Port to Port

Steve and I had a target to walk 25miles (40km) so after a bit of map studying it seemed that Dover to Ramsgate would be about the right distance. So on a grey & chilly Easter Saturday, Steve & I met at Dover Priory station (thanks to my Father for the lift).

Dover Castle

A quick walk through the town bought us to the sea front & Dover harbour. With views up to Dover Castle on the cliff tops above, we took a path up the cliff face behind the Ferry terminal. This bought us up onto the top of the famous white cliffs with a great clear view across the English Channel (La Manche) of France (where it seemed to be sunny!).



As the drizzle started we carried on along the cliff tops heading North towards Walmer & Deal. Thankfully the rain stopped soon after. Navigation was pretty straight forward - keep the sea to our right!

A few weeks before a large section of the cliff had collapsed into the sea below leaving a section of pristine bright white chalk exposed.

Dover Patrol Memorial

After passing the South Foreland Lighthouse we came to the Dover Patrol Memorial. This impressive obelisk was erected to commemorate the work of the Dover Patrol vessels during World War 1 in keeping the channel free of German shipping.

From here onwards our route gradually worked its way back down to sea level as we ended up on the shingle beach at Walmer with the Castle, built by Henry VII, on our left which was the favourite residence of the Queen Mother.

Deal Castle

Next, as we carried on along the beach, we came to Deal. This also has a castle built by Henry VII, but is rather more imposing than the one at Walmer.
Deal was once the busiest port in England thanks to the notorious Goodwin Sands. The waters between the Goodwins & Deal, the Downs, offer safety during storms although it is thought that over 2000 vessels have been wrecked on the sands. As we walked through Deal there seemed to be a significant number of pubs which, through strong willpower, we manged to pass by.

Deal Beach

As we carried on along the coast, with a chill breeze buffeting us, we found ourselves in a different landscape again. On our right was the grey sea separated from the low lying land by a shingle bank. However on our left were the manicured greens & bunkers of the famous Royal St. Georges links golf course where the 2011 Open Championships were held.
Our path actually took us across the golf course as our progress along the coast would soon be halted by the mouth of the River Stour, meaning we had to cut inland to the ancient town of Sandwich (and yes, there is also a village nearby called Ham!)

Sandwich Bridge Toll House

Crossing the river in Sandwich meant we now had a grim section of the walk ahead of us. A 4 mile section along a busy main road. By now the aches and pains were setting in and the decision as to whether to invest in some new shoes was decided for both of us - a definite yes! The pain was relieved for a short while after my inspirational idea to stop at a service station for an ice cream. Mmmmm!

The Viking Ship 'Hugin'

After the long trudge along the tarmac we were back on a gravel path that bought us into Pegwell bay & the Viking ship that was rowed over from Denmark in 1949 to celebrate the 1500th anniversary of the invasion of Britain.

Ramsgate Harbour

Ramsgate was well & truly in our sights now & a walk along the West Cliff bought us in sight of the Royal Harbour. Heading down Military Parade with a spring in our tired steps we could almost smell the beer. A quick check of the mileage on my phone meant that we had to walk past the 1st couple of pubs as they weren't quite 25miles! Harsh. However Miles Bar by the harbour gave us a total distance of 25.11miles (40.41km). Mission accomplished. Beer poured. Sun comes out (at last)!




Our Reward!

And finally, for those who like to see statistics, here they are:

P.S. Both of us had very aching legs, but what was more encouraging, was that we both felt that we could have carried on. (At least to the next pub!)

Neil