by Ron Ireland | Aug 19, 2019
This month’s ECO-Ayrshire festival attracted the attention of ThatsTV Scotland who wanted to do an advance feature. A reporter met our pathminders on a work party at Dunnymuck where we were installing another of our ‘blue bins’ to encourage walkers to do their bit for the path environment by picking up plastic litter – Blue Planet, Blue Bin, Pick up Plastic, Pop it in. It was a beautiful sunny morning on one of the most scenic parts of the path and the TV shots should be superb – the interview with Ron Ireland perhaps less so! Another bin in...
by charlie | Jul 19, 2019
Ayrshire Roads Alliance engineers have completed the works on the coastal defences near the Path close to Prestwick St Nicholas Golf Course. The Path is now fully open...
by Ron Ireland | Jun 16, 2019
Good work last week saw the bridge and approach paths virtually completed and the bridge can now be considered fully operational. This was a great project, expertly designed and constructed to resist all that nature can throw at it in the way of winter storms and high tides – and at a cost of only £550, but with a lot of sweat and blood from the pathminders. Well done everyone involved – no need for walkers to get wet feet anymore. The finishing...
by Ron Ireland | May 18, 2019
Even by Jimmy Begg’s unrelenting standards, last Thursday was a lengthy shift for the bridge-builders. Due to the unexpectedly early availability of the telegraph poles for the bridge beams, work continued after a lunch break until a finish around 3.00pm! The placing of the poles allowed the decking to be placed so that we now have a crossable structure that will mean we no longer risk getting wet feet negotiating the burn. Thanks are due to Hugh Watson of HIE Fabrication Ltd for making the sturdy steel brackets for the bridge. Apart from the decking, the whole structure has been built from re-cycled material at a cost of under £500. Next week it will be finishing the approaches, both sides, and getting rid of the heavy vegetation. Then comes the topping out ceremony with some of that champagne that Jimmy won in the Rotary Golf Day raffle! Poles arrived 10.30h beams set 13.00h decking done!...
by Ron Ireland | May 9, 2019
Seven Pathminders decided to take a day off normal duties for a highly sociable round of golf at Seafield. No scores were declared afterwards for fear of embarrassment but all agreed it was a fun day and it should be repeated occassionally. John Ferguson got lucky at the 15th hole. His ball was nearest the pin. Actually it was the only one to hit the green! John’s effort won him a bottle of (cheap) wine. ……with James Braid Lucky...
by Ron Ireland | Apr 15, 2019
Last week we had a squad of 10 out (yes 10) including new member Pat McCall. Along with Jimmy, Ron, John D, Peter R, Pat, Chris, Di, Tim, Ian and Bob we continued preparations for the new bridge at Balkenna and finished off a section of beach cleaning at Dowhill. Good progress was made on both fronts, with another impressive pile of rubbish ready for uplifting by the Council. Not a bad haul! The foundations on the North side of the burn have been levelled, with 3 layers of re-cycled slabs now in place, and the foundation excavation on the South side has been completed ready for stone and slab work. North Bank South...
