The National Trust has banned coaches from one of Britain’s most popular beauty spots in an attempt to reduce the growing numbers of people visiting the site.
Up to 600,000 people a year visit Birling Gap which is part of the Seven Sisters cliffs in East Sussex on England’s south coast.
Local people hope the ban will reduce visitor numbers and in turn limit damage and coastal erosion to the site, which has featured in films including Atonement and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
The measure, said to be the first of its kind imposed by the trust, was welcomed by Philip Myerson who lives nearby, who told the Daily Mail: “Birling Gap and Seven Sisters is being ruined by a huge increase in visitors in recent years.
“It’s a tsunami and it’s having a really big impact on the small road, the verges, the grassland and the paths. Everything is being worn away.”
Dot Skeaping, a former National Trust worker who lives in a cottage close to the cliffs, said: “The National Trust wants to welcome people to Birling Gap but it wants them to see it at its best. Banning all coaches is a good idea as they are often huge, arrive in large numbers and are an eyesore.”
Visitors arriving by other means are still welcome to the beauty spot.
On the National Trust website for Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters cliffs it states: “Please note, we no longer allow coach parking or coach drop-off within our car park at this location.” It instead directs people to “alternative coach parking in the Eastbourne area”.
A National Trust spokesperson said: “At Birling Gap, we welcome over 600,000 visitors every year to this small rural clifftop location that is vulnerable to coastal erosion.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in coach visits in recent years, which the site is unable to cope with. We continue to welcome visitors by car, motorbike, minibus and bus service.”
The spokesperson said the move was not a trust-wide policy and was made in response to a specific problem in Birling Gap and Seven Sisters.
The ban follows a previous warning from East Sussex county council about people veering too close to the cliff edge.
A council spokesperson told SussexWorld: “The iconic white cliffs are very popular with visitors but they are extremely unstable and can give way at any time with no warning.”
