Menie as my mother knew it
From Aberdeen beach we can see the majestic miles of sand-dunes that spread from the Don to Newburgh, where they leap the Ythan estuary and lose themselves in the sinister sands of Forvie. Many times in a year, the harsh sea haar sweeps inland across the dunes, driven by the uncompromising cold east wind off the North Sea.
This is a place of majesty and awe. No high buildings rise presumptuously from the dunes of Menie, but our friend Mr Trump
seeks not only to create a ‘world class’ golf course for the very rich, but also to build a immense multi-storey luxury hotel for the very rich, and a village for the very rich.
What makes a world class golf course?Do we not already have many fine courses in Scotland? Brian Hendry’s ideas for Hazlehead Golf Course (Leopard, September 2006) are far more in keeping with the true spirit of Scotland.
On a personal note, my mother was born in 1885 in a croft on the top of Balmedie Hill, overlooking the sea and the sand dunes of Menie. She was well acquainted with the east wind off the grey North Sea.
Stanley J. Morton,
Braehead Park, Edinburgh.
I can recall our two young boys playing among the sharp grasses and low-growing wild roses, alert to the risk of thorny gorse as butterflies were chased and hairy caterpillers avoided, because of previous skin rash.
The ‘fairy rings’ on the grass were a secret, until they learned that distorted rings recorded the wind-direction at the creation of a new generation of puffballs. I can still see purple sandpipers, grey plovers and the occasional goldfinch dart among the sand dunes of coastal Ayrshire, delighting all those who walked by.
This magical stretch of coastline still draws local families and visitors to the beach and among the encroaching dunes. No vandalism here as youngsters learn to respect the natural environment. Where could this be?
It is the gentle and cared-for landscape of Ayrshire links golf courses which spreads almost unbroken from Ayr to Irvine. I believe that the Menie project is not the threat to nature which is predicted by some, but will provide a haven for the natural world which will move in and secure tenancy for centuries to come.
Who is willing to challenge the creation of such an asset? Having lived in Troon for 30 years, I have seen the benefits for myself.
Fred Bull,
Logie Coldstone.
I have just been reading the Both Sides of the Green article in the August Leopard. Donald Trump is quoted as saying “When I saw this piece of land I was overwhelmed… I have never seen such an unspoilt and dramatic sea side landscape and location.”
What right does this American billionaire think that he has to create a commercial development here and so prevent anyone else in the future from enjoying this sight?
We live in a sad world when the ownership of vast amounts of money makes people think that they can destroy nature for their own egotistical ends.
Alister Bain,
11 Loch Place, South Queensferry