Council insist they won’t be a Fisherman’s friend
The most popular coastal walk on Arran has been left partially washed away following a number of exceptionally high tides that have submerged the area and deposited marine debris across the pathway.
Now urgent action is needed if the usually scenic Fisherman’s Walk, which runs along Brodick Bay, is to be restored to allow full access for all ability of walkers.
But North Ayrshire Council has insisted it has no intention of helping to restore the walk as the land is owned by Arran Estates. Instead the Brodick Improvements Committee is likely to be left to try to restore some of the area.
It is not unusual for Fisherman’s Walk to experience flooding at this time of the year, owing to seasonal conditions, however the eroded landscape had already deteriorated earlier this year prior to the arrival of the winter storms with their damaging easterly winds.
The tidal lagoon at the start of the route and bordering the Brodick golf course has again acted as a sump for the area, collecting a huge amount of kelp, which is also strewn across the low lying land and which has had its green covering scoured away, exposing the underlying dark rock.
Winter damage
Further signs of winter damage can be seen on the recently repaired wooden walkway where a number of planks having been replaced and some subsidence is visible on the usually level walkway, which provides walkers with a convenient route over the boggy terrain.
At the other end of the bay at Cladach, near Dukes Beach, a similar picture of tidal weathering can be witnessed owing to the large amount of sand that the wind and tide have shifted
and where large sandbanks have built up along the mouth of the river.
A spokesman for the Brodick Improvements Committee said: ‘We are very concerned that this most popular section of coastal walk continues to deteriorate.
‘We will continue to monitor the situation as the weather improves and look to what more we can do to recover accessibility for all users.’ Last month a section of the boardwalk near Brodick was damaged by the storms and it was repaired with the help of the Arran Access Trust and staff from the new Arran Geopark.
‘Their assistance was much appreciated,’ the committee spokesman added.
A North Ayrshire Council spokesman said: ‘We understand the section of Fisherman’s Walk in question is located at Cladach Beach. This area is in private ownership and the council has no plans to carry out any remedial works.’