Walkers get the run of the hills again with the lifting of restrictions

The hills will be alive again with the patter of not-so-tiny feet today as walkers, runners and anglers regain their freedom to roam after a 10-week break.

Department of Agriculture restrictions on walking and climbing throughout the Republic are lifted today. They were imposed at the end of February, a week after the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain.

The remaining heritage sites which were still closed are also reopening. These include the national parks in Wicklow, Killarney, Connemara, the Burren and Glenveagh, Co Donegal. The Phoenix Park in Dublin was reopened to pedestrians last week. Visitors are advised to disinfect footwear and clothing after use, keep away from susceptible animals such as sheep, cattle and deer, and keep dogs under control.

Among the first to return to the slopes are members of the Irish Mountain Running Association, who plan to celebrate the lifting of the restrictions with a midnight run at Pine Forest near the Dublin mountains.

Having indulged their passion in recent weeks on the not-so-steep slopes of Dollymount beach, club members are happy to be returning to the hills. "It's a massive relief," said club president Mr Joe Lalor.

Killarney is celebrating with an ecumenical service in the grounds of Muckross House, which also reopens today.

The Mountaineering Council of Ireland urged walkers to show sensitivity towards farmers and to confine their walks, at least initially, to national parks and Coillte properties. "By showing restraint over the past weeks, walkers and climbers have built up a bank of goodwill with farmers and we don't want to jeopardise that," said council PRO Mr Declan O'Keeffe.

There was a "silver lining" to the restrictions, in that the mountains had been given "a rest" from large numbers of walkers trampling over their surfaces, he said.

Ardent walkers had found new ways to amuse themselves during their enforced layoff, ranging from beach promenades to the Dublin literary pub crawl. The council says the voluntary ban on hillwalking was widely observed by regular ramblers, although there were some problems with visiting walkers.

A number of "confrontations" were reported between walkers and farmers in the west.

The Irish Farmers' Association also urged walkers to be sensitive to the concerns of farmers. "There is huge recognition of the sacrifices made by all sectors, but farmers will still have residual fears, particularly about tourists coming from England," a spokesman said.