by Ron Ireland | Jan 22, 2022
In the introduction to her Channel 5 programme featuring her 15 mile daunder along the coastline from Ayr to Dowhill, Kate Humble described South Ayrshire as “a region of rich contrasts”. Her walk followed the route of the ACP, including the detour to Burns Cottage in Alloway, and highlighted our beaches, countryside, heritage, and all its wild unspoilt beauty. The programme presented some excellent drone footage of that labour-of-love which is Fisherton Gully and the slightly less impressive but nonetheless useful Smugglers Brae steps just south of Dunure; both features built by our hard-working band of volunteer pathminders. Other highlights along the way included Greenan Castle, the Lagg section from the Heads of Ayr, Dunure Castle, the Lookout Field, and of course Culzean Bay. Expressing her excitement for the wild Turnberry beaches, she observed that “this is a very, very special place that deserves to be much better known, considering it is so easily accessible from both Carlisle and Glasgow.” Amongst the numerous attractions along the way, Kate remarked on the many castles in the region which had all been strongholds of the various branches of the powerful and often treacherous Kennedy family (“Never cross a Kennedy”). One of these castles was of course the showpiece Culzean Castle and Kate was permitted to explore the labyrinth of caves which underlie the castle and which are not normally accessible to the public. Other points of interest which were highlighted included UNESCO’s Galloway and Southern Ayrshire ‘Biosphere’: a status awarded to world-class environments that demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature. Alongside some lovely shots around the Swan Pond at...
by Ron Ireland | Sep 1, 2019
Ron, Norma and Clive (with Sophie) The morning storm was still trying to blow down the marquee as the various goups arrived to set out their stalls. Good planning had positioned the ACP alongside SAPI (South Ayrshire Paths Initiative) so this was an advantage to both given the symbiotic relationship between the two. After a slowish start, the footfall increased considerably so that by a sunny lunchtime there was a healthy flow of visitors and the chatter level increased markedly. Alistair and Jimmy in talking mode It was encouraging to find so much interest in normal, healthy outdoor pursuits and to discuss the range of concerns that many people, of all ages, had for environmental matters generally. This was a very successful day all round and the ACP and the Annual Rotary Beach Clean achieved good exposure with a number of guidebook sales resulting. Our BLUE BIN pitch went down well, with a number of people congratulating us on our endeavours to clean up our beautiful coastline. So remember, where you see one of these bins on one of our more remote beaches, do your own bit for the environement and think global – act...
by charlie | Aug 31, 2019
On Thursday 29th August we carried out a litter pick along an inland stretch of the Ayrshire Coastal Path/National Cycle Network at Kilwinning (Byrehill Rd). On the Irvine to Ardrossan section of the Trail, sadly this single track road is a known problem-area for littering and fly tipping. By the end of the 2 hour pick we had collected 15 bin bags of rubbish and a variety of larger items including a paddling pool and a whirligig! We were also able to report several instances of fly tipping, one of which being a boat! North Ayrshire Council’s ‘Report It’ app proved very useful and we highly recommend giving it a try if you don’t already use it! The litter pick was organised as part of Eco Ayrshire 2019 – a month-long festival celebrating what local organisations across the area are doing to ‘Take Steps today to Sustain Tomorrow’.. Volunteers from the Scottish Wildlife Trust Ayrshire‘s ‘Time out Thursday’ initiative came along to help, as did Ian ‘The Nation’s Favourite Litter Picker’ Cassidy – all of whom were a huge help in the clean up! Within a few hours, Streetscene (North Ayrshire Council) had been along and removed all the collected rubbish, leaving a lovely tidy road behind for visitors and locals alike to enjoy. This litter pick was made possible due to funding which the Ayrshire Coastal Path received from Sustrans Scotland. The Love Your Network Grant Fund enabled us to purchase litter pickers, bag hoops, hi viz vests and a range of hand tools. We are very grateful to Sustrans Scotland for the support and funds received! Photos courtesy of John Linton of Sustrans...
by charlie | Aug 25, 2019
On Saturday 24th August the Ayrshire Coastal Path (ACP) teamed up with Gillian’s Walks to lead a group of 30 people (and 2 dogs!) along the rugged coastline between Dunure Castle and Greenan Castle. This 6.5 mile section of the ACP is known for it’s dramatic scenery and the dry, warm weather we were blessed with ensured that a great day was had by all! This event was organised as part of Eco Ayrshire 2019 – a month-long festival organised by volunteers, celebrating what local organisations across the area are doing to ‘Take Steps today to Sustain Tomorrow’. Five members of the ACP team joined in the walk, including the Trail Manager, Works Manager and some of our volunteer Path Wardens. This presented a unique opportunity for the public to see and hear first-hand all the hard work our volunteers have put into maintaining this particular section of ACP over the past year, as well as the chance to have their Official Guidebooks autographed by the author himself! We were also able to introduce our ‘Blue Planet – Blue Bin’ initiative: encouraging walkers of these remote areas to pick up any small plastics they come across during their walk and pop them in the blue barrel provided. These are then emptied by our volunteer Path Wardens in the area. We would like to thank Harry and Lindsay of Eco Ayrshire for all their support and most of all a huge thanks to everyone who came along on the walk. We hope that we have inspired you to walk some more of the Ayrshire Coastal Path or maybe even give...
by Ron Ireland | Jul 16, 2019
Well – the Swaines sure know how to lay on a BBQ! The sun shone, the wine and beer flowed like the Doon, the chat was excellent, the food was amazing, the quiz was long (only to be expected from John D) but great fun and…………everyone behaved! It was a day to remember so thanks to everyone who helped make it possible, but especially to Chris and Susan who were up at the crack of dawn to prepare scrumptious salads, deserts etc and set up the garden (with Bob’s help) for all our enjoyment. the hosts the boys who said hot dogs ? full swing the bairn relaxed host the girls Susan calls time this one’s on me man talk garden time BBQ Bob cheers any more wine ? all good pals the party 3 salad days the cottage the walking wounded the party BBQ Bob 2 the Ireland...
