Shingle and terns at Ballantrae.

Once we launched from Ballantrae we turned to the SSE and paddled parallel to the great cobble beach which stretches for almost 2km.


The beach is broken only by the mouth of the River Stinchar. We were last here in November 2006 and the river mouth is now 600m further north. This is a very dynamic part of the coast. Just behind the bank of cobbles there are various oxbow lakes and lagoons formed as the river changes course and its mouth is altered by winter storms.

The beach is a Site of Special Scientific (SSSI). In summer it is the nesting ground for countless Little Terns and Arctic Terns. Unfortunately the delicate balance of the beach is being threatened by contractors who are illegally removing hundreds of tons of shingle.

21/12/2007


This is a view from the south end of the beach taken on our last visit on 03/11/2006

Postscript.
You might notice the Ocean Paddler magazine logo on the bow of Tony's boat. It reminds me that the December issue has just been published. Buy it! It is very good.