Fund-raising campaign to preserve Blairmore pier

A campaign to preserve historic Blairmore pier on Loch Long has been launched.

Originally built in 1855, the pier on the Cowal peninsula closed in 1976 but following a community effort was reopened for its 150th anniversary.

The Waverley paddle steamer is a regular visitor to the pier in summer months, and the pier is open to the public who use it for picnics, fishing for mackerel or just to enjoy the view.

Agnes Harvey remortgaged her home 17 years ago to buy and restore the pier – now she is the volunteer pier master and sole director of Blairmore Heritage Ltd which owns it.

“Responsibility for the pier is currently a one-woman band, relying heavily on the kindness and voluntary support of friends and family,” she said.

“Between us we paint handrails, assist with berthing Waverley, order and fit plaques, hoist the flags, carry out small repairs.

“Having recently reached my 65th birthday and preparing for retirement, the capacity to keep the pier open and accessible is becoming more of a challenge.

“Health and safety considerations are greater with each year that passes and it is important that professional repairs can be done to compliment those that can be achieved by volunteers.”

Now Agnes has launched an online crowdfunding campaign to raise £20,000 – and £3,000 has already been pledged.

The money would be used to:

• Engage a contractor to replace about 10 rotted ‘hammer head’ surface timbers
• Re-secure a cross-timber which was dislodged in a storm
• Secure the mooring buoy on the pier, dislodged during a berthing manoeuvre
• Fix the heritage bothy
• Apply a non-slip compound to the surface timbers to improve safety in wet weather
• Replace and/or repair any of the damaged wooden handrails
• Refresh the paint on the 270 metres of handrails and fencing

The pier was originally built at a cost of £300 to serve the growth of trade and steamers.

At its peak, steamers would have visited 4,000 times each year, while drovers used the pier to transport their cattle to the Falkirk markets.

Nowadays Blairmore has population of just 180, but as many as 200 people daily have visited the pier; it ha also been used occasionally in naval exercises.