White Cliffs voted best UK coast

Dover's cliffs are white because of erosion by the sea

The White Cliffs of Dover have been voted the most popular stretch of coastline in the UK.

The iconic landmark was a clear winner with 22% of votes cast in a National Trust (NT) poll to find the best-loved out of its 25 coastal properties.

Next was Gower, south Wales, with 13%, followed by East Head, West Sussex and Soar Mill Cove, south Devon with 6%.

"It is a testimony to the passion that people feel for the White Cliffs of Dover," said NT manager Simon Ovenden.

Acquire land

"They have always been such an evocative symbol of our freedom and pride, hope, security and of course, of home."

Thousands of members of the public as well as NT members voted by phone and text in the poll.

The vote was to raise money for the Neptune Coastline Campaign to maintain and acquire land to protect it from development.

It the longer term, the campaign aims to find a sustainable way of managing coastline while working with natural processes.

Mr Ovenden said the distinctive colour of Dover's cliffs was the result of erosion by the sea.

He said NT staff in Dover were thrilled to have won.

Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland got 5% of the votes and other stretches of coastline, such as The Needles on the Isle of Wight and the Giant's Causeway, North Antrim, all received single-figure percentages.

"It is an absolutely fantastic result for us - we were celebrating pretty well all day," said Mr Ovenden.