SWC 13: Folkestone to Dover (in reverse): Dramatic Cliffs, WW2 Relics, Swimming and Art Installations t=swc.13
Train: Take the 10:04 AM from London St. Pancras to Dover (10:12 at Stratford International), arriving at 11:13 AM. Return trains from Folkestone are at 56 minutes past the hour for the fast train and 38 past the hour for the slow trains. Buy a day return to Dover.
Distance: 9.2 miles or 14.8 km
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
This walk is full of drama and interest and should be interesting to do in reverse. We will climb up onto the cliffs from Dover and continue along the cliff edge with fine views past a number of interesting WW2 installations. On the approach to Folkstone, there is a choice of descent -- the main route takes a steep path down to the warren -- but this could be avoided by carrying on and taking one of the other alternative paths suggested in the walk notes that bypass the warren. In Folkestone, there will be plenty of opportunity for swimming -- even at low tide (which it will be) -- the choices include the warren, the main town sandy beach by the harbour and the more remote Mermaid beach a bit further along the sea wall. For those not interested in swimming, you can explore Folkestone Artworks, the UK's largest urban outdoor exhibition of contemporary art. There are several maps with various routes through the town exploring different aspects of Folkestone. More information and the directions can be found here.
The suggested lunch stop is either a picnic anywhere along the cliffs or the Royal Oak (01303 244 787), a basic pub, about half way along. There are plenty of options for refreshies in Folkstone.
Distance: 9.2 miles or 14.8 km
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
This walk is full of drama and interest and should be interesting to do in reverse. We will climb up onto the cliffs from Dover and continue along the cliff edge with fine views past a number of interesting WW2 installations. On the approach to Folkstone, there is a choice of descent -- the main route takes a steep path down to the warren -- but this could be avoided by carrying on and taking one of the other alternative paths suggested in the walk notes that bypass the warren. In Folkestone, there will be plenty of opportunity for swimming -- even at low tide (which it will be) -- the choices include the warren, the main town sandy beach by the harbour and the more remote Mermaid beach a bit further along the sea wall. For those not interested in swimming, you can explore Folkestone Artworks, the UK's largest urban outdoor exhibition of contemporary art. There are several maps with various routes through the town exploring different aspects of Folkestone. More information and the directions can be found here.
The suggested lunch stop is either a picnic anywhere along the cliffs or the Royal Oak (01303 244 787), a basic pub, about half way along. There are plenty of options for refreshies in Folkstone.
As a note: There has been some sewage releases following the recent rain -- but Folkestone is still in the green swimmable area at the moment -- best to monitor for the next few days! See https://www.sas.org.uk/water-quality/sewage-pollution-alerts/.
Enjoy the walk!
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n=6 assembled under originally promising looking skies and set-off for the Western Heights of Dover only to be caught in a rather steady rain shower on our way up the steps -- since most had limited wet weather gear we opted for a pause under the cover of a canopy of trees on the steps for a spell. Once the shower had mostly passed we continued on our way with just a few light periods of drizzle from time to time. The route along these cliffs is interesting with a variety of points of interest -- WW2 gun emplacements, a sound mirror, infrastructure for the cross-channel tunnel...the list goes on.... we made a slight detour to the humble, but welcoming, Royal Oak where 5 had Sunday roasts and were later joined by our picnicker.. We then descended to the warren and under rather disappointingly leaded skies 4 went swimming. It is a lovely wild swimming location and the sea was like velvet. Naturally as we were drying off the sun started to break-through the cloud.... In Folkestone we explored the harbor arm and 4 opted for drinks at a beach bar while 2 headed for the train...After our drinks, two opted for a sunset swim and two for the next train... A fun day out with near perfect group cohesion in w=initially-cloudy-showering-conditions-clearing-to-sunny-skies.
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