Ordnance Survey National Grid for NO 6951
The sandy beach in grid square NO 6951 occupies both a fairly central position in Lunan Bay and a central position on a sandy beach of approximately 4km in length. The section under discussion lies immediately north of mouth of Lunan Water and it is in clear view from the top of the grassy knoll on which Red Castle stands and also from the dunes which fringe the beach. The beach at Lunan Bay is a regular winner of a beach award for the quality of its environment and it holds this accolade at the present time in 2019. For many people, it is their favourite and best beach.
Different visitors to NO 6951 have individual reasons for visiting but categories such as walking, dog walking, horse riding, bird spotting, surfing, water sports, gem collecting and enjoying a picnic in picturesque surroundings would be given as reasons by many.
In bygone years, access to Lunan Bay was quite difficult and it would most likely have led to the beach south of the River Lunan. Since the building of the car park, the wooden walkway and the viewing platform, visitors now arrive north of the river in grid square NO 6951. Easier access to the beach from the car park has made the beach at the end of the walkway something of a ‘honeypot site’. The passage of feet on nearby paths through the dunes tends to trample the marram grass and expose the dunes to erosion. This is well seen at the big dune (NO 6951) where a blowout has taken place. History reminds us of the catastrophic, ecological disaster of the Great Sand Drift of 1694 when the farms and fertile fields of Culbin were lost almost overnight as a consequence of losing the stabilising influence of marram grass on the dunes.
Adrian L Diack M.A.
NO6951 : Blowout of sand dune at Lunan Bay