It is situated right in the middle of Oban town centre. But after becoming overgrown with weeds, the George Street beach has split the opinions of Obanites.
One thing everyone does agree on is that it is in need of a tidy up.
But how? Take our poll at the end of the story to tell us what you think.
Back in 2003 Argyll and Bute Council attempted to make the stony shoreline more attractive to tourists by dumping sand there. But it was washed away by the tide within weeks.
While the weeds and wild flowers growing there today provide a home for birdlife, they have been deemed unsightly for a tourist town.
Stephen Dalziel, who lives nearby and works at Bar Rio by the George Street shore, has called for something to be done.
He recently posted about the issue on the Information Oban Facebook page, sparking a debate.
He said: “I have lived in Oban for 35 years now and have never seen it as overgrown as it is now.
“It would be interesting to see old postcards from the 1960s and 70s and see how it looked then.
“I know it is not classified as a beach, just a shoreline, but people come to Oban from all over the world in the summer just for the views and rural location.”
Mr Dalziel ended up deleting the post as people started getting quite argumentative. He added: “Some were saying it is an eyesore while others said it was good for promoting wildlife, sealife and flowers.
Beach could be a haven for people and wildlife
“I love wildlife myself so maybe there could be a way of suiting both views by turning it into a nice area to sit in the summer months for families and children.
“Otherwise, it is just going to grow more wild as the summer goes on.”
He continued: “There are quite a lot of Americans visiting at the moment, a lot of people taking photos. It’s not doing anything for tourism.
Robert MacInnes said: “We clear litter from the George Street beach and the Esplanade one, because it helps the community.
“We see glass bottles, bits of plastic. We are picking up more and more smaller bits of plastic because we have cleared the bigger bits away. Usually there are about 10 to 15 people taking part, sometimes more, sometimes less.”
An invasive species on the beach
John Petit, of the Hope Kitchen Green Shoots garden project, said: “There is some Himalayan Balsam, the pink stuff, growing. It is an invasive species. It can be got rid of quite easily.
“The George Street beach is probably not as important to tourism as Ganavan. But it would be horrible if it was all messy. It’s good to have it clean and tidy as much as possible.”
Luna Martin, Oban’s newly-elected Green councillor, runs a vintage shop in the town centre and carries out her own regular beach cleans at Ganavan and Tralee.
She said: “I think it is good that there is some wild shrubbery at the George Street shore, but it does need to be maintained. It is getting a little bit out of control. I think the council is aware of it now.”
Andy Spence, chief executive of Bid4Oban, said: “It is difficult to know where to go with it. The weeds should be removed.
George Street weeds must go
“There is a feeling in the town that it needs to be tidied up and the weeds do need to be removed, either for some local group or the council to go in and do it.
“The problem is they will come back again. It needs to be maintained.
“Then there is the environmental argument not to do it, as it’s nature. You could be damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
“It would be nice to see it tidied up, especially for the holiday season.
“It needs to be tidied up in an environmentally friendly manner.”
When resources permit
An Argyll and Bute Council spokesperson said: “The beach is cleaned regularly by council staff when resources permit, and we are also grateful to community groups for their help.
“In some areas of the beach, we don’t interfere with plant life as this would be contrary to bio-diversity protocols and legislation. We urge beach users to clean up after their dogs and to put all litter in bins or take it away with them.”
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