Public Access at Menie - again

I have had reported to me three more incidents where people were stopped on the Menie Estate. References to previous incidents can be found here.

One incident I regard as very serious. I quote from part of an email from a young woman horse-rider
... so went for a ride down through the dunes beside the Trump area. Was outside the fences and on the path when they're (sic) security jeep drove down. Carried on back onto the beach and further down the the jeep with flashing orange lights comes powering out of the dunes and storming up the beach towards me - really motoring along, splashing through puddles, lights flashing - you can imagine how this went down with Lenny! .... Eventually 2 big fancy blacked out range rovers turn up and 4 Americans in suits jump out of each one and start accusing me of the vandalism that was in the papers a couple of weeks ago. There were really quite aggressive and if Lenny hadn't been freaking out and running round me in circles, it would have really been intimidating - they had to keep their distance because of him though.

A complaint has, I understand been made to the police.

There have been two further incidents in the past few days, one a pedestrian and one another horse rider.

This intimidation is not acceptable.

I shall be discussing the situation with the local police. Detaining me last March was one thing. Endangering people peaceably riding horses is serious.

Please do not be put off using the dunes. pedestraians, cyclists and horse riders are perfectly entitled to exercise their "responsible right to roam". I believe construction work has stopped - we are out of the marram grass planting season. Please be careful not to disturb the areas of planting and fencing.

I carry a mobile phone when I am on the dunes. I shouldn't have to but ... If I were stopped I would ask who was stopping me and why. If there was any effort to detain me, I would dial 999 immediately.

Hopefully this will be properly dealt with and we have no more in the long running series of incidents. I will be meeting the police on Friday.

2 comments:

  1. I use the dunes on about twice a mth, i have never been stopped. I have been with my children at times and still never been stopped. Amazing how you seem to have a knack of being stopped whenever you are down at the beach. Since this happened to you a few mths back i have made an effort to roam on the land and i have stil never been stopped, twice i have seem security but never once have they bothered me or the kids.And even talking to friends who have been down there i have met only one other who was talked to, and that was to ask if they had seen an incident but even then there was no problem. The was asked they said no and was on there way, no problems.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mr Fraser, You are fortunate. I have not been stopped since the incident where I was unlawfully detained in March last year. But it is very serious when people are stopped in such a manner and this seems to be escalating. I have had three reports of lone women being stopped in the past five days.

    Are you sure you are on the same dunes?

    ReplyDelete

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