket bog is facing several problems, such as extensive erosion, natural/artificial drainage and invasive species colonisation coming from nearby forestry plantations. Under WaterLANDS, our Irish Action Site partners aim to restore over 100 ha of blanket bog using a range of techniques, including geotextiles and coir logs, to reduce carbon loss and increase vegetation cover, as well as leaky timber and stone dams to reduce water flow across the site. In addition to the restoration actions, the team has also developed an extensive monitoring programme across the SAC, with several actions at Bencroy to measure the efficacy of the restoration actions regarding water levels, water quality and carbon balance. During this visit, you will be able to explore (1) the different restoration actions to address complex erosion on blanket bogs and (2) how to implement a monitoring programme to assess the efficacy of restoration actions.

Clothing and footwear: Prepare for all four seasons in a day with plenty of layers, waterproof and windproof jackets and trousers. The walk could be done with sturdy waterproof walking boots, but wellies are recommended as some areas could be very wet depending on the weather prior to the visit.

There are no toilets available on site.

Itinerary

08.00 Depart Ebrington Hotel, Derry, Northern Ireland

10.30 Arrive Bencroy

14.00 Depart Bencroy

16.30 Arrive Ebrington Hotel

Find more walks on the IUCN Conference Page here. Learn more about the Irish Action Site here.