New National Trust Deckchairs and Windbreaks
With the Jurassic Coast filling with visitors for the busy summer season, new deckchairs, windbreaks and beach shelters are appearing on the beach near the Hive Beach Café, Burton Bradstock in West Dorset. Each carries a simple safety message about the shifting nature of this stunning coastline, reminding visitors to take care where they sit and enjoy their day.
‘We want our visitors to have a wonderful time at the coast, but also ask them to respect the nature of this wild and special place. We advise people not to walk or sit directly under the cliffs, and these new deckchairs, windbreaks and beach shelters will not only make their day even more relaxed, but also help them decide where best to set up and unwind.’
Helen Mann, National Trust General Manager for West and North Dorset which is behind the initiative.
The ten new windbreaks and deckchairs carry a simple message to help beach goers pick their spot – ‘Please don’t put me near the cliffs, I break easily’
And the beach shelters say: ‘Please don’t put me near the cliffs, I won’t protect you from rock falls!’
Hive Beach is a popular family destination, made up of shingle, surrounded by spectacular sandstone cliffs. It is at the western end of Chesil Beach – a striking section of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and one of the finest barrier beaches in the world.
The coast is a very dynamic and changing environment – the coastline is constantly eroding and it is very difficult to predict when rock falls and landslips will happen. The advice is always to keep well back from the cliff edges – whether above or below them. Windbreak netting and beach shelters will only protect you from the wind.
We hope to capture the reactions of passers-by through time lapse photography and by talking to people about what they think. If you are interested in helping us with the monitoring, please do get in touch by emailing our Visitor Manager.
