The Kintyre Forum

Hi - don't know if this is the correct place to post but wondered what your thoughts are on this subject.

I was down in Kintyre for a few days last week and popped into Campbeltown on Wednesday only to find a number of shops closed! The following day I arrived in the town about 1.30 and a number of shops were closed for lunch!

Here in Oban all the shops are open 6 days a week plus some open late and many open on Sundays in the summer. I know there are more tourists up here but I thought half day closures were a thing of the past?

Anyway, I have been reading the message board for some time now - interesting to say the least!

Not only are some of the shops shut at lunch time, and a Wednesday either all day or a half day, but nearly one side of Longrow does not open until 10 am. Often on a Wednesday there is coaches of tourists in but most shops remain closed. I think that their argument would be that it is not worthwhile to remain open. I had my own kids and 2 pals that wanted to got to ceramics on Thursday as it was a rotten day and guess what it was Closed. So they missed out on around £30.
It's time that Campbeltown was brought out of the dark ages.

I don't disagree with what you say but an instance a while back highlights what some businesses are up against.

A local shopkeeper decided to forego his Wenesday afternoon break and open up for the paddle steamer visit. His whole afternoon's takings were £1.30.

The passengers have the opportunity to spend their money on board and then the first shop where they can buy souvineers is Woolworths so by the time Maw, Paw and the weans reach Longrow they are just sheltering from the rain and waiting for the boat coming back in to pick them up for the return journey. I know you weren't deliberately making the comparison but Oban is the gateway for so many destinations and it is only obvious it will always be busy and the practice of early closing days and closing for lunch would not be tolerated.

Jeanette

Can't understand why shops in C/town with 2+ staff close for lunch. Why do they all have to go at the same time - surely having staggered breaks is the sensible thing to do?

And what's with the local Monday holidays - Christmas apart - C/town holidays are always a week out with the rest of the UK - even at Easter!

Methinks that old chestnut "but that's how we've always done it" prevails!

Touchy subject this so......ach......here goes.....

At the same time as wanting the best for tourists etc we shouldn't forget about us locals and lunch time shutting for me is tantamount to some of the very problems (as Willie says - when there are two or more staff). A high number of people work similar hours to shop opening times in the town so when do they shop? Scenario -a man on the street wants to buy something but start work at 8.30 - shop opens at 9am. Their lunch is 1pm to 1.30pm - shop shuts for lunch 1pm - 2pm. He then finishes work at 5pm - shop shuts 5pm. When does he buy the item (answers on a post card before you say anything Bubbly). Its fair to say we all have to have our lunch but most places nowadays have staggered lunch breaks as Mr D says...

The public holiday however is something which is right however. We would moan like anything if the shops were shut on the same Public Holidays as ourselves!

Anyway, shopkeepers if you are reading, don't take this the wrong way - just the publics' thoughts and at least we aren't saying it behind your backs!

On another note it was great to read another of Campbeltown's eating establishments have extended their opening hours for the summer and are open Sunday's too. This follows on a similar change by another following the opening of the Coffee Shop in Bolgam Street and their opening hours

Re the quote "When do you buy the item" no postcards so I will just post here.
The internet if I am looking for something that I can,t get locally, it is open 24 hours, no queues and most items within 48 hours.
I allways try to buy locally, but I am the same as the man in the senario. I would shop in my lunch hour but most of the shops are on their lunch.

I know Oban quite well, and having lived in Tobermory where they have embraced the tourist industry as a way of survival I can understand Iona's comments.

If Campbeltown and the rest of Kintyre is going to thrive and survive in the future then there are going to have to be some significant changes in the way things happen.

Not everyone is going to like some of these and the difficulty will be achieving a balance between sustainable development and not spoiling what is undeniably a very special part of the world.

People are working hard to encourage more tourists to come here and spend their money but unless they have something and somewhere to spend it then that isn't going to work for long, and that isn't going to benefit the people that live here either.

The re-instatement of the ferry to Ballycastle is one of these things, although I'd like to see another ferry either from Arran or maybe Ayrshire bringing people directly to South Kintyre. In fact this latter might be a far more profitable venture than the Ireland ferry.

At present by the time people have got as far as Lochgilphead or Tarbert it's far too easy for them to turn north towards Oban and the islands than it is for them to turn south towards us.

Some people reading this will probably just mark me down as just 'another bloody incomer' but I feel strongly about the community that I live in and its long-term future, and I want my children to be able to find good jobs without having to move away. In this respect I don't think I'm much different to most of the people around here.

Cheers
Gary

(ps Sorry about the sermon but then it is Sunday )

GarySutherland wrote:The re-instatement of the ferry to Ballycastle is one of these things, although I'd like to see another ferry either from Arran or maybe Ayrshire bringing people directly to South Kintyre. In fact this latter might be a far more profitable venture than the Ireland ferry
( )

Gary - Just to be clear, the Public Service Order (PSO) only applies to the route between Campbeltown and Ballycastle so this is the only route which will attract a subsidy. Given that the conditions of the PSO are likely to be along the lines of one return voyage per day in summer (less in winter) then the ferry either has to do something else for the rest of the day or be tied up in port where it will not turn over a penny. As far as we are aware, there are no restrictions on an operator running additional services provided they meet the minimum service specification for the PSO. Thus, any potential operator worthy of the name has to be looking at additional routes and services and I would expect that Ayrshire (either Troon or Ardrossan) would be right at the forefront of their thinking. Obviously no-one can force them to run a service to Ayrshire but DBAG would certainly make that case if and when an operator is identified.

As for your point about the comparitive profitability of the two routes, I would have to disagree with you in that our work shows that the potential for the Irish route far exceeds that of the Ayrshire one. However, neither route will prosper if the marketing is not correct and it is to be hoped that this is a message which will be heeded strongly by Government, Tourist Boards and operators alike.

I've no experience or proper knowledge about operating a ferry so I'll bow to your research on the matter. I was thinking more along the lines of a flatbed ferry, like the Lochranza boat, anyhow.

Maybe if the big boat were to run Ayr to Campbeltown to Ballycastle? It's all outside of my sphere of business anyhow but I suppose we can hope.

The important thing is, of course, that people are talking about it.

Cheers
Gary

I understand shopkeepers predicaments in this situation, however, I have to agree that shops should attempt to be open lunch times and Wednesday afternoons at least! At one point some of the banks (maybe RBS OR Bank of Scotland) shut at lunch too but I think now this has been remedied.

I can understand that maybe if a shopkeeper opened and never got business doesn't want to do it again but if they don't get much much business on another day are they going to close then too? Have they advertised or told people that they will be now opening on a Wednesday afternoon? It's amazing what a wee note in the courier or a sign in your window/door with opening hours would do. What about more advertising or boards around Campbeltown designed for visitors?

It is great that some eateries open now on a Sunday - more of this should happen! Also, in some hotels you can't get food past 2pm. If this was extended to even 3pm it would make a big difference - even for bar lunches or light snacks at the bar. A couple of years ago it was really hard to find somewhere to eat out for a hungover brunch! It is still virtually impossible to get a takeaway roll or chips etc until tea time when only maybe the chinese and indian's open.

elaine x

I run my business single handed, open from 10 - 5 six days a week. ( no Wednesday early closing, I hate the idea) On the door it says lunch 1 - 2 I rarely close for that, sometimes just for 20 mins. I have that on the door incase I have to go out for banking, visit customers, post letters, pay bills, sometimes eat and the odd bodily function

I also find that some shops are closed when I go out, people in the same situation as me.

There are also some places that maybe could stager lunch hours and half day closing, one person gets a half day and another one the next day.

Half day closing has been around a while and maybe should be encouraged to be phased out.

I think it is up to each business to assess their situation, but I would encourage them to change if possible.


Just my view on the subject, must go I need to close for 15 mins, call of nature

Cheers
Michael

Just my view on the subject, must go I need to close for 15 mins, call of nature

Cheers
Michael[/quote]


What do you take in to read with you? Tolstoy's War and Peace?
Petewick

You need to take a book with large, soft, very thin pages - just in case the roll's empty...

Gary

No toilet facilities in the shop, I just cross my legs

On the subject of reading material

Possibly a poll for here.
What do you read in the toilet: newspaper, book or magazine
Is this just a Male thing

Answers on the empty cardboard tube please