Port Logan mull of Galloway

[Fisherman]

Walked from New England bay to port Logan and back late afternoon. We will be heading to port Logan tomorrow, hoping for a great sunset.

 

[runnach]

It is a lovely part of our country, Bill. Visited there a few year back and weather was fab. Looks like the sky faired well for you both too!!

 

[Fisherman]

Port Logan tonight but clouds over Northern Ireland spoiled sunset.

 

[TJBi]

Port Logan tonight but clouds over Northern Ireland spoiled sunset.

Blaming it on @trevskoda ?

 

[Walkingmox]

Can you still park up overnight on the harbour wall. It was fabulous a couple of years ago before they encouraged everyone to drive around Galloway on the Southwest Coast 300. There’s a good coast to coast walk starts from there too

 

[Fisherman]

Can you still park up overnight on the harbour wall. It was fabulous a couple of years ago before they encouraged everyone to drive around Galloway on the Southwest Coast 300. There’s a good coast to coast walk starts from there too

It’s blocked off now. Also D&G put up no overnight parking signs in all of their car parks throughout the region, but they’re simply ignored. There’s an elsan point at New England bay, we will be heading there this morning before heading home.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

It’s blocked off now. Also D&G put up no overnight parking signs in all of their car parks throughout the region, but they’re simply ignored. There’s an elsan point at New England bay, we will be heading there this morning before heading home.

Is that because they're not actually official TRO signs, Bill?

 

[Fisherman]

Is that because they're not actually official TRO signs, Bill?

Yes Marie, I normally respect no overnight parking signs, but not when a region puts them up indiscriminately on every one of their carparks, they have no legal standing. Spent three lovely nights down here, gorgeous part of Scotland. You still in Ireland Marie.

 

[Canalsman]

The upper part of the car park is not in council ownership.

I was advised by a local that the upper part is common land so parking cannot be restricted.

 

[Fisherman]

The upper part of the car park is not in council ownership.

I was advised by a local that the upper part is common land so parking cannot be restricted.

In Scotland generally speaking with rare exceptions any unfenced land is fine for camping other than Loch Lomond and the Trossachs from April to October. But the land reform act of Scotland does not include vehicles. I have already complained to D&G about these signs quoting the act. They replied stating that they were unenforceable. But the carpark one quarter of a mile north is an excellent location, we were there alone last night. Some of the signs up here predate the 2003 land reform act of Scotland.
D&G like others are actually in breech of the act by putting up these no camping signs.

 

[flying kipper]

Yes Marie, I normally respect no overnight parking signs, but not when a region puts them up indiscriminately on every one of their carparks, they have no legal standing. Spent three lovely nights down here, gorgeous part of Scotland. You still in Ireland Marie.

 

[Fisherman]

That's great I reckon the member will be Robbie Blythe.
I actually recommended that D&G should take a look at what Fife have done last year.
Robbie is a good communicator, I hope he is successful.
The problem with NEB are that idiots who spend weeks there.
Charging say £10 a night and limiting stays to two or three nights is the way forward.
Thats what Ayrshire have done.
I don't reckon the C&MC will be to pleased, they will probably put their tuppence worth in.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

Yes Marie, I normally respect no overnight parking signs, but not when a region puts them up indiscriminately on every one of their carparks, they have no legal standing. Spent three lovely nights down here, gorgeous part of Scotland. You still in Ireland Marie.

I thought as much

Not setting off for Ireland until mid-April, Bill.

 

[Fisherman]

Excerpt from email I sent to D&G last year with regards to their policy on Motorhome parking within their region.

Sometimes when you think you are hitting a brick wall, you find they are actually listening. Here’s hoping that D&G are finally realising that the lazy option is not fair, or appropriate.

I think Dumfries and Galloway should look at what other parts of Scotland are doing.
Putting up no overnight parking signs simply is not what’s required.
Look at what Fife Coastal Trust are doing, look at what Ayrshire are doing, and look at what Highland region are doing. Why not contact Fife Coastal Trust, they have taken appropriate measures, measures which are benefiting local businesses, measures that offer us facilities which we can use, and measures which over the years will prove beneficial to all concerned.

Can I also ask you to look what Findhorn have done, although on a smaller scale involving just one location, they have successfully managed to turn what was a problem, into a facility which over the years will benefit both us and the local community.

I attach links to both Fife Coastal Trust, and the Findhorn Community for your perusal, I sincerely hope you will both look into them, and use the information provided to manage what you regard as a problem, and turn it in to a solution which will benefit all concerned. We are not the problem, the problem is your abject failure to manage things in an appropriate manner which will benefit all concerned.

 

[Fisherman]

Just had it confirmed it is indeed as I thought it’s Robbie Blythe who is heading down to Port Logan Tomorrow night. And I can confirm that officials from Dumfries and Galloway have been visiting Fife, and Robbie has been taking them round the facilities offered by Fife Coastal Trust. They are very impressed with what they have seen, hence their invitation to Robbie to come down for this meeting about New England Bay.
Hopefully this will lead to improvements in the situation in Dumfries and Galloway.
Robbie is passionate about providing facilities for us, he regards us as an opportunity, not a problem to be dealt with.
But sadly NEB has seen abuse by the usual culprits who reckon staying there for weeks on end is ok, hopefully this will be sorted out, and we get what’s required even if it’s for a small fee.

 

[Kit7468]

Just had it confirmed it is indeed as I thought it’s Robbie Blythe who is heading down to Port Logan Tomorrow night. And I can confirm that officials from Dumfries and Galloway have been visiting Fife, and Robbie has been taking them round the facilities offered by Fife Coastal Trust. They are very impressed with what they have seen, hence their invitation to Robbie to come down for this meeting about New England Bay.
Hopefully this will lead to improvements in the situation in Dumfries and Galloway.
Robbie is passionate about providing facilities for us, he regards us as an opportunity, not a problem to be dealt with.
But sadly NEB has seen abuse by the usual culprits who reckon staying there for weeks on end is ok, hopefully this will be sorted out, and we get what’s required even if it’s for a small fee.

Hi, new to your group, attended said meeting, sad to say there seems to be a strong feeling amongst some locals that NEB should be closed, one lady being very nasty in her opinion of campervan owners , I being one, she was so upset! What on earth has happened to instill these feelings I can only imagine, well upshot is could be a couple of years yet due to funding etc, before changes to NEB Gentleman from Fife was very interesting and looked at all view points , stating that individual communities have to look and see what their needs and wants are.
D&G 's plan seems to be for 8 possibly 9 laned off areas at front of NEB, on right as you enter, the part to the left as you face the toilet is to be bolarded off, leaving a strip for access to the toilets and elsan/ fresh water, the small strip of land to your left as you enter is to be left with grass uncut and let the hedges take over, the rest of the "picnic area" to the rear is to be a low height barrier. Obviously concerns were raised as to where motorhomes and campervans would go if they can't get a space at NEB , Girvan was brought up here, van people left with nowhere to go are now crushed in and unsafe at the truck stop end of Girvan, in the defence of these folk I said that it's Not that people don't want to pay the parking fee there are 8 spaces and 30 vans! short of parking in housing estates they have nowhere else to go when trying to visit this sea side town.
There was a Stranraer site owner there, I will not say to much here about his comments but basically he would have NO overnight parking anywhere and people should be forced to use sites eek.
There was an elderly gentleman who suggested that D&G should put out honesty boxes at NEB and just see what happens, this was met with various complaints but the council said they could not do this for legal reasons abd it would be encouraging people to park...mmm
I'm embarrassed to say but I left about 5 minutes before the end as afore mentioned irrate lady upset me with her dreadful attitude and remarks , I left because i knew i was about to loose my temper,
Overall I felt a little bit of support from some locals, frankly there is misinformation, lies and loads more said to slate van users, sadly a few have spoiled it for the many.
Might head to Fife at least I'd feel welcome.
Footnote, not a word was said by anyone from the business concern next door to NEB only mention of it was from one of the speakers who told me he was intermediary for the council between the said business and the local community over concerns about NEB .
His words were he felt 'sorry' for the business, some intermediary , no bias there then. Thank you for reading, I'm not good at wording things and unbeknownst to me get emotional at public meetings! I have posted this in the hope others more able can take this forward,

 

[Fisherman]

Hi, new to your group, attended said meeting, sad to say there seems to be a strong feeling amongst some locals that NEB should be closed, one lady being very nasty in her opinion of campervan owners , I being one, she was so upset! What on earth has happened to instill these feelings I can only imagine, well upshot is could be a couple of years yet due to funding etc, before changes to NEB Gentleman from Fife was very interesting and looked at all view points , stating that individual communities have to look and see what their needs and wants are.
D&G 's plan seems to be for 8 possibly 9 laned off areas at front of NEB, on right as you enter, the part to the left as you face the toilet is to be bolarded off, leaving a strip for access to the toilets and elsan/ fresh water, the small strip of land to your left as you enter is to be left with grass uncut and let the hedges take over, the rest of the "picnic area" to the rear is to be a low height barrier. Obviously concerns were raised as to where motorhomes and campervans would go if they can't get a space at NEB , Girvan was brought up here, van people left with nowhere to go are now crushed in and unsafe at the truck stop end of Girvan, in the defence of these folk I said that it's Not that people don't want to pay the parking fee there are 8 spaces and 30 vans! short of parking in housing estates they have nowhere else to go when trying to visit this sea side town.
There was a Stranraer site owner there, I will not say to much here about his comments but basically he would have NO overnight parking anywhere and people should be forced to use sites eek.
There was an elderly gentleman who suggested that D&G should put out honesty boxes at NEB and just see what happens, this was met with various complaints but the council said they could not do this for legal reasons abd it would be encouraging people to park...mmm
I'm embarrassed to say but I left about 5 minutes before the end as afore mentioned irrate lady upset me with her dreadful attitude and remarks , I left because i knew i was about to loose my temper,
Overall I felt a little bit of support from some locals, frankly there is misinformation, lies and loads more said to slate van users, sadly a few have spoiled it for the many.
Might head to Fife at least I'd feel welcome.
Footnote, not a word was said by anyone from the business concern next door to NEB only mention of it was from one of the speakers who told me he was intermediary for the council between the said business and the local community over concerns about NEB .
His words were he felt 'sorry' for the business, some intermediary , no bias there then. Thank you for reading, I'm not good at wording things and unbeknownst to me get emotional at public meetings! I have posted this in the hope others more able can take this forward,

Many thanks for your post, I am awaiting a report from Robbie Blythe from Fife coastal Trust, when I receive this I will post. Robbie won’t be back until 20th of March.

But sadly none of what you report is a surprise to me.
For years we have been subjected to biased unfair reports on various media and online platforms. This has led to people who know absolutely nothing about us forming opinions based on what they have read or seen online.

But to be fair to these people there has been miss use at NEB. With some individuals abusing the place with long stays, and other selfish actions. There was also misuse of the toilet facilities with some emptying their cassettes into them, hence why D&G installed the elsan point.

But what does surprise me is there are no locals at NEB, it’s approx two miles away from the nearest village Port Logan, and three miles from Ardwell. I really don’t see this affecting people living in the area. The only people who are directly affected being the adjacent C&MC campsite, who have had instances of these idiots using their shower facilities, and elsan points prior to the installation of the elsan point by D&G.
As for someone from Stranraer which is about 15 miles from NEB being involved, that surprises me.

Bottom line, D&G have simply put up signage stating no overnight parking which has no legal standing whatsoever. On my last visit to the area I spent a night in the carpark just north of port Logan, I intend to continue doing so.

I can only hope that D&G listen carefully to Robbie Blythe who has created some excellent facilities in Fife for us.

One last comment, due to its geographical location, the Rhins of Galloway actually don’t suffer from excessive Motorhome use, and most who do, do so responsibly. There are solutions available that will mitigate some if not all of the abuses that have taken place by a minority, which won’t affect the vast majority who love that part of Scotland. I sincerely hope that whatever happens I and others will still be able to visit in the future.
The fact is probably most in the area are probably not to bothered about us, and where not at this meeting, but sadly it’s people like the woman you describe who are listened to by local councils. Many living there having motorhomes themselves, I see them parked in their driveways.

 

[runnach]

Hi, new to your group, attended said meeting, sad to say there seems to be a strong feeling amongst some locals that NEB should be closed, one lady being very nasty in her opinion of campervan owners , I being one, she was so upset! What on earth has happened to instill these feelings I can only imagine, well upshot is could be a couple of years yet due to funding etc, before changes to NEB Gentleman from Fife was very interesting and looked at all view points , stating that individual communities have to look and see what their needs and wants are.
D&G 's plan seems to be for 8 possibly 9 laned off areas at front of NEB, on right as you enter, the part to the left as you face the toilet is to be bolarded off, leaving a strip for access to the toilets and elsan/ fresh water, the small strip of land to your left as you enter is to be left with grass uncut and let the hedges take over, the rest of the "picnic area" to the rear is to be a low height barrier. Obviously concerns were raised as to where motorhomes and campervans would go if they can't get a space at NEB , Girvan was brought up here, van people left with nowhere to go are now crushed in and unsafe at the truck stop end of Girvan, in the defence of these folk I said that it's Not that people don't want to pay the parking fee there are 8 spaces and 30 vans! short of parking in housing estates they have nowhere else to go when trying to visit this sea side town.
There was a Stranraer site owner there, I will not say to much here about his comments but basically he would have NO overnight parking anywhere and people should be forced to use sites eek.
There was an elderly gentleman who suggested that D&G should put out honesty boxes at NEB and just see what happens, this was met with various complaints but the council said they could not do this for legal reasons abd it would be encouraging people to park...mmm
I'm embarrassed to say but I left about 5 minutes before the end as afore mentioned irrate lady upset me with her dreadful attitude and remarks , I left because i knew i was about to loose my temper,
Overall I felt a little bit of support from some locals, frankly there is misinformation, lies and loads more said to slate van users, sadly a few have spoiled it for the many.
Might head to Fife at least I'd feel welcome.
Footnote, not a word was said by anyone from the business concern next door to NEB only mention of it was from one of the speakers who told me he was intermediary for the council between the said business and the local community over concerns about NEB .
His words were he felt 'sorry' for the business, some intermediary , no bias there then. Thank you for reading, I'm not good at wording things and unbeknownst to me get emotional at public meetings! I have posted this in the hope others more able can take this forward,

Thank you for your well put together report detail from meeting you attended.

I am curious, and wonder if you can answer my question, was the “irate woman” an incomer?

Cheers.

 

[Kit7468]

Many thanks for your post, I am awaiting a report from Robbie Blythe from Fife coastal Trust, when I receive this I will post.

But sadly none of what you report is a surprise to me.
For years we have been subjected to biased unfair reports on various media and online platforms. This has led to people who no absolutely nothing about us forming opinions based on what they have read or seen online.

But to be fair to these people there has been miss use at NEB. With some individuals abusing the place with long stays, and other selfish actions. There was also misuse of the toilet facilities with some emptying their cassettes into them, hence why D&G installed the elsan point.

But what does surprise me is there are no locals at NEB, it’s approx two miles away from the nearest village Port Logan, and three miles from Ardwell. I really don’t see this affecting people living in the area. The only people who are affected being the adjacent C&MC campsite, who have had instances of these idiots using their shower facilities, and elsan points prior to the installation of the elsan point by D&G.
As for someone from Stranraer which is about 15 miles from NEB being involved, that surprises me.

Bottom line, D&G have simply put up signage stating no overnight parking which has no legal standing whatsoever. On my last visit to the area I spent a night in the carpark just north of port Logan, I intend to continue doing so.

I can only hope that D&G listen carefully to Robbie Blythe who has created some excellent facilities in Fife for us.

One last comment, due to its geographical location, the Rhins of Galloway actually don’t suffer from excessive Motorhome use, and most who do, do so responsibly. There are solutions available that will mitigate some if not all of the abuses that have taken place by a minority, which won’t affect the vast majority who love that part of Scotland. I sincerely hope that whatever happens I and others will still be able to visit in the future.
The fact is probably most in the area are probably not to bothered about us, and where not at this meeting, but sadly it’s people like the woman you describe who are listened to by local councils. Many living there having motorhomes themselves, I see them parked in their driveways.

Thank you for your reply, felt my post was a bit long winded and did not include all, a Tuesday evening in a wee hall in the middle of nowhere, I was not surprised there were so few van folk, 4 im aware of, there was a chap who stated he was a local and used NEB with his family and would stay over weekends wind surfing with them, he put a good unbiased case forward, a chap, who has become a van friend, owned up to being one of the people who overstay, he apologies for this, in his defence he has cleared many a mess made and left behind by others eg. a whole tent and assorted rubbish, this was taken to a refuse centre, doing this for fear that D&G would see this as yet another reason to close the area and HE reported the man to the site who was using the showers! He travels from England to be in this beautiful place, helps his well being, I totally understand that.
Ach well, parked up at Sandhead overnight, had lunch and a wee drink after the meeting, had asked if staying over was ok and they were fine with that, tho the signs are very off putting.
Heading to Seven stanes, Newton Stewart today then home to plan further retirement adventures, thinking Fife.
Really annoyed with myself for letting someone get to me.

 

[Kit7468]

Thank you for your well put together report detail from meeting you attended.

I am curious, and wonder if you can answer my question, was the “irate woman” an incomer?

Cheers I'd say yes