A Winter Wander along the White Cliffs of Dover

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Lowland and Hill Walks
Dec 15
2018

12 people attending

13 places left

Your price
£10.00
Event difficulty background shape EventDifficulty
Easy Moderate Very Hard
17.71 km / 11 miles / Total ascent 479 m / at least 4.5 hours of walking

The route starts in the perky seaside town of Deal with its long gently sloping shingle beach, long promenade, Timeball tower, and fishermen's boats. You may wish to catch an earlier train if you’d like to explore the town centre prior to the walk as we will merely be passing through.

Following the combined Saxon Shore Way and White Cliffs Country trail we will pass both Deal and Walmer castles before climbing uphill for the beginning of the cliff top paths. This will lead us on to the imposing Dover Patrol War Memorial; an identical obelisk stands across the channel near Calais.

Taking a short, steep detour down to sea level we will stop for lunch at St Margaret’s Bay. With the steep chalk cliff behind us your mobile phone signal may briefly switch to a French provider.

Author Ian Fleming’s former home was located near here and the nearby Goodwin Sands are reputed to be the inspiration for the beach scene in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, penned by Fleming. Further uphill the South Foreland lighthouse warned ships of the perilous aforementioned sandbank. Now owned by the National Trust, the lighthouse was the first to be powered by electric lamps.

With views of the sea and France to the south and open farmland to the north we will begin our approach to Dover with glimpses of sheer white cliffs and ships approaching the port.

Dusk will be advancing rapidly as we near Dover and the last stretch of this walk will be very close to sunset. Ambient light from the port and street lighting will guide our way back to Dover town centre and the railway station where the route ends. 

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