beach clean

 

The Ayrshire Coastal Path

The Official Opening of the Ayrshire Coastal Path on 28 June 2008 was the culmination of a four-year project by Ayr Rotary Club to establish a 100-mile long Coastal Path to celebrate the 2005 Centenary of Rotary International. After two years of surveying the route, and negotiating access with landowners by a team of Rotarians, the Path’s completion in only 18 months from receipt of our first tranche of grant funding was a great achievement for the Club.

 

                                              

Men at work                       Members on the beach

                                       

 

This was recognised by RIBI with the presentation of the RIBI Environmental Award 2008 to Ayr Rotary Club, and by RI with subsequent awards.  In just two years, the response to our stated aims - of providing access along one of the finest panoramic coastlines in the UK, of healthy exercise for walkers young and old, and of boosting tourism in rural Ayrshire - has exceeded all our expectations. As well as locals, the Path is attracting walkers from USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe as well as the home countries; and many Charities now use the central sections for Fund-raising Walks

 

 

 

In October 2010 the ACP was invited to become part of Scottish Chapter of the newly launched International Appalachian Trail (Europe), and will be a vital link in a long-distance trail from the south of Ireland through to the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way, leading north to John o' Groats, Orkney, Shetland, and right up through Norway.

 

In January 2011, using strict criteria, Scottish Natural Heritage selected the Ayrshire Coastal Path as one of twenty long-distance routes to be branded and promoted as Scotland’s Great Trails. This is a feather in our cap - for Ayr Rotary Club to be recognised as part of a major initiative by SNH and Visit Scotland to develop Scotland’s potential as a superb tourist destination for walkers.


The ACP Official Guide Book, written by P/P Jimmy Begg, has so far sold over 4000 copies and raised £25,000 for Rotary charities. The bulk of this money is to be used to complete a major community project in Africa.


Check our Path Website - www.ayrshirecoastalpath.org - and come and Walk the Walk.