Walk 26. Deal to Dover

 Today’s walk will take me from Deal to Dover. Reaching Dover seems like a bit of a milestone but I’m not quite sure why! 

Anyway, I start at Deal pier which has a cafe at the end but not much else on it…

I set off down the esplanade alongside the pebble beach past what look to be some working fishing boats…

…and on to the famous Deal Castle. This is a well-preserved fortification built by Henry VIII in 1540 at the same time as Walmer Castle which I shall pass later. The significance of these castles is that they represent an early step in the evolution of defences away from the traditional medieval castle with its high walls, towards structures better suited to the use of gunpowder artillery. So they were quite radical in their day!

The path soon leaves the roadside and more greenery appears. It is interesting that there are bushes growing among the pebbles on the beach. We often hear about coastal erosion but this is the opposite - deposition. The land is literally growing and pushing the sea back! This landscape continues until the chalk cliffs begin at Oldstairs Bay.

Deal merges into Walmer, and twenty-five minutes after passing Deal Castle I reach Walmer Castle…

Past Walmer, the path continues to follow the back of the beach until I get to Oldstairs Bay and the village of Kingsdown. Here I have to venture across the pebbles…

…where the waves are crashing onto the beach quite impressively…!

The white cliffs begin at the other side of the bay and then continue all the way to Dover. There is a signpost at the foot of the cliff…

The path along the base of the cliffs looks enticing…

…but you don’t want to go down there ‘cos its a dead end. Don’t ask how i know…

What you want to do is climb the steps to the right all the way to the top of the cliff. Where it is a bit on the breezy side! The path is good though.

About forty-five minutes brings me to the Dover Patrol memorial. Standing high on the cliff above St Margaret’s Bay, this was built after the First World War to commemorate the Royal Navy’s Dover Patrol that guarded the Strait of Dover.

I am now approaching St Margaret’s Bay…

The path down to the bay is quite steep, and the final bit is loads of steps that zig-zag down the cliff. I’m glad I’m going down and don’t have to climb up this way! Once at the bottom, the bay is really nice and has a cafe, pub, car park, loos, etc. It is also quite a sheltered sun trap and I have to remove a couple of layers of clothing!

To get back up onto the cliff you have to take the road…

A few yards up the road a footpath is signed off to the left. However, it looks like this…

It is supposed to go behind the cliff top properties on the seaward side, but clearly hasn’t been maintained. I continue up the road and pass the houses on the landward side until I find this gate which leads back to the cliff path…

Twenty minutes across Lighthouse Down I find the lighthouse! This is South Foreland Lighthouse and is now a National Trust property.

From here all the way to the White Cliffs visitor centre above the docks in Dover, there is a lovely new-looking cinder path. It is also quite windy and exposed, so I have to put a couple of layers back on again! On the positive side, the views out to sea are stunning. The atmosphere is very clear and France can be seen really well!

Five minutes on from the lighthouse, the docks come into view in the distance…

Getting closer…

Finally I arrive at the visitor centre on the cliff above the docks…

There is a great view of Dover Castle from here. I highly recommend a visit as it is absolutely huge, well preserved, and represents two thousand years of history from the Roman lighthouse to the WW2 tunnels! Just to the east of the castle is the memorial to Louis Bleriot, marking the spot where he landed to become the first person to fly across the channel.

I’m onto the last section of today’s walk now. A lot of steps leads past the docks and down to the town. It’s a top spot for ferry and truck spotters…

At the bottom is a road of colourful houses built worryingly close to the base of the cliff!

I walk along Dover seafront which is very empty of people. Possibly because it is the least attractive seafront I think I’ve ever seen. There don’t seem to be any cafes or arcades or anything else you usually find, just lots of ugly blocks of flats! Sorry, Dover…

So I finish today at this war memorial. Not sure why he’s in a glass box, though?

Walk 25. Sandwich to Deal

 So here I am, back at the bridge in Sandwich for the next leg.

The US Navy patrol boat I mentioned at the end of the last post has an information board, although why it ended up in Sandwich is a mystery…

A few yards up the bank is a small wooden building…

It turns out this is the workshop of the Sandwich Medieval Trust, which looks an interesting organisation!

Heading out of Sandwich I cross this small bridge which takes me onto the marshes. 

This first section of today’s walk follows the east bank of the Stour to the sea. This does mean I have to head back north before I can continue south! Never mind, the path is good…

Over on the opposite bank I can see all the industry that the long road walk skirted past last time.

Soon the path becomes a grassy bank, still easy to walk on but interrupted by several gates where it crosses farm tracks. It’s also bloody windy out here!

There are also comforting signs such as this…

Eventually I near the sea. ‘Hooray!’ I think, but the path turns past some trees, and because it’s no longer on an embankment, becomes a bit damper…

Luckily my boots are good and my feet stay dry, and I arrive at the beach. I’m surprised to find that I have already covered four miles zigzagging around the marsh! It didn’t look that far on the map! The northernmost point is a nature reserve and cannot be accessed, so from here it is a straight line to Deal which sounds easier.

The beach here is lovely, nice firm sand to walk on backed by dune-type grassy bits. No actual dunes though, it’s all quite flat! Deal can be seen in the distance and doesn’t look too far away. This half of the walk should be a doddle! It’s still very windy, though. And now it’s blowing directly into my face!

On the landward side of the beach is a golf course. It is actually the first of three that seem to occupy most of the coast between here and Deal. 

I make good progress along the sand, although there are some pebbly patches that are slower going and walking into the wind is getting a bit tiring. It takes the best part of an hour to reach the private Sandwich Bay Estate. Apparently non-residents can drive here but have to pay a toll. There is a car park with three or four cars in it, the occupants all seem to be on the beach fishing.

I am now walking along the path behind the beach as the sand has disappeared and it has become steep pebble banks. The path is also covered in pebbles and is heavy going. And seems to go on, and on, and on, featureless into the distance! Oh, and did I mention the wind? So much for my easy walk along the beach - I’m bloody knackered!

At last I reach the outskirts of Deal…

This northern end of the town is marked by the site of Sandown Castle. There is an ornamental garden and an information board. Which is nice.

From here it is only a short walk along a nice, flat prom to the pier where I am finishing today!

Right. That’s it for today. I’m off for a sit down and a coffee…!