Although the long-awaited leisure centre is now open, works continue on the Helensburgh Waterfront Development project in the form of resurfacing of the pier. Due to this there has been no public access to the pier since early September, much to the frustration of local photographers.
We were contacted by one local shutterbug who told us; “The pier closure has been a total pain – especially during the lovely sunny weather we had in September. Normally, I’d be leaning on the railings at the end of the pier during the golden hour and snapping pictures of the shore at jaunty angles as the sun set. But without access to the pierhead, I haven’t taken a shot in weeks that’s been worthy of adding a completely unnecessary watermark to. That’s how frustrating it’s been.”
Whilst the popular vantage point is being resurfaced, some local photographers with deep pockets have resorted to using drones to capture breath-taking panoramas of other areas of the town instead.
“I wish I could afford a drone.” The disgruntled photographer told us. “From a hundred feet or more above Colquhoun Square, you can’t even see the chewing gum. Same goes for Hermitage Park – from the height a drone goes, the views of the surrounding area are spellbinding and you can’t make out the graffiti on the park furniture below.”
At the time of writing, there hadn’t been an update to the Helensburgh Waterfront Development page on the Argyll and Bute website to indicate how long the pier might be closed for. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before local snappers are once again able fire away from the end of the pier to their heart’s content. Probably then posting their shots on their favourite Facebook group as if nobody else in the town has a smart phone, a camera, or eyes.
Editor’s note
At the time of publication, we were unaware that the pier had reopeoned for public access. The horrendously wet and stormy weather meant we opted not to send a member of the team down for confirmation. Not even Charlotte. We apologise for the inaccuracy in the original report.
