Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Portstewart one year on

This time last year (maybe a couple of weeks earlier) we spent a few days up in the north coast town of Portstewart. Has much changed in 12 months?

The Topiary golfer isn't on display - the balcony of the house (link to last year's post to be added) is bare.

The National Trust own and look after Portstewart Strand. This year the portakabins beside the entrance gate are being replaced with wooden huts, complete with turfed roofs - providing both insulation and camouflaging the construction. At nine o'clock last night, carpenters were still working on the decking - looks like the "ready for summer 2007" on the poster was a little too ambitious!

There are sea front apartments that weren't even building sites last summer. And lots more sites raised to the ground, with cranes, JCB diggers and foundations being laid. Some good architecture - and some lousy concrete creations.

More worryingly, there is less and less green space as you drive from Portstewart across to Portrush. Soon it will be built up the whole way. It's sad to see the countryside disappear, and be replaced with occassionally occupied second homes.

Now just to wait for the local recovery firm to arrive to get a car started. Sea air and modern cars don't mix! And from the machine gun-like noise the car is making when the ignition's turned, I'm not sure it's a simple battery problem. Fingers crossed.

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