Around Kent > Coastal Walk > Deal to Dover
The longest section - at 14km - starts in picturesque Deal and moves rapidly along the coastal foot & cycle path through neighbouring Walmer to Kingsdown. At Oldstairs Bay the Saxon Shore Way heads up the cliff, joining the White Cliffs Country Trail. St Margaret's at Cliffe - including St Margaret's Bay - is reached 8km into the walk, leaving a final 6km stretch along the South Foreland and white cliffs of Dover, with views across the English Channel to France.
History of the area
Deal is a traditional fishing community with ~30k inhabitants. Identified as Addelam in the Domesday book, its name is derived from the word for a hollow or valley. Six miles out to sea are the Goodwin Sands - a 10 mile sandbank that claims around 2000 shipwrecks. The sheltered area of sea between - known as the Downs - was important for sailing vessels navigating this part of the English Channel, and provided anchorage during heavy storms. At one point Deal was the busiest port in England, and was named as one of the Limb Ports of the Cinque Ports in 1278. With the relaxed trading regulations this brought, smuggling became rife and the town is apparently riddled underground with smuggling tunnels. This came to an end in 1784 however, with William Pitt the Younger declaring all Deal's sea craft be burnt and destroyed. The advent of the steam ship in the 19th century reduced the need for coastal shelter, and the importance of the port declined.
During the Victorian era, this historic village grew instead as a tourist resort. A series of piers were built: first of wood, in 1838 - which was destroyed by a gale in 1857; then of iron in 1864. The latter survived being hit by shipping in 1873 and 1884, but was eventually severely damaged by a torpedoed Dutch ship, the Nora, in 1940. The concrete-clad steel structure seen today was built in 1957, and stands at 311m. Refurbished in 1997, it was voted Pier of the Year in 2008; and a new cafe has recently replaced the aging building at the seaward-end of the pier. The pier and its lower levels are a popular sea fishing location, as well as the nearby shingle beaches for beach casting.
The old part of Deal - including Middle Street - has an eclectic mix of housing styles, and thanks to the efforts of the Deal Society these have been protected as a conservation area. Within the boundaries of Walmer and Deal are three of Henry VIII's 30 Device Forts - Sandown, Deal and Walmer castles. These low level, defensive armourments were built during a massive program between 1539-42. As a result of coastal movements, Sandown castle was destabilised by the sea and eventually demolished, whereas that at Walmer appears to have moved inland.
The walk
A sunny early-summer weekend meant this last, longer section of the coast could finally be completed. The walk from Deal to Kingsdown offers some stunning photo opportunities, with the fishing boats on the beach, Deal and Walmer castles, and a wide, stony coastline. We stopped off for an hour in Walmer Castle - not cheap at £6.50, but nice grounds and a chance for a quick coffee/cake/cider break. The Zetland Arms - on the beach at Kingdown - gave another break for beer and barsnacks, and had a very tempting menu. After negotiating the steep steps at Oldstairs Bay and walking 4km along the cliff top (above an MoD area), St Margaret's Bay seemed the logical place to stop off for another drink. Unfortunately the Coastguard had stopped serving food by 3pm, so refueling was done with crisps and nuts (and a cheeky beer).
The final stretch along the white cliffs had some great scenery and, in places, a choice of footpaths. It is worth noting that at the fork close to the harbour (where the large metalwork on the cliff edge finishes), take the right hand path which heads up. The left path which heads down goes for about another 1km, continues through some thick undergrowth (alarmingly close to the cliff edge) then ends. It may be possible to climb up the cliff at the end (~10-20m high) to reach the other footpath, but it didn't look too promising.
Shortly after begins the trek down into Dover itself. It's unfortunate that after 75km and 21 months this is where the walk ends. A series of depressing and derelict buildings mark the edge of the town, while the centre is uninspiring and dirty. In a league of the towns covered during this journey, where Whitstable and Deal fight for the top spot, Dover would be vying with Margate for the bottom. Fortunately the trains run fairly regularly, and the station isn't far from the coast.
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History of the area
Deal is a traditional fishing community with ~30k inhabitants. Identified as Addelam in the Domesday book, its name is derived from the word for a hollow or valley. Six miles out to sea are the Goodwin Sands - a 10 mile sandbank that claims around 2000 shipwrecks. The sheltered area of sea between - known as the Downs - was important for sailing vessels navigating this part of the English Channel, and provided anchorage during heavy storms. At one point Deal was the busiest port in England, and was named as one of the Limb Ports of the Cinque Ports in 1278. With the relaxed trading regulations this brought, smuggling became rife and the town is apparently riddled underground with smuggling tunnels. This came to an end in 1784 however, with William Pitt the Younger declaring all Deal's sea craft be burnt and destroyed. The advent of the steam ship in the 19th century reduced the need for coastal shelter, and the importance of the port declined.
During the Victorian era, this historic village grew instead as a tourist resort. A series of piers were built: first of wood, in 1838 - which was destroyed by a gale in 1857; then of iron in 1864. The latter survived being hit by shipping in 1873 and 1884, but was eventually severely damaged by a torpedoed Dutch ship, the Nora, in 1940. The concrete-clad steel structure seen today was built in 1957, and stands at 311m. Refurbished in 1997, it was voted Pier of the Year in 2008; and a new cafe has recently replaced the aging building at the seaward-end of the pier. The pier and its lower levels are a popular sea fishing location, as well as the nearby shingle beaches for beach casting.
The old part of Deal - including Middle Street - has an eclectic mix of housing styles, and thanks to the efforts of the Deal Society these have been protected as a conservation area. Within the boundaries of Walmer and Deal are three of Henry VIII's 30 Device Forts - Sandown, Deal and Walmer castles. These low level, defensive armourments were built during a massive program between 1539-42. As a result of coastal movements, Sandown castle was destabilised by the sea and eventually demolished, whereas that at Walmer appears to have moved inland.
The walk
A sunny early-summer weekend meant this last, longer section of the coast could finally be completed. The walk from Deal to Kingsdown offers some stunning photo opportunities, with the fishing boats on the beach, Deal and Walmer castles, and a wide, stony coastline. We stopped off for an hour in Walmer Castle - not cheap at £6.50, but nice grounds and a chance for a quick coffee/cake/cider break. The Zetland Arms - on the beach at Kingdown - gave another break for beer and barsnacks, and had a very tempting menu. After negotiating the steep steps at Oldstairs Bay and walking 4km along the cliff top (above an MoD area), St Margaret's Bay seemed the logical place to stop off for another drink. Unfortunately the Coastguard had stopped serving food by 3pm, so refueling was done with crisps and nuts (and a cheeky beer).
The final stretch along the white cliffs had some great scenery and, in places, a choice of footpaths. It is worth noting that at the fork close to the harbour (where the large metalwork on the cliff edge finishes), take the right hand path which heads up. The left path which heads down goes for about another 1km, continues through some thick undergrowth (alarmingly close to the cliff edge) then ends. It may be possible to climb up the cliff at the end (~10-20m high) to reach the other footpath, but it didn't look too promising.
Shortly after begins the trek down into Dover itself. It's unfortunate that after 75km and 21 months this is where the walk ends. A series of depressing and derelict buildings mark the edge of the town, while the centre is uninspiring and dirty. In a league of the towns covered during this journey, where Whitstable and Deal fight for the top spot, Dover would be vying with Margate for the bottom. Fortunately the trains run fairly regularly, and the station isn't far from the coast.
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| The Lady Irene - often found in the work of local artists |  |
| Deal Castle |  |
| Bandstand (1992) and RNLI station (1871) at Walmer |  |
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| Walmer Castle |  |
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| The Zetland Arms at Kingsdown |  |
| Oldstairs Bay |  |
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| Above the former MoD rifle range |  |
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| Memorial outside St Margaret's Bay |  |
| St Margaret's Bay |  |
| The Coastguard |  |
| South Foreland Lighthouse |  |
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| Port of Dover |  |
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| Dover Castle |  |
| Artifacts of the secret war tunnels under Dover Castle |  |
Maps are copyright of Multimap, Ordnance Survey and Google Maps