Traffic Banned From Game of Thrones’ Kingsroad

Cars and buses will soon be banned from the Dark Hedges.

Bregagh Road, a road that gained notoriety when it was used as the Kingsroad in the television show “Game of Thrones,” is famous for its tunnel of beech trees that give the pathway a dramatic effect.

The trees were planted more than 200 years ago by the Stuart family and lead to Gracehill House mansion.

They are considered a national treasure and one of the most photographed locales in Northern Ireland—even before "Game of Thrones." But concern has been growing, as the health of the trees and the effect that the intense crowds are having on their roots come into question. 

Fewer than two-thirds of the trees remain of the 150 that were originally planted by James Stuart. 

Storm Gertrude, which blew through in January of 2016, downed two of the trees, and a rotten branch fell from one of the trees later in the year. 

READ MORE: Ireland Teams Up With Game of Thrones

Growing traffic raised alarm over the health of the trees, especially when Easter holiday traffic was at a standstill and large crowds of people were photographed clogging the pathway. 

Closing the Dark Hedges to vehicle traffic - how soon is now? A national disgrace slowly killing a national treasure. @CausewayCouncil pic.twitter.com/2fJCs3y1UT

— NI Greenways (@nigreenways) April 17, 2017

Fans of Game of Thrones will now have to make the journey along the Kingsroad by foot. Beginning October 30, the only vehicles allowed on the Bregagh Road will be agricultural or emergency related.

The ban will be enforced from the junction with Ballinlea Road to the junction with Ballykenver Road, and new signs will direct traffic away from the path. 

For those who would like to stroll the path, there is parking at the nearby Hedges Estate Hotel, which was once Gracehill House. Some of the lands formerly belonging to the estate have also been transformed into a golf course.