The location, size and layout of car parks are important factors determining access to dunes and beaches. The location of the car park in relation to the beach is considered first.
Distant from beach
Access from car parks that are distant from the beach is often relatively easy to manage, as people have fewer options. The access is likely to be initially through scrub or fixed dune, which is the most stable part of the system, with few problems of path construction. Car parks and paths cut through scrub are usually simple to manage as there is no temptation for people to leave the designated route. The free-draining soils mean that the surface can stay usable even in wet weather, unlike such enclosed paths on heavy soils. However, where artificial surfacing or boardwalks are needed, the path may be expensive to install or maintain, because of the length involved. Fencing may not be needed though, as people are less likely to stray once they are on a path which is comfortable to walk on and is perceived to be taking the quickest route to the beach.
Near the beach
Access from car parks near the beach can cause problems, as people tend to take short cuts when they are within sight and sound of the sea. The usual pattern is as shown, with people spreading seawards from along the edge of the car park, either walking through the gullies, or scrambling to the top of the dunes for the view. Thus the whole zone between the car park and beach can become eroded.
The most severe restriction to access would be made by fencing the whole car park, leaving only one access point taking visitors along a surfaced path or boardwalk to the beach. Although this is the cheapest solution in terms of path building costs, it will be expensive in initial fencing costs, as on most sites a fairly formidable barrier will be needed to stop people short cutting. Frequent repair may also be needed. A better solution is likely to be found in making two or three paths, with any fencing as more of a guide than a restrictive barrier. These paths can be treated in different ways, as has been done at Formby, Merseyside. Here one route has a boardwalk along much of its length, making it suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. The central path has gravel surfacing plus some boardwalk, making it suitable for average use. The southern path is the most heavily used, and is a wide path up and over a dune which is treated at least twice a year with a straw mulch. There are likely to still be some people who will wander between the paths, but this can be contained by using brushwood, thatching and fencing at strategic points where people may be tempted off.
On the beach
Parking on the beach is traditional in some areas, where there is space and the sand is firm enough. Examples include Ainsdale, Merseyside, and Ynyslas, Dyfed. This does away with the problems of access through the dunes, although other problems are created.
Firstly, some restriction of parking is preferable, or the beach becomes no safer than a highway. On the Southport to Ainsdale beach there is a four mile stretch where cars can park, from backshore to waters’ edge. This is perfect for the few on quiet days, but can be extremely hazardous when several thousand cars turn up on summer weekends. Effective barriers are difficult to build and maintain on the beach, because of the action of the waves. There is also understandable opposition from users when existing patterns of use are changed. Car barriers are described here.
The second problem is that people will still wish to walk and sunbathe amongst the foredunes, and can gain access all along the backshore. Although this use also occurs on beaches with no car access, the problem is not so severe as people tend to congregate on the part of the beach nearest the car park, toilets and other facilities. Fencing may be needed to discourage this use, as at Ainsdale. This is inevitably expensive and difficult to maintain, as any fencing along the backshore is vulnerable to wave action.
Size and layout of car parks
The size of the car park and the restriction of off-road parking outside the car park determines the number of people able to use the beach and dunes on a busy day. Many car parks become full on summer weekends. In addition on some sites there will be people who walk from nearby caravan sites, railway stations and residential areas. The layout of the car park is important, as an orderly layout allows capacity use whilst minimising harrassment to all concerned. There are two basic; types of layout for car parks, being either parking in small bays, or in lines over a large single area.
Car parks consisting of small bays often arise from traditional use, where over the years cars have been parked wherever physically possible, usually destroying the turf and leading to widescale erosion. Such car parks can be formalised bv placing barriers around the margins to prevent further spread, and also by placing internal barriers to organise the parking. This can work satisfactorily, and is usuallv the cheapest solution. Where the area is restricted by scrub, this makes the access from the car parks easier to manage, as people’s options are limited, and also hides the cars to some extent. A disadvantage can be that the layout is often confusing to newcomers, leading to problems both in parking and in finding the designated path to the beach. Orderly parking can be more difficult to organise, as well as keeping ‘through routes’ clear on busy days. Small enclosed bays are also more difficult to police, and can encourage theft from cars and other problems.
Small bay parking can encourage people to stay near their cars, especially on days when the weather is not conducive to being on the beach. Where there is a view from the car park people will come simply to sit in their cars or picnic nearby. This can be an advantage as it reduces the pressure on the paths to the beach, but can also be a disadvantage if it encourages erosion, litter, damage and illegal camping all around the fringes of the car park.
Large ‘formal’ car parks with rows of cars look intrusive in rural areas, but can have advantages. The simple layout means that the car park can be used to capacity without too many problems. It is easy to check that the car park is full, and if supervised, further entry can then be stopped. With only one parking area it is possible to clearly sign the access points to the beach, so that unofficial paths are less likely to develop.
Except in quiet seasons, visitors are unlikely to stay by their cars or use the edge of the car park for recreation, and other less desirable activities are also easier to control. The disadvantages can be the initial cost of clearance, improvement of the surface and layout of internal barriers. Large open areas can also encourage some drivers to race around when the car park is quiet, causing danger and damage to the surface.
Tree planting can improve the appearance of car parks, with the shade making it pleasant for users. However, standard trees of a shape suitable for parking under are not typical of dune areas, where most trees are rather low and scrubby in nature due to poor soil and exposure to the sea. In areas where pine has already been planted, a few more for improving a car park may be justifiable. Other species used with varying degrees of success include birch, poplar and willow.
The free draining soils of sand dunes mean that car park surfacing is not too much of a problem, although some areas may flood in wet spells when the water table rises. Any locally available surfacing material such as chippings, gravel or hoggin can be used to fill holes and make a wear-resistant surface.
On some dune systems, such as Murlough NNR, Co. Down, cars are parked on grass. A seasonal pattern of use plus constant management allows the car park to be kept in use throughout the year, with a maximum capacity of 350 cars. Management includes spiking the grass to allow the air and water into the compressed soil, raking to remove dead vegetation, and re-seeding bare patches with fine-leaved grasses. Low levels of fertiliser are also used, with two light applications of NPK grassland fertiliser from spring to early summer, to promote top growth, and an autumn application of potato fertiliser (PK with low N) to promote root growth (Whatmough, J, 1985).
Fencing and signposting
Depending on the location, the surrounding vegetation and the type of use, external fencing may be needed to prevent free range use of the area around the car park, and to encourage use of the designated paths to the beach. Types of fencing used vary from single ‘guide’ wires, to several strands of wire, stock netting and chestnut paling. Natural barriers of cut brushwood can be very effective, particularly if of thorny hard-to-burn material such as sea buckthorn. New plantings of trees and shrubs are unlikely to survive unless they themselves are fenced. Access control fencing is discussed here.
Clear signing of the start of the paths to the beach is very important: a fractious family arriving for the first time does not want to have to hunt about for the quickest route to the beach. It is easy to become so accustomed to an area that you fail to appreciate how a newcomer may find it confusing. Observe how visitors behave when they first arrive, and act accordingly to make the access clearer. If necessary, erect large raised signs saying ‘Path to beach’, with arrows as necessary; such signs being probably a lesser evil than the damage done when people fail to find more discrete signs. Visitors are more likely to respect fences around restoration areas and other erosion control measures if they have a hassle-free and welcoming arrival at the site.
