Project Neptune, also known as Enterprise Neptune, is a long-term project of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

to acquire or put under covenant a substantial part of the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

coastline. In 1999 it was relaunched as the Neptune Coastline Campaign.Neptune Coastline Campaign information at the National Trust
It is named for the Roman god of the sea. The Project began in May 1965 with the acquisition of

Whiteford Burrows Whiteford may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Whiteford House, Cornwall * Whiteford Sands, Wales ** Whiteford Lighthouse ** Whiteford National Nature Reserve ;United States * Whiteford (Price) Archeological Site, Kansas *Whiteford, Maryland *Whi ...

in the

Gower Peninsula Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

.National Trust: Neptune Coastline Campaign, the story so far
The aim was to protect the coastline from being developed or industrialised. By 1973 the project had reached its original £2 million fundraising target and looked after of coastline. By 1986 the National Trust had raised £8.75 million through Project Neptune. The Project looked after of British coastline by 2009. By its 50th anniversary in May 2015 the Trust had acquired of coastline through the project, bringing its total holding to . This increased to , some 10% of the total UK coastline, later that year and covers an area of . The Project owns some of the UK's most iconic coast including land near the

Giant's Causeway The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles (5 km) northeast of ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

, of the

White Cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, depos ...

and

The Needles The Needles is a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay and Scratchell's Bay, and part of Totland, the westernmo ...

. The project includes four

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

s and nine

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses m ...

s. The Project has not been completely successful in achieving its ambitions, having had its £1 million bid for

Land's End Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...

turned down in 1981. The Project is currently focussed on the maintenance of the coastline that it already owns, particularly with regard to

coastal management Coastal management is defence against flooding and erosion, and techniques that stop erosion to claim lands. Protection against rising sea levels in the 21st century is crucial, as sea level rise accelerates due to climate change. Changes ...

References

. Coasts of the United Kingdom Conservation in England Conservation in Wales Environmental organizations established in 1965 1965 establishments in the United Kingdom {{environment-stub