This location featured on 'Game of Thrones' just had to ban cars

Fans of the show have been flocking to the famous road, known as the Dark Hedges

This location featured on 'Game of Thrones' just had to ban cars

Fans of the show have been flocking to the famous road, known as the Dark Hedges

A stretch of road in Northern Ireland is set to be protected after its link with Game of Thrones has transformed the site into a tourist magnet.Bregagh Road, near the village of Armoy in County Antrim, has been used as a filming location for "the Kingsroad" in the HBO series. Known as the Dark Hedges, thanks to its tunnel of beech trees, it was featured in the first episode of the second series, when Arya managed to escape King's Landing disguised as a boy.Northern Ireland's tourist board says the picturesque avenue, which was planted in the eighteenth century, is one of the country's "most photographed natural phenomena", and the high visitor numbers have led to an increase in traffic passing through in recent years. Now, Stormont's Department for Infrastructure has published an order banning cars using the road, starting from October 30.The ban will also prevent buses and coaches from using the designated stretch of Bregagh Road, although agricultural and emergency vehicles while be exempt from the new policy. Anyone who breaks the law will face an over $1300 fine.The move comes after environmental groups have recently criticized the heavy traffic around the Dark Hedges. In April, campaigners NI Greenways tweeted to say the volume of cars in the area was a "national disgrace slowly killing a national treasure". Jonathan Hobbs, a volunteer with NI Greenways, spoke to the BBC after visitors flocked to the GoT filming location over Easter weekend. "You were jostling for space with cars and coaches and I could not let the kids out of my sight," he said. "Tourists travel thousands of miles to come to see this great Game of Thrones location."It was a horrible environment and not selling the right image of Northern Ireland."Since GoT became a global phenomenon, tourists have flocked to Northern Ireland to see locations featured in the series. According to The Telegraph, County Antrim has seen one of the biggest spikes in visitor numbers in the UK.

A stretch of road in Northern Ireland is set to be protected after its link with Game of Thrones has transformed the site into a tourist magnet.

Bregagh Road, near the village of Armoy in County Antrim, has been used as a filming location for "the Kingsroad" in the HBO series. Known as the Dark Hedges, thanks to its tunnel of beech trees, it was featured in the first episode of the second series, when Arya managed to escape King's Landing disguised as a boy.

says the picturesque avenue, which was planted in the eighteenth century, is one of the country's "most photographed natural phenomena", and the high visitor numbers have led to an increase in traffic passing through in recent years.

Now, Stormont's Department for Infrastructure has banning cars using the road, starting from October 30.

The ban will also prevent buses and coaches from using the designated stretch of Bregagh Road, although agricultural and emergency vehicles while be exempt from the new policy. Anyone who breaks the law will face an over $1300 fine.

The move comes after environmental groups have recently criticized the heavy traffic around the Dark Hedges. In April, campaigners NI Greenways to say the volume of cars in the area was a "national disgrace slowly killing a national treasure".

Closing the Dark Hedges to vehicle traffic - how soon is now? A national disgrace slowly killing a national treasure.
— NI Greenways (@nigreenways)

Jonathan Hobbs, a volunteer with NI Greenways, spoke to the after visitors flocked to the GoT filming location over Easter weekend.

"You were jostling for space with cars and coaches and I could not let the kids out of my sight," he said. "Tourists travel thousands of miles to come to see this great Game of Thrones location.

"It was a horrible environment and not selling the right image of Northern Ireland."

Since GoT became a global phenomenon, tourists have flocked to Northern Ireland to see locations featured in the series. According to The Telegraph, in the UK.

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