Coach-loads of tourists are clogging up roads around one of southern England’s most popular beauty spots. About 500,000 people visit Birling Gap and Cuckmere Haven where the South Downs meet the English Channel every year.
But locals are concerned at the impact visitors are having on the hamlet, which is near Beachy Head and part of the famous Seven Sisters chalk cliffs. The narrow B road gets choked with SUVs, minibuses and coaches at the busiest periods. Limited parking in the area also means the roads around the beauty spot fill with cars parked on grass verges and grassland during busy periods.
Dot Skeaping, 80, said the sheer number of visitors on the cliffs is “damaging”, with thousands flocking to the spot when the weather is good.
She told the Daily Mail: “I like living here, but in the summer it is chaos. There are cars and coaches and minibuses absolutely everywhere.”
Another local, Gus Pickett, told the same publication the situation has worsened in the six years he has lived there.
He said the number of coaches “disgorging” hundreds of visitors is “incredible”, adding sunny weekends can see thousands of people descending on the place.
Birling Gap is a starting point for walks along the coast. It boasts 500 acres of open, chalk grassland and a beach which its guardians, the National Trust, says is ideal for seaside picnics.
But the section of cliffs is subject to coastal erosion. A huge chunk of chalk crashed from the cliff face at Birling Gap in 2016, marking one of the largest in 50 years.
The RNLI repeatedly warns people not to get too close to the cliffs’ edges, but images show tourists often getting too near the perilous drop.
Local reports suggest thousands of visitors to the area are following in the footsteps of Taiwanese singer, Jay Chou, the so-called King of Mandopop, Mandarin pop music.
Chou was filmed on the cliffs for his song, What’s Wrong, which has been viewed 15 million times on YouTube.
South Korean actress, Seo Hyo-rim, has also visited the area, along with the stars of Korean reality TV show, One Night Sleepover Trip, where two television personalities sofa surf at people’s houses for a night.
About two hours from London by public transport, the area has seen an influx of Asian visitors thanks to its global fame.