by Ron Ireland | Jun 24, 2019
Just a couple of months after the big beach clean it was necesssary to revisit the shore at Chapeldonan where recent farming activity had exposed years of accumulated rubbish which had been buried beneath the wind-blown sand. A small team comprising Ron, Di, Gus and Bob (George), with later car and trailer assistance from Jimmy, filled 25 bags and collected larger material equivalent to another 5 bags – and that got the job only half-done! Back next week hopefully to finish it and help to return this lovely section of path to its previous natural...
by Ron Ireland | May 8, 2019
An unusual coincidence happened last week on the Ayrshire Coastal Path. Two couples who, independently, are walking the entire British coastline (3861 miles over 9 months!) in opposite directions, accidently bumped into each other on a section of the path between Ayr and Dunure. Martin Shipley (frequently accompanied by his wife Maureen) is walking anti-clockwise to raise funds for Thrombosis UK in memory of their daughter, Dawn. Meanwhile, Susan and Simon Murphy, a couple from Lyme Regis are walking clockwise. Imagine the surprise they all got when meeting and greeting each other. Since the path was created by Ayr Rotary Club 11 years ago, many thousands of walkers with differing abilities and ambitions have walked at least part of the path. With its two major accolades (it is one of “Scotland’s Great Trails” and part of the International Appalachian Trail) it attracts many visitors, not only from the UK but also from overseas. On the same day that the round-Britain walkers met, Ken Andreson and his partner from Connecticut were just a few miles away near Turnberry, on their own Ayrshire Coastal Path adventure. You too can enjoy the delights of this wonderful stretch of coastline – visit https://ayrshirecoastalpath.org/ for some ideas. The Shipleys with Ron Ireland and Mike...
by Ron Ireland | Jan 20, 2019
The ACP feature on the BBC Scotland, Out-of-Doors programme was broadcast on Saturday 19 January. Catch up on Radio iPlayer or BBC Sounds and listen to the interviews with the pathminders and a super selling of the delights of the path. Well done all. (Link to https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00022c8 and the feature starts 01h:01m:39s into...
by Ron Ireland | Jan 10, 2019
The Ayrshire Coastal Path was targeted by BBC Radio Scotland’s “Out-of-Doors” programme makers for a feature to be broadcast shortly. Mark Stephen, the show’s presenter, was accompanied by six of the regular “pathminders” who, every week, work hard to maintain and improve the path to make it an even more enjoyable experience. This is not the first time the ACP has been the subject of an Out-of-Doors broadcast. Four years ago, Mark Stephen walked the path from Dunure to Culzean with Rotary members Jimmy Begg, Gus Iannotti and Harry Peters. This time Jimmy and Gus were back again along with Ron Ireland, Paul Williams, and two non-Rotarian pathminders, Bob Gibson and Chris Swaine. This time they proudly showed Mark the fruits of their recent labours by walking the Smugglers Brae and the Fisherton Gully where a combined total of around 200 helpful steps had been built, some with timber sleepers and some with local rocks, to facilitate the arduous climbs and descents. These were completed only recently, after three winters of hard graft by the...
by Ron Ireland | Dec 4, 2018
Great morning’s work at Fisherton Gully last week – helped by a bonus from Nature’s Bounty.- Storm Diana had floated a huge log that had been uselessly stranded for years 100m south, and washed it up on the tideline just below the Gully steps. While having our tea break after carting loads of big beach stones up the path to build stone steps, we thought we’d try and shift the trunk clear of high water mark. But with skilled use of crowbars, brains, and brute strength, six of us managed to roll it ten metres up the shore right to the Path, where it now makes a fab seat for walkers. Then we went on to complete the bottom half of the stone-step path....
