State of Westport Beach !!

[Lilacbabe]

Had the dogs for a walk on Westport Beach tonight and what a mess !!!

Firstly I had to watch that I didnt get burnt as some campers had built a campfire on the path leading down to the beach I mean could they not see that this was the way people and dogs had to go to get on to the shore !! my dogs were a bit unsure at first passing it !!

Walking on the dune side I had to pass another coulpe of tents and numerous dead campfire holes ,cans , bottles , bits of corrugated iron, crisp packets glass !!! Perhaps why the camp fire was on the path as it was the only bit of the beach that hadnt all ready had a fire on it

On the grass paths there were more plastic bottles , wet wipes , tissues , loo roll ( what were they getting used for I wonder ?? ) old disposable barbecue tins .

On the beach there were more plastic bottles , litter, old towels that must have beel left .

Then I remembered a letter that was in the courior about dog walkers leaving their poo bags on the shore and I thought to myself , why is it that dog owners allways get the blame for leaving the beach in a mess and on another thread on here there were numerous objections about what kind of mess Horses would leave on the beach ( the horsepoogate thread LOL ) when clearly it is the human walkers , campers and picknickers that are leaving it in such a state !!

As for the poo issue as mentioned ,what are the wipes , tissues used for and all I can think of is that humans poo as well so there are bound to be some of that about too and they probably dont pick that up in a poo bag and put it in the bin

On leaving the beach I counted as well as a portaloo ther are 3 litter bins , so why is there so much rubbish on the beach ? why are people not cleaning up after their stay or walk ?

I am not against people camping but why are there so many old campfire remains dotted all over the place ? There is hardly a flat space left with out a burnt out hole on it it looks awfull

Something really needs to be done about this , perhaps designated camping spots so that only part of the grass on the dunes side gets ruined . Notices to clean up after their stay , bins on the beach ? I dont know does anyone else have any suggestions ?

I was just mad tonight seeing the state of the place and thought I would see what others thought ? Being a responsible poo picking up dog owner ,I was also angry that it is mostly the dog walkers that get mentioned when there is an issue about untidy beaches .

Come on all the other beach users , get a grip and tidy up after your visit to our beautiful beaches its not hard just bin it !! and try and keep the camp fires to just a few spots maybe puting one where there has been on before ?

[EMDEE]

As this area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, it may be of interest to Scottish Natural Heritage that these activities are going on. Here are the site details and the list of operations requiring consent from SNH:

http://gateway.snh.gov.uk/sitelink/site ... _code=1120

http://gateway.snh.gov.uk/pls/portal/Si ... Type_ID=28

Note in particular items 7, 8 and 9 in the Schedule of Operations requiring Consent.

[Angelcakes]

We have been camping at westport with friends and our dogs off and on each weekend all summer...

Each time we have been we have tidied after ourself's by taking and excess of plastic bags to collect our junk.... our dogs are tethered down so they dont get glass in their paws as it is everywhere... we do use a camp fire but its the very same pre made fire pit spot each time... we dont see the need to make another.

But each time we go back we also see the same.... beer boxes, glass bottles, broken glass and all round rubbish all over the place not to mention in the space of 2 weeks more holes for fires!!

Due to the fact there are tonnes of pre-made fire pits i cant for the life of my understand why each set of surfer with dig a new pit, do they really need a fire right by their tent ... gueess they will only learn its dangerous when they go up in smoke

Not everyone leaves a mess .. we like to have fun but we also like to leave a place tidy

[gizmo]

I agree with Angelcakes, I used to love camping at Westport or the 2nd Waters and always tidied up before we packed up to go. Not all campers leave a mess.

[Lilacbabe]

As this area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, it may be of interest to Scottish Natural Heritage that these activities are going on. Here are the site details and the list of operations requiring consent from SNH:

http://gateway.snh.gov.uk/sitelink/site ... _code=1120

http://gateway.snh.gov.uk/pls/portal/Si ... Type_ID=28

Note in particular items 7, 8 and 9 in the Schedule of Operations requiring Consent.

How do you get in touch with them or is it the landowners who are responsible for making sure the beach is not abused and left like this ? but I do think something needs to be done

No not all campers leave a mess but lots of them have been

good on you for tidying up its not hard is it so why do the other campers and picnickers not do it to too as it gives campers a bad name when they leave the place in a state .


Also the fire holes at the bech are everywhere leaves such a mess especially when they pile it up with their rubbish ,bottles ,cans etc . And as for the fire on the path down to the beach I mean did they not see that it was a path and thats probably where people walked to get on to the beach ??

Maybe a sign with " please build your fire where previous ones have been built " and " CLEAN UP YOUR RUBBISH PLEASE " should be put on the gate before they go on to the beach

Quoted fron the Scottish Outdoor Access Code

When camping in Scotland the key messages to remember are:

Lighting fires

Use a stove if possible. If you must have an open fire keep it small and under control and remove all traces before leaving

[EMDEE]

Lilacbabe

I have sent you a PM

[Martin]

What, no smelly old burger van in the carpark yet with take-a-way rubbish strewn for miles ?
Don't worry it will come.
Westport is a gem and deserves more respect and to be looked after and cherished. Come to that, the whole of Kintyre is a gem, it's the most wonderful and most beautiful place on this earth.
Just my thoughts.

[Ags]

I am completely with you Lilacbabe on how frustrating it is when the beach is left in a mess. I have to say the "Machrihanish end" hasn't been too bad this summer apart from one particular campfire!! The only thing that struck me as really bizarre today was a lady with her kids just dropping their bikes at the start of the first fairway and heading off for a swim. Don't people take note of their surroundings??
Re the letter in the courier which I must admit I didn't see , I did see the dog mess in question and there were about a dozen bags of the stuff in a pile which was really quite gross. Either one particular dogwalker has the same routine everyday and doesn't take their litter home or somebody had decided to have a bit of a tidy and forgot to finish the job. It was in no way meant to offend the dog walkers who do tidy up after themselves but there was no mistaking what it was.
It's not difficult is it, go out, have fun, walk your dogs, have a barbie and take your litter home, no matter what it is!

[Ross]

As with alot of things in life, it is the actions of the few that spoil it for everyone. Most of the people that leave a mess at the beach are to lazy, ignorant and thoughtless to comprehend the mess and damage they leave behind them. As a regular beach user i try and make every effort to educate others around me..even if they dont want to be. I know most of the travelling surfers that use the beach and they are all of the same opinion as to looking after the beach and the environment, many of them infact spend there time here helping to clean up other peoples mess. It is only through continued education and shaming of individuals that we can attempt to maintain the beauty of this area.

[Martin]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/user/MegaDF118[/youtube]

[Nancie]

I am glad to see this highlighted on the forum as I visited Westport with my family last weekend. My grandchildren love Westport and the sand dunes but we were very disappointed to see that whole area littered with the remains of numerous fires many with broken glass. As someone has pointed out why are the sites of previous fires not used.

No one wants to stop people enjoying this area but when it is being abused something needs to be done to protect it.

[russanros]

Re the letter in the courier which I must admit I didn't see , I did see the dog mess in question and there were about a dozen bags of the stuff in a pile which was really quite gross. Either one particular dogwalker has the same routine everyday and doesn't take their litter home or somebody had decided to have a bit of a tidy and forgot to finish the job. It was in no way meant to offend the dog walkers who do tidy up after themselves but there was no mistaking what it was.

In the event of not being able to clear dog mess (ie like you run out of bags or dog has bad guts & runny) its better to try bury it as it will decompose naturally overtime, if you bag it then leave the bag the poo cannot decompose and the plastic bag can pose a hazard to wildlife, in terms of poisoning or strangulation/suffocation. So bagging it and leaving the bag is more irresponsible than just leaving the poo! I'd rather people took it away though.

[EMDEE]

Actally Russanros, you have just hit the nail on the head about this alleged problem. Taking a pragmatic view of this problem, your advice on burying this material is a more environmentally friendly way of dealing with dog droppings. The two options are as follows:

1. Collect the stuff in plastic bags and dispose of it in a litter bin. What happens? It goes to landfill, which is something that we are trying to reduce, as the emphasis should be on recycling resources. Apart from this, the production and use of plastic bags means the utilisation of fossil hydrocarbons, and thereby the non-sustainable consumption of the earth's resources. Whether we like it or not, dog droppings are a resource.


2. Bury it at the beach. What happens? It is consumed by naturally occuring detritivores and recycled into the environment as part of the natural cycles that operate within the ecological system. It therefore becomes a useful natural resource. (Although the only reason you actually need to bury it is so that you do not offend members of the public who find it distasteful, the detritivores will still do their work whether it's on the surface or buried.) People tend to forget that a waste product can be a useful resource to another species.

The problem is that the human race has outgrown its ecological niche, and because we are the only species on the planet which is capable of rational thought, we look at the natural world subjectively. We find dog faeces to be offensive, although the reason why dogs are still with us is because they have lived with the human race for many thousands of years, as workers and companions, and although the human race should have known before now, it is only in recent decades that it seems to have has come to our notice that dogs defaecate, and we find that offensive. Having had reason to take an interest in environmental issues in recent years, I have come to the conclusion that the human race generally at the present time behave like spoiled brats, and some of us seem to think that we live in a sanitised world where we don't need to worry about the environment, and do not realise that we are in an unsustainable downward spiral.

Conclusion:

It's a no-brainer. take Russanros's advice: Bury your dog shit.

This has deveoped into a bit of a rant

[LANDROVER ROGER]

Excellent post Emdee.

[Lilacbabe]

Agree with the poop issue but we are not really talking about that on this thread but are talking about the litter and campfire mess that has made the beach look awfull

as I mentioned before I havent seen many dog poos but the mess of litter etc is disgusting and that cannot be buried and it is not enviromentaly friendly .

Do you have any suggestions on how to stop this happening appart from banning campers/picknickers and all the other offenders going on to the beach ?