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

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

to acquire or put under covenant a substantial part of the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

Northern Irish The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...

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 Whiteford House was an English country house near Stoke Climsland, Cornwall. It was built in 1775 by John Call and demolished in 1913. History There had been a house at Whiteford ...

in the

Gower Peninsula The Gower Peninsula (), or simply Gower (), is a peninsula in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan, and is now within the City and County of Swansea. It projects towards th ...

.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 approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, of the

White Cliffs of Dover The White Cliffs of Dover are 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, depo ...

and

The Needles The Needles are 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 weste ...

. The project includes four

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

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 lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

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 ( or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, 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 in s ...

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