Friday 10 June 2011

Ballycastle and the Atlantic Salt Trail 2

I've passed the following message on to Danny McGill, our well known and highly respected local historian, and will be contacting Moyle District Councillors and other relevant parties soon. Readers of NALIL blog will already know about the saltwork sites and Danny's history of the associated Colliery Road will appear in the next issue of the Glynns to be published at the end of June.

"Hi,

I'm trying to get back in touch with Danny McGill about Ecosal.

We spoke ages ago when I was working at Lion Salt Works. I left there last year and am now engaged to help set up the Ecosal trail. David Cranstone is working on the sites and survey work. I am concentrating on delivery of the trail and its links to local tourism.

I have established links now for the UK regional routes in Wales, Cheshire and Cumbria. And touched base with sites and people in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Ayr and Cornwall.

We do not yet have a budget for tourist linkages. But we have a meeting to make proposals for a UK project at the end of June and then again in November.

A common feature between sites is they are predominately set in AONB designated areas and I am looking at this as a co-ordinating theme for tourism. Not least because there is a sustainability fund that we might be able to tap into, and the AONB Managers have contact with each other. There is an annual conference being held in Cornwall in July at which I hope the relevant managers might talk to each other about how they could link the salt sites together between all the AONB sites .

If the salt trail is to work there needs to be local buy in, so support from your organisation, the local museum and AONB team would be a good start.  I know that you are fully supportive but it would help me if you also have any direct contacts to the people I would like support from at the museum and the AONB.

Look forward to hearing back from you.

All best wishes

Andrew

Andrew Fielding BA MIFA
A&A Fielding Ltd
Company registered in England
www.aandafielding.uwclub.net
Mobile: 07749765203
01606-594364
01407-711453"