National Trust and Translink team up for Divis bus

Visitors to Divis Mountain can now get a free ride under a scheme to cut traffic and make nature more accessible for city dwellers.

The free bus pilot, launched by National Trust NI and Translink, will begin to run from Friday 2 July for eight weeks.

The Trust hopes high demand could lead to a permanent service.

Last year more than 200,000 people visited the beauty spot - a jump of almost 20%.

The increased popularity has overwhelmed the attraction's car parks - prompting warnings and penalties from police during lockdown.

Bus passengers will be picked up from the Glencolin terminal in Belfast and dropped at the National Trust's cafe, from Friday through to Sunday until 29 August.

The journey is free to all passengers but a donation is encouraged.

Joshua Watts, general manager for the National Trust in Belfast, said: "I am very conscious that unless you have a car or bicycle, this amazing place is not that easy to get to.

"Access to nature and quality green spaces like Divis and the Black Mountain can have benefits for physical and mental health and wellbeing, and we want those benefits to be available to everyone.

"As a result, we are trialling this new bus route with Translink to make the mountain more accessible to people that don't have their own means of transport."