No more campers and motorhomes at the Ayres

[A fool and his money.....]

53 minutes ago, Banker said:

50 years ago easyJet & all the other cheap airlines didn’t exist neither did cheap holidays to Europe!

Comparing to 50 years ago when most NW England didn’t have much choice is just stupid!

You can't blame the demise of the Claddagh on EasyJet or cheap Spanish holidays. The place was rammed with happy campers for decades after that happened.

The blame lies squarely with DEFA.

[Banker]

14 minutes ago, A fool and his money..... said:

You can't blame the demise of the Claddagh on EasyJet or cheap Spanish holidays. The place was rammed with happy campers for decades after that happened.

The blame lies squarely with DEFA.

I was responding to a post saying hotels were rammed & 100s if thousands of visitors 50 years ago not the claddaghs camp site which is unimportant in overall scheme 

[A fool and his money.....]

43 minutes ago, Banker said:

I was responding to a post saying hotels were rammed & 100s if thousands of visitors 50 years ago not the claddaghs camp site which is unimportant in overall scheme 

Not to the people who camp there it's not. Nor to the memory of the gentleman who left it to them.

[finlo]

18 minutes ago, A fool and his money..... said:

Not to the people who camp there it's not. Nor to the memory of the gentleman who left it to them.

Which begs the question how has the government laid claim to it?

[genericUserName]

7 hours ago, A fool and his money..... said:

just because one person has moved in nearby and hasn't got enough to do.

That's disingenuous - blaming one person. It's also kind of dangerous.

I am guessing that the golden era of free camping at Sulby Claddagh would have been at time when there was less regard for safety. Also probably a time when people were better behaved and less loutish -- before drunken hooliganism became such an issue - or when that kind of behaviour would quickly have been dealt with in a way which would not be possible today.

If the demand exists then surely the best thing will be if that demand is met by proper organised camping on private land.

[Non-Believer]

1 hour ago, finlo said:

Which begs the question how has the government laid claim to it?

Identified as a possible source of revenue and assimilated under the excuses of unsociable behaviour and vandalism which undoubtedly existed but to the stated degree is questionable IMHO.

Stob barriers and gates erected, seasonal use only and a warden and permit system instigated over a short period of time.

[Non-Believer]

5 minutes ago, offshoremanxman said:

It’s really funny that when confronted with alleged anti social behaviour they elected to pay G4S rather than acknowledge everyone has a mobile phone so if anything kicks off just call the police. Do G4S offer retrocessions on contracts? 

And they paid G4S handsomely too. IIRC, @ £40k of the "admin costs" of £50k for the site for 2021 were G4S fees. Nice work if you can get it.

[finlo]

1 minute ago, Non-Believer said:

And they paid G4S handsomely too. IIRC, @ £40k of the "admin costs" of £50k for the site for 2021 were G4S fees. Nice work if you can get it.

All for a little old man to sit in his van for a couple of nights per week!

[finlo]

Just now, offshoremanxman said:

What’s 20% of £40k?

8k

[HelmutX]

9 hours ago, Non-Believer said:

Identified as a possible source of revenue and assimilated under the excuses of unsociable behaviour and vandalism which undoubtedly existed but to the stated degree is questionable IMHO.

Stob barriers and gates erected, seasonal use only and a warden and permit system instigated over a short period of time.

Last year, before the campers set in, the porta-loos and large trash bins were set out. Not even 2 days later, one of the porta-loos was destroyed and the bins had been wrecked about. That was before the campers arrived. (Looked like a ram-raid scenario)

[Happier diner]

1 hour ago, HelmutX said:

Last year, before the campers set in, the porta-loos and large trash bins were set out. Not even 2 days later, one of the porta-loos was destroyed and the bins had been wrecked about. That was before the campers arrived. (Looked like a ram-raid scenario)

@A fool and his money.....would describe this as a bit of high spirits.

[Non-Believer]

2 hours ago, HelmutX said:

Last year, before the campers set in, the porta-loos and large trash bins were set out. Not even 2 days later, one of the porta-loos was destroyed and the bins had been wrecked about. That was before the campers arrived. (Looked like a ram-raid scenario)

If this is the case then fair point. But that then begs the question, where is the security that the taxpayer is paying £40k pa for? For that sort of money it should be getting seasonal 24hr cover, not just a daylight hours Permit Nazi.

[Blade Runner]

A big pole in the middle with a CCTV camera would stop most of the idiots me thinks.

[A fool and his money.....]

13 hours ago, genericUserName said:

That's disingenuous - blaming one person. It's also kind of dangerous.

I am guessing that the golden era of free camping at Sulby Claddagh would have been at time when there was less regard for safety. Also probably a time when people were better behaved and less loutish -- before drunken hooliganism became such an issue - or when that kind of behaviour would quickly have been dealt with in a way which would not be possible today.

If the demand exists then surely the best thing will be if that demand is met by proper organised camping on private land.

That's disengenuos. I don't think anyone is claiming that camping is particularly dangerous, even today. I've camped on the Claddagh many times and never been remotely concerned for anyone's safety. Also drunkenness and jeal has always been a thing, it's nothing new, I certainly had much wilder teenage years than my children, we definitely got away with more than we would have today.

You're right though, times have changed here. What's really changed immeasurably IMHO is tolerance. We are fast becoming increasingly intolerant of anybody doing anything different than ourselves - especially I've noticed, if they happen to be doing it for free. 

You only have to look at the anti- cycling rhetoric spouted all over the place ("they should have to pay road tax and insurance!"), The anti- greenlaning lobby , an activity steeped in history on the island. Whatever activity you choose, if it is free and reachable by the masses there'll be some shouty fucker complaining about it, most of them recently arrived. The Aussies don't call them whinging poms for nothing.

 

[The Bastard]

1 hour ago, Blade Runner said:

A big pole in the middle with a CCTV camera would stop most of the idiots me thinks.

It'll end up like a Benny Hill chase. The CCTV operative will spend too much time watching a load of kids lighting fires and fighting being told to behave then rinse and repeat, and the police would be back and forth to Sulby all night. It's why they added permits and employed private permit checkers in the hope that it'd restrain things. It didn't. Too expensive, too much trouble.

Edited February 26, 2023 by The Bastard