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. Pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders are perfectly entitled to exercise their "responsible right to roam" (though I would discourage mountain bikes as they will tear up the grass). 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. 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.