It's a well kept Scottish secret that we have the best beaches on the West coast. If the sun shone all the time, then it wouldn't be a secret?

besides there's nothin like freezin yer buns off in mid-July. Who needs Spain!

From: George Mackie
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2001

Many a time we went through Ardrossan along to the North Shore.---A great place to stop and relax by the sea. Then on to Seamill, Fairlie and finally Largs, ending with a Knickerbockers Glory' at 'Nardini's'. A really beautiful drive along the coast of approx. 12 miles.
Cath.

From: morag black
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2001

I remember one particular 'Glesca Fair', and my friends and I walking along the Saltcoats shore. A big Glasgow man had just come running up from the water, beaming, assuring his wife and kids 'come on in...the watter's bilin', like it was just poured frae a kettle!' My friends and I looked at each other and, poor fools that we were, went off optimistically to the water...it was FREEZING!
Glasgow folk were the best. They came to enjoy themselves come rain or shine and to spend every penny they brought along! The Paisley folk on the other hand...a tight fisted bunch! Waitresses definitely preferred the Glasgow Fair!

Morag Black

From: "Jim Gordon" <jim.gordon@xx.net.nz>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2001

Does anyone remember those rocks just out from Saltcoats swimming pool there was an old iron notice on the highest point .The popular story was that if you were close enough to read the notice then you were ''in'' the ''whirlpool'' that the notice was warning you about. [good enough to be Irish, isn't it ?] and ''wulks'' frae the north shore. mmmmm. wonder if they would be safe to eat now.

From: "Hugh McCallum" <hewmac@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2001

My Dad told me that during the depression they'd gather the wulks from the North Shore and send them to the market, meaning the "Barras". Think that was before the sewage outlet near the greasy pole came into being. Onyway when we went for wulks we were always told to keep well away from there. We were also told to keep our eyes open for the sea coal that was sometimes washed up there. I've said this before, I always thought there might have been a coal reef just off-shore but on reading John Steele's book about Horse Island it seems a few ships foundered there while exporting Stevenston coal from Ardrossan Harbour in the 1800s.

Hugh McCallum

From: mcguire
To: Threetowners
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2001

My best memories of the beach at Saltcoats and Southbeach. The digging for rag worms early in the morning on a Saturday/Sunday to make sure we had enough bait to go fishing off the end of the harbour wall. Who can remember those fishing lines with a thickish brown or green line a hook or two and a sinker. As far as I remember there was no float? Then I remember there was a burn (or maybe it was just a sewer that ran under the road near St Peters school then it emptied out to the sea and many a great day I spent there together with an older brother, Lawrence sailing our little boats carved out of balsa-wood. Swimming was mostly done at the open air 'Pool' (sea water of course) besides the pavilion.

Tony McGuire

From: "Paul Giovannetti" <paulgiowa@xxl.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2001

Tony your correct it was a "burn", Galloway Burn, it ran through the "plantation" under the bridge at South Beach road and right "doon tae re watter", a brilliant place to play.
Paul

From: "J.F-Smith" <jferg@xx.co.nz>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2001

Good morning all frae N.Z.
My sister and I used to have picnics and chitterin bites on Stevenston beach with my Aunt Peggie... in the late 50's early 60's it seemed to us wee persons that Summer was a forever thing and winter never was! The sand dunes became great castles/forts/houses.... The English were fought/ The Indians were fought indeed many great battles... We always won of course.
We were always in the water and had great problems with that when it came to Hametime.. Or should I say we didn't have problems my Aunt did! Marvellous fresh bread to eat... and we would gather wulks and Aunt Peggie would ' Bile them up" and we'd sit with pins and pick them out fore hours it seemed... Or get a fish supper at Sandy's oan the way hame. Other times we'd be at Saltcoats and get a real treat by way of a trip on the beautifully maintained varnished " Spindrift" boat out of Saltcoats harbour. Many many fond and warm memories indeed...
Thanks for the topic Hugh.

John

From: "Alan&Elizabeth Scott" <alan@xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2001

Hi All,
There must have been some coal fell of the boats, cause when we had the really long coal strike, i remember me& the weans going along North shore with oor pram to collect coal!! plenty o other folk were there as well, the coal was better than the stuff we paid for!! We just gave it a good wash to get rid o the smell o the sea & it burned great!! Gosh those were the days. Life was simpler then, & that was 70/80's. Do any of you Tns remember walking along from South Beach to Saltcoats, & the had tannoy's playing none stop music?? or when a wean went missing they shouted over for the parent's?. The Red Cross hut& all the folk with there deck chairs, hut's
that sold bucket's & spades beach balls etc,. I used to love walking along in the summer, i can't remember when they stopped it all. All the churches used to put on plays, I remember the sally army & the E.U done some good ones??( of coarse I was in them). P.s Lovely sand Castles!!.
Liz Scott.

From: Garry Jarvis
To: threetowners@topica.com
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2001

Summer by the seaside was certainly a happy time. The whole family would turn out and spend all day playing in the sand and sea I was probably one of those "Missing" children on the tannoy I was a bit of a wanderer -much to my poor parents dismay. Many' the time we'd have to hunt for a spare spot on the beach, we'd walk for miles until we found one and as soon as we'd find one i needed to go find the 'lav vie, so back the long walk we'd go!
Talking of long walks! I used to love cycling from Saltcoats to Largs on a regular basis. Big hills and all [couldn't do it now!.] There was on time I'd got there mid day had my picnic and then set off home, I had just got to the Largs boundry when the front wheel of my 'hercules' bike fell off,'course I couldn't fix it ,so I had to half carry it home. Just as I got to Fairlie down the rain came-could it get any worse? I thought! So undeterred on I went. Finally I arrived home, totally drookit and not in a good mood. My Dad asked. "Why didn't you phone home?" My reply was ."I wouldn't have needed a phone to here him go on about being a 'Taxi service' etc! [I had a habit of getting into sticky situations, what my poor Father had to put up with! 'course now I have a ten year old myself so I KNOW what he'd to put up with!]
But still those were happy days.
Bye for now .Sheena Jarvis

From: "Jim Gordon" <jim.gordon@xx.net.nz>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2001

Hugh
I can remember back in the late forties there would be a ''team'' usually three to four people who would come down from Glasgow . and half fill coal bags with wulks then sew them up .The rocks [ where they gathered the wulks] were right out from the ''greasy pole'' you could nearly walk out to the breakwater, when the tide was fully out. was that the sewer pipe there, or the storm water.?
Does anyone remember the ''onion Johnies'' who wore berets and had their bikes completely covered in strings of onions which they sold from door to door.I think they came from Normandy in France.

From: "Hugh McCallum" <hewmac@xx.com.au>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2001

Hi Jim,
There was a cream brick building nearer to the town than the "greasy Pole" on the fore-shore. Perhaps on a line with the "Witches Linn" or the Seafield Glasgow Boy's School? I think it was merely a pumping station not a treatment plant for sewage. I vaguely remember the onion sellers but I do recall the gypsies who camped further along the North Shore nearer to Seamill.

Hugh McCallum

From: "Margaret Lyons" <lyons@xx.com>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2001

Great memories from all the mail. So far, nobody has mentioned the sand-building competitions. I think they were organised by the "Daily Mail" because TeddyTail of the Daily Mail was in attendance!
The sand was pegged out in plots in the a.m. and all of us kids were allotted a space to create our masterpieces. They would be judged and we would all return to the bandstand in the p.m. to hear the winners. Can't remember what their prizes were but the rest of us got sticks of Saltcoats pink and white rock.
Margaret.

From: "Bernard Walsh" <walsh@xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001

One way to tell a 'top-end' Stevenstonian from a 'bottom-end' Stevenstonian is where they went swimming. So far no one has mentioned the delights of the 'gulley' the 'slip', the 'wee bay' or even better(??) diving off the chemical sewage pipes from the factory at the start of the Irvine-bar.
Regards Bernard Walsh (A bottom ender)

From: "Sandy Cowan" <sixcowans@xx.co.uk>
To: <threetowners@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001

I loved family picnics at the North Shore , from the moment the beach bags and towels came out the cupboard . They never lost the salty sandy smell no matter how often they were washed. Collecting lemonade bottles with my Uncle Euan to cash in at the Toll shop for sweets. Feeding bits of biscuits to the sea anemones under Jesus Rock. Uncle Euan finding a curious seal had joined in with his swim was an incredible sight.
Sitting in the warm sand drinking Curries Lemonade (always with some sand
left in the bottom of the cup ). I love the shore in all seasons. A brisk walk in the wind watching the grey waves crash onto the beach is a wonderful way to chase away the gloomies and put life back to rights .
Grandma used to hide me and Helen my best friend if the Gypsies were about, she really believed they might steal us ! I'm sure they had quite enough children of their own and stealing two small girls wasn't a possibility. Talking of smells Grandad had a big bottle of Surgical spirits - like clear meths he used it for cleaning wounds. It was great for removing the sticky grey marks left by plasters on scabby knees. I loved the smell. Almost worth having a cut knee !!

Karen.