I’m in a very sunny Dover for the next section of the coast which will take me to Folkestone. The England Coast Path takes an easy route over the top of the cliffs, but I’ve decided to try a different way because it sounds a bit more adventurous!
My start point is back at the bloke in his glass box…
I walk past the marina then have to join the main road for a couple of hundred yards.
It ends in a mess of industrial yards and fences, and this imposing building…
Amazingly there is a beach through here! This is Shakespeare Cliff beach…
At the far end the way off the beach is via a LOT of steps and a footbridge over the railway. I wonder if, being low tide, it might be possible to scramble over the boulders at the foot of the cliff to get to the other side. For reasons that I’ll explain later, I decide to take the steps…
A view of the boulder field from the railway footbridge…
These steps zig-zagged to the top of the cliff…
Once at the top I follow the Coast Path over the top of Shakespeare Cliff. This is very steep and narrow in places, and is very close to the edge of the cliff! There are railings to stop you falling off but they do look a bit old and sketchy!
From the top, there is a good view of the way ahead. As I mentioned, it would be easy at this point just to follow the well-marked path along the top of the cliff. My plan, however, involves heading down to that lay-by type affair to the left of the road…
When I reach it, I find some decorated paving but there is nothing to explain what it is all about!
Anyway, I’m going through this tunnel…
Ooooh, spooky…
Light at the end of, as the saying goes…
So where the hell am I going, do I hear you ask? Samphire Hoe is where.
Samphire Hoe was constructed from the spoil excavated during the construction of the Channel Tunnel. It sits at the base of the cliffs and is nearly a mile long. Most of it is a country park, with nature trails, a cafe and visitor centre and so on, but the eastern end is occupied by a large fenced-off area that contains service installations for the Channel Tunnel such as ventilation pumps. This is why I didn’t attempt the boulder field round the foot of Shakespeare Cliff, because I don’t think there is access onto the Hoe at that end.
This is looking back at the tunnel with the ‘works’ to the right…
Close to the visitor centre is this tower. The sign mentions the word ‘installation’ so I think it is art…
I walk along the sea wall of Samphire Hoe, which is very wide and is edged by an impressively huge steel barrier that drops quite a long way down to the sea!
At the far western end there is access to the beach at low tide. Time for another reminder - always check your tide tables kids! I’m here about forty minutes after low tide so I’ve got several hours, should I need it, before high tide.
Bizarrely, there is a digger down here moving rocks about. How the hell did they get it off the Hoe and onto the beach?
This beach walk takes me about half an hour. The pebbles are a bit tiring to walk on, but it’s a really interesting place! As well as underground streams emerging onto the beach and signs of recent rockfalls, there is a raised area with vegetation and a big rockpool…
I now find signs of civilisation again in the form of a big concrete sea wall built into the base of the cliff…
The question is, how do I get up there? Then I spot the answer. This doesn’t look ‘official’…
A bit of a scramble up the ladder and I’m on the wall. It runs for about two miles most of the way to Folkestone, but is one of the oddest sea walls I’ve seen. It varies from very narrow to very, very wide seemingly at random, and is also in a very bad state of repair with most of the surface uneven and chunks fallen off.
I’m now almost at Folkestone. All I have to do is find the path up the cliff then walk down into the town. Easy.
So this is the exit off the beach…
The path is marked on the map as turning left, but it looks like this…
Then it gets even more overgrown so I can’t even see where it is supposed to be! I have to turn back and head into a country park called the Warren. This is annoying because there seem to be loads of paths and I don’t know which one I need to take, and I’m heading away from Folkestone!
Anyway, after this slight detour, I eventually reach a small lane and walk along it up the hill. At the top of the lane is a Martello Tower which has been beautifully converted into a private house. What a great place to live!
Martello Towers are named after the tower at Mortella on Corsica which was attacked by a British force in 1794 and unexpectedly held out for two days. The British were so impressed with the design that they copied it and built a whole string around the coast, mainly in the south and east, to defend against Napoleon and the French.
I can now see Folkestone and take a nice easy stroll down the hill towards the harbour, passing another Martello Tower on the way. This one is not in such good repair though…
Soon I reach the sea front and walk through the harbour area. This seems very touristy with plenty of people about enjoying the beach, ice creams, cafes, etc!
I walk on past the harbour to the funicular railway where I am finishing for today. Apparently the lift is closed, but fundraising for restoration and reopening is underway. The cafe looked popular…
So that’s it for today. It’s been full of interesting stuff and the sun was out - what’s not to like!
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