BETWEEN BALLINTOY AND WHITEPARK BAY

  The waters around Ballintoy can be treacherous and over the centuries they have caused many tragedies, the area is well known locally for picking up large swell waves and for having strong tidal currents and rips between the islands - the  blackness of the basalt islets clearly reveal the zones of constant wave action and even the tallest stack will get washed by winter storms. Two natural arches exist close to either end of  Whitepark Bay  - Dunnaglea at the Ballintoy end and another at Gid Point (round from Portbraddon on the path to Dunseverick) - both are  natural basalt arches.  Bertie McKay of  Portbraddon told me he used to see an elderly gentlemen who would come down on sunny evenings to sit at a certain point on the beach to view a line of site from the beach through the natural arch and the setting sun behind Gid Point. The coastal area around Ballintoy is of great interest to the geologist and students frequently come to view  the volcanic basalt and sedimentary limestone which are found here in close proximity. There is certainly something unique about this part of the north coast which goes beyond the natural beauty - perhaps it is the affinity inside us or knowing that man first set foot here and that we can still walk through a shoreline landscape that has remained virtually unchanged since that time. One thing is sure - we are privileged to have such a magical place to enjoy. Let us hope that the protectors of our environment will one day have the inspiration to declare this coast a national park, freeing it from the whims and desires of planners and developers. So we can pass on what we have inherited, unchanged, for  future generations to enjoy and in doing so preserve the essence of its attraction.

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