White Cliffs Country is an area along England’s southern coast, and is better known as “the white cliffs of Dover”: the landscape consists of tens of miles of blindingly white, almost vertical rock faces, grasslands and little villages perched on tops of cliffs or tucked away in bays.
The cliffs are made of chalk (a form of limestone), made up of the remnants of prehistoric algae – the same material they used to make school blackboard chalk from — these days it’s synthetic —, and if you scratch the cliff surface, it actually crumbles. (Note: standing on top of a cliff that crumbles under your fingers is a little scary). The cliffs are often higher than 100 metres (same as a 30-story building), and can be seen from France on a clear day.
The area’s historical significance is that it’s the part of England closest to the continent, and because of this potential invaders could always be expected to land here over the millennia. The Battle of Britain (Nazi Germany’s foiled attempt to gain air superiority over Britain in WWII) also took place mainly in these parts.
Trails
There are miles and miles of hiking and cycling trails along the cliffs with amazing views on a clear day (see the Getting there and around chapter below for recommended walking/cycling routes).
Samphire Hoe
Samphire Hoe (halfway between Dover and Folkestone) is a landfill built using the soil excavated during the construction of the Eurotunnel (the undersea tunnel connecting England and France). The landfill got an unfortunate concrete finish, which was then landscaped and turned into a public park with with cows (no, seriously) grazing on it.
Signs for the geographically challenged:
Towns and villages
Folkestone (the site of Eurotunnel’s English entrance) at low tide:
Tropical sunset outside Folkestone on a hot September day:
St-Margarets-at-Cliffe, a wealthy ‘village’ built on top of the cliffs:
Kingsdown and Deal, two less-known and very peaceful seaside resorts:
Beach huts and boats in Kingsdown:
“Be warned of possible dangers surrounding boat winching operations”:
People
Country for Old Men:
Homeward bound:
Hikers:
Kid:
Scenery
Getting there
Visiting the white cliffs is a great day trip from London. The easiest way to get here is to take a train (takes 1-1.5 hours) from London to Dover, Folkestone or Deal. Note that buying a “day return” ticket (meaning you’ll return on the same day) usually costs only a little more than buying a single (one-way) ticket.
Once you’re there, you can follow several signposted walking/cycling routes, e.g. the Saxon Shore Way or the North Downs Way. Recommended routes:
- Dover to Folkestone (10km; fairly flat apart from two major ascents, great for cycling)
- Dover to Deal (15km and hilly)
In Britain most land is private (often even mountains), but most of it is crisscrossed by public rights of way (meaning a public path crossing private land) designated by local authorities. Fairly new inventions are access lands, which allow you to roam freely on a designated piece of private land:
Approved by Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks:
