Copied from another site. Facebook.
I spoke with the council again today. The coastline manager was off last week. In a nutshell they have had a torrid time with human waste being dumped in the dunes and disposed off in the public toilets. Some vehicles have been camped near the entrance for multiple days. They also mentioned the other 4x4 group based mostly in NI and they have had huge difficulty with them camping in large groups in the dunes and next to the river between Downhill and Benone Beach. I am not going to mention the name of the group, some of you are in it, and many others know about it. Im not interested in starting a flame war as nothing positive ever comes out of that kind of thing. The council has had a huge amount of complaints about the number of vehicles and people asking why its permitted. They are struggling and looking at various options. There was talk of installing motorhome waste facilities, but then the issue is if that is seen as the council encouraging beach stays. They do not want to encourage it, they are just overwhelmed by it and trying to balance the needs of all the users. They are looking into the legality of it, and even of wild camping as a whole. There is a thought that its illegal everywhere in Northern Ireland without the landowners consent. The council own the land and they have never actually given permission. They mostly have turned a blind eye to it. What I can say is that the Coastline Manager was very receptive to what I was saying, and listened carefully and fully understood the concerns of us all as responsible campers. I spent nearly an hour speaking with him. They are very much looking forward to next year and hoping that the pressures will subside as we expect foreign travel to be available again. My recommendation is that in the short term it would be best to avoid any large gatherings. 4 or 5 vehicles camping discreetly well away from the entrance would most likely not draw too much attention. Do not camp in the dunes. I have spoken to this person on a number of occassions before over the years. He really is not against us at all, they are very clued up on who we are, and about all the other 4x4 groups who frequent the area. I was quite surprised how much they knew actually. He could see the frustration we feel about being punished for the actions of other less responsible people, and they agreed its not fair. In the same light, we also have to understand that while we fight hard for our "freedoms" we also have to understand the council has a difficult, often thankless task, of trying to balance the needs of everyone. Even having vehicles on the beach at all is a contentious issue. Apologies for this being one huge paragraph. Every time I press ENTER it posts!
I spoke with the council again today. The coastline manager was off last week. In a nutshell they have had a torrid time with human waste being dumped in the dunes and disposed off in the public toilets. Some vehicles have been camped near the entrance for multiple days. They also mentioned the other 4x4 group based mostly in NI and they have had huge difficulty with them camping in large groups in the dunes and next to the river between Downhill and Benone Beach. I am not going to mention the name of the group, some of you are in it, and many others know about it. Im not interested in starting a flame war as nothing positive ever comes out of that kind of thing. The council has had a huge amount of complaints about the number of vehicles and people asking why its permitted. They are struggling and looking at various options. There was talk of installing motorhome waste facilities, but then the issue is if that is seen as the council encouraging beach stays. They do not want to encourage it, they are just overwhelmed by it and trying to balance the needs of all the users. They are looking into the legality of it, and even of wild camping as a whole. There is a thought that its illegal everywhere in Northern Ireland without the landowners consent. The council own the land and they have never actually given permission. They mostly have turned a blind eye to it. What I can say is that the Coastline Manager was very receptive to what I was saying, and listened carefully and fully understood the concerns of us all as responsible campers. I spent nearly an hour speaking with him. They are very much looking forward to next year and hoping that the pressures will subside as we expect foreign travel to be available again. My recommendation is that in the short term it would be best to avoid any large gatherings. 4 or 5 vehicles camping discreetly well away from the entrance would most likely not draw too much attention. Do not camp in the dunes. I have spoken to this person on a number of occassions before over the years. He really is not against us at all, they are very clued up on who we are, and about all the other 4x4 groups who frequent the area. I was quite surprised how much they knew actually. He could see the frustration we feel about being punished for the actions of other less responsible people, and they agreed its not fair. In the same light, we also have to understand that while we fight hard for our "freedoms" we also have to understand the council has a difficult, often thankless task, of trying to balance the needs of everyone. Even having vehicles on the beach at all is a contentious issue. Apologies for this being one huge paragraph. Every time I press ENTER it posts!
