by charlie | Aug 23, 2023
One day in August, while out on a recce walk prior to heavy bracken strimming at Fisherton Wood, north of Dunure, we met an ACP walker with heavy rucsac and shorts – and with his long socks pulled up to deter ticks. Well, after tramping along that bracken path, I checked my legs carefully when I got home on Thursday – and found nothing. The next day, I wore the same (Gardening) trousers for a short seashore walk to Greenan Castle – and then in the afternoon while ladder pruning the cotoneasters along our lane wall. None of this was tick territory. On Saturday morning when I got up at seven, I felt a suspicious itch on my lower left calf – and found a wee black tick!! It must have crawled inside my trouser leg on Thursday, and snuggled down there till I wore them again on Friday – which is a warning to us all that these evil wee beasts can lurk around in our clothing – and get us the second time round! Fortunately – and it had to be using my left hand – I managed to engage and unscrew its body anti-clockwise (apparently they burrow in using a clockwise rotation) with my larger O’Tom Tick Remover – still intact, complete with head – and still alive, then swabbed the site with surgical spirit, and rubbed in some antibiotic ointment for good measure. NB – Trying to pull it out simply by grabbing its body with tweezers or fingernails, will almost inevitably separate the body from its head, which will remain buried, and during this...
by Ron Ireland | Jun 29, 2020
The travel-distance lockdown restriction is due to be relaxed from Friday 3 July meaning that folk are able to seek their outdoor exercise in accordance with near-normal, responsible-access laws. Social-distancing rules will still apply and the availability of facilities along the ACP will be uncertain at best. Path-users are urged to continue to exercise proper consideration for other users, local residents, landowners and farmers whose helpful cooperation we have enjoyed since the ACP opened 12 years ago. This will mean avoiding, as much as possible, physical contact with fixtures like fences and gates and, where this is unavoidable, using gloves and sanitiser. Walkers may notice that, in places, the path is more overgrown than usual since lockdown has meant suspension of routine vegetation control by the volunteer pathminders. However, this work has recently recommenced on a limited basis addressing the worst of the overgrown areas and the overall situation is expected to improve over the next few weeks. A small work party ventured out last week to Ladywell Burn and Wet Gully to carefully clear some Hemlock Water Dropwort that was encroaching on the path. The Wet Gully is particularly rich in pollinating plant life such as March Orchids, Ragged Robin, Yellow Irises, Meadowsweet, and other beautiful flowers which greatly enhance this section. The beautiful (not so wet) Wet Gully This year’s springtime Rotary Beach Clean was cancelled and so it is likely that those sections of the route may be more littered than would be normally be the case. Again the pathminders will get round to tackling this but walkers can do their bit by using the blue-bins...
by Ron Ireland | Jul 14, 2019
The sun shone at Drumshang on a lovely hot summer’s day as the ACP team arrived armed with all the implements necessary for a morning of snedding, strimming and mowing. The most important implement of all however was also the smallest! As the team tore into the undergrowth so clouds of insectsrose along with the grasses and dust. Clegs were the most obvious nuisance butother, less obvious insects were also about and these included the dreaded tick.As far as is known, the only casualty was yours truly, who found one on hisinner arm the following day. This was swiftly and easily removed with a tick-pick(see photo) and each work party leader will have one or two of these in his orher first-aid kit. Tick bites can, in exceptional cases lead to the potentiallyserious Lyme disease so it is worth reinforcing the simple safety measures toavoid and/or deal with tic bites: Wear appropriate clothing to cover as much flesh as possible – long trousers, sleeves and socks On returning home, before or during showering, inspect your body for ticks which may be embedded. These are identifiable as tiny, raised, black dots which you can feel if you brush your hand across the area. A magnifying glass will allow confident identification. Remove the tick using the tick-pick in the correct manner. Slide the forked end of the pick underneath the body of the tick (its head is under your skin) and twist to remove the whole tick cleanly. Apply an antiseptic to the affected area. Over the next few weeks, be aware of the (remote) possibility of infection the effects of...
by charlie | Mar 20, 2019
Please be aware that the recent heavy rain has undermined a section of the Coastal Path near Turrnberry and this section of the Path is dangerous and should be avoided until further notice. The area in question is on the section of the Path between Miton Burn and the steps over the dunes – just North of the old pump house. As you can see from the attached photographs, there are 2 culverts (pipes) below the path, but the flow of water has been diverted by a blockage and the adjacent soil has been swept away. There is a very deep hole (at least 3 feet deep) close to the culverts and the edge of this hole is simply turf, floating in mid air and it will not be able to bear any weight. The hole is fairly obvious when heading South – but less so when heading North. The landowner is aware of this issue and further updates will be issued in due course. Notices are being made up and will be strategically placed to alert walkers and advise on alternative routes. Southbound Walkers at low tide should use the shore; and at high tide take the path up to the A719 and find a way along the south side of the Milton Burn back to the...
