by charlie | Feb 15, 2019
Whotter Day! You otter been there! Guess what we saw? Notter too difficult! About an hour after we started work, a big dog otter swam ashore from an offshore reef, and trottered up the beach (into the sun) towards us. With the wind behind him, the sun’s glare, and his natural poor eyesight, we asked everyone to stay still and quiet. As a result, he didn’t see the crowd of folk gawping at him and taking photos, till he was about 25 yards away, when he sensed our presence, turned left and ambled along the beach and into the dunes. Made our day! Pictures by ACP Staff Photographer Euan...
by Ron Ireland | Jan 6, 2019
After many months of negotiation and re-negotiation, a recent meeting with Transport Scotland and their agents TranServe has obtained their commitment to improving routine vegetation clearance measures where the path runs alongside the A77 trunk road at Bennane. It is hoped that this year will see passage along the path between Bennane Lea, over Bennane Hill, and down to Bennane Shore Holiday Park substantially improved and significantly...
by charlie | Jul 28, 2018
A few days ago, the landowner of the Drumshang to Dunure section of the Coastal Path, who kindly mows the cliff-edge path for us with his motor mower, was angry to find over a dozen holes dug in the cropped path surface by someone with a metal detector. With the dry weather the sods were shrivelled and loose. It is irresponsible behaviour of this type that risks us losing the goodwill of our landowner partners. The metal detector operators’ code is that they should always seek permission from the landowner before they use their apparatus, and cause no damage. Here, this was not done, and a footpath was damaged. A man carrying a metal detector was seen on 27 July around 4.30pm, walking north along the road near Drumshang. If anyone saw him, or any previous incidents, and can provide more information, please contact us via the website or...
by charlie | Apr 11, 2018
Many thanks to the helpers from South Ayrshire Council who arrived at Turnberry and worked their socks off, and the pink wellies! These enthusiastic “beach cleaners” were well prepared, with their picnic hamper, tea and coffee and goodness knows what else, as part of their equipment. Someone even brought a drone to film our efforts – or was that to make sure everyone pulled their weight? And they even made a short video for us. Prepare for 2019 Beach Clean guys! ...
by charlie | Apr 10, 2018
What a great success the 12th Annual Beach Clean was! And to cap it all, we were invited to send a load of plastic rubbish to London for the BBC One show. Over 800 bags of rubbish were collected by volunteers organised by Girvan, Alloway, Ayr, Prestwick, and Troon Rotary Clubs between Ballantrae and Troon – with 636 bags collected by Ayr Rotary Club from 7 beaches. Thanks to around 30 willing volunteers, 330 bags were removed from 2km of Dowhill to Turnberry Beach which had never been cleaned before, and a further 75 bags from the adjacent 1km long Dunnymuck beach. This staggering combined total of 405 bags was loaded into 40 large bulk bags, which are now heading for London by lorry, to to be dumped outside the BBC as the main exhibit in The One Show special on Ocean Plastic Pollution on Monday 16 April. NB. Plastic rubbish formed 93% of the total stuff gathered on these 3km of beach. In contrast to these wild beaches, after 12 years of Rotary Beach Cleans, much less litter is now being collected from the town beaches of Girvan/Ballantrae (92), Doonfoot (34), Ayr (90), Prestwick, and Troon (14), thanks to an increased public awareness – and the sterling work of local resident groups, who now patrol and clean these beaches on a regular basis. Our grateful thanks to both them – and all the volunteers who ventured south to the remote beaches – for making our beaches beautiful...
