Folkestone to Dover Walk

The "zig zag" footpath (HF53) down from the cliff top cafe to the Warren is still a 'temporary' (6 month) closure on the Kent closed PROW list. There's still hope.

A check of this walk today revealed that the zigzag path up to the Cliff Top Cafe has been sealed off with a very permanent-looking metal gate. I conclude that this path is not coming back and have deleted this option. A new version of the walk document will be posted shortly, dated 20 December 2024. The GPX file has also been updated.

The cracking on the sea wall of Folkestone Warren is if anything a bit worse now. It is still not clear if this route will be maintained in the long term or left to decay. But as of December 2024 the route was still in regular use by locals.

The Walk Author

The zigzag path up to the Cliff Top Cafe used in option a) of this walk was closed in April 2024 due to a landslip. The sign says this will last six months "or until a repair can be made". The path up the cliffs used on the main walk is still perfectly passable, however. I had a peregrine falcon flying past me as I got near the top of it.

On the main walk, the concrete promenade along the seafront in the Warren is getting seriously cracked in places. One wonders how long it can last in this state... Nevertheless it is still in frequent use by locals, and so far the broken bits are easily circumvented.

My daughter and I did the main walk today in lovely Spring weather. A really nice walk, with stunning views, and some very interesting examples of military fortifications, both 19th and 20th century, along the way. The main climb is tough, but manageable, and the views are certainly worth it. The path was rather muddy at one point (around section 58 in the instructions, and beware the steps at 101 - it really is slippery here.

At stage 74 cows with calves and huge horns grazing today. Luckily someone walking in the cycle path at the bottom of the hill helped us get over the barbed wire fencing and we rejoined the route at circa stage 77 by continuing on the cycle route towards Dover and taking the next kissing gate to climb back uphill.

Great walk, highly recommended. Mid June and it was very overgrown in places after coming up from the Warren so long trousers might be advisable. If you're looking for more eating/drinking options at the end of the walk it might be worth doing in reverse as Folkestone is a much nicer place to linger than Dover. Views either way are fantastic.

The path from the beach / under cliff up to the Cliff Top cafe (dotted red line on the map page) is closed temporarily due to a landslip. There is a 2nd path up further along.

What a wonderful walk this is. I have walked the coast before along the cliff top the whole way but never before been down to the Warren and it's a really beautiful place here, especially when the tide is out. Folkestone too has been transformed in recent years and was far more interesting than I had expected. I stopped to explore the old Folkestone Harbour station which is a certainly worth a visit (as suggested in the notes for this walk).

After the Warren I decided to abandon the route and keep to the shore. When the concrete sea wall ended there is quite a drop down but someone has tied a ladder (just a normal household one) to a pipe at the end of the wall, providing a way back onto the beach. By this point the beach is shingle and it was about a mile to Samphire Hoe another place I've not been before. I followed the sea wall path through this but be careful as after the little lighthouse it's a dead end, which is not signed or obvious, so you need to turn off the sea wall by the lighthouse. From here I headed along the path through the tunnel and back up to the A20 and re-joined the official route of this walk via a path back up to the cliff top.

A lovely view from the top but after heavy rain the path down was so slippery it was like walking on sheet ice! I had to use the fence to help me get down. The Western Heights too was an interesting place to stop and see. I highly recommend this walk. The directions, at least for the parts I followed them were spot on.

Since there seem to be no plans to repair the path into the Warren which suffered a landslip, I have reverted both the walk directions and the GPX to the original route, which went straight down to the beach and along the top of it. This avoids the landslip, but might be impassable at very high tide.

I climbed up the far zigzag path (the one the main walk route uses) on 21 June 2021 and found it perfectly passable, though with vegetation close either side. Lets hope whatever council is responsible for it gives it a strip sometime soon.

The walk author

Did this walk in direction Folkestone to Dover on Saturday 19/June/2021 in cloudy weather after heavy rain the previous day.

I chose the clifftop route, which involved steep climbs as noted in the text.

The route was overgrown in parts above the Warren, some nettles, some muddy parts due to the rain on the previous day.

Directions were perfect.

Quite and interesting walk due to war artefacts and the Battle Of Britain memorial.

Nice to see wild Orchids growing near Dover and other interesting and unusual wild flowers, a treat.

Outstanding walk!

Did the Folkestone Circular version of the walk on a very hot & sunny day. Parked by the Clifftop Cafe (amazing view) in Capel-le-Ferne (free).

All the paths seemed in good order. Even a few England Coast Path signs (on the cliff top route).

Walked out to the harbour arm (past the closed-train-station platforms). Nice view but most things closed due to covid. Should be great when more spots have opened.

Appreciated the history of the railways and concrete platforms in the Warren.

Might be worth rebranding the walk as Folkestone to Dover or Circular via the undercliff, even though that's an ugly phrase, as the circular version seems the most popular.

I walked west along the beach, east along the cliff top, but the other way round (as the walk does) is better for cliff top views.

Andrew

I did the walk yesterday, 06.06.2021. We took The Warren Path and there is a small drop where you have to use your hands. If was fine yesterday because it was sunny and dry, but in wet weather probably is not a good idea to take it. The high tide had been early in the morning so we decided to stick to the base of the cliffs and see if we could make it all the way to Samphire Hoe and we could. I'm not sure if you can do it at high tide. This alternative involves some walking on shingle and the use of a ladder at some point. The ladder has been secured with chains and padlocks, but it looks like someone random has placed it there (maybe for easy access to the nudist beach). You can check my slideshow on YouTube searching for SWC Walk 13 Folkestone To Dover Via Samphire Hoe Javier Vagabond.

I did this walk yesterday. The path through the Warren is open. However, the exit to come out of the Warren at the eastern end (paragraphs 28) is no longer marked as the sign has been broken off . The post is still there, with S25 spray painted on it in red. Do be aware that there *is* an earlier sign saying "Four Seasons Nature Trail" that points toward the water, and is the entrance of the trail to the Warren, not the exit back up.

The fence referred to in paragraph 65 is no longer decrepit fwiw as it has been entirely replaced. The climb up the cliff (paragraphs 36-40) is getting a bit overgrown and could be rather overcome by the end of summer. I walked around Drop Redoubt and it was really interesting. There does seem to be a bit of a shortcut through there, but it is worth looking at the redoubt from both inside and above.

Timing-wise, I left St Pancras at 8:37 and arrived at Dover Castle for a 3pm timeslot, without any rushing. It was only enough time there because the tunnels are closed (if you are walking to dover castle, along castle hill there is a pedestrian entrance on the right side of the road, which I can't find indicated anywhere but is a nicer motorist-free path).

The path through the Warren looked closed but the barrier was down so we went through to have a look. The weather was very wet and my partner had a nasty fall where the path is missing several steps, breaking one of his ribs. I strongly advise to avoid this path, very dangerous especially in rainy days.

The landslipped path through the Warren (see comment below) is still closed - though we went through anyway, and it wasn't too tricky to clamber down the section with missing steps. A lovely walk thoroughly enjoyed on a sunny day, with enough points of interest to keep the seven-year old going! We had a dip in Folkestone to start - we diverted west along the seafront to enjoy the listed Zig Zag path down to the beach - and would recommend leaving some time to explore Folkestone as there is lots of art to see and do. We were greeted at the station with a guide and an art pack for our son from someone from Creative Folkestone: https://www.creativefolkestone.org.uk/news/

There has been a landslip on the path through Folkestone Warren in paragraph 24. I ignored the signs saying the path was closed, and found myself at one point at the top of a 1.5 metre drop, which I navigated by slithering down an earth bank. An alternative would be to use the original route of this walk, which was to take the path down to the right which you are told to ignore in paragraph 23 of the directions. This takes you - or used to take you - down steps onto the beach, where you can turn left and walk along the beach for 250 metres to find the concrete esplanade mentioned in paragraph 24. This route is not passable at very high tide, however, when your only recourse is to use a road that runs into the Warren from near the upper of the two Martello towers. At time of writing there are signs up warning of "hazardous substances" on the beach, but without being specific. Option b), the Cliff Top Route, is another alternative if you are on the Folkestone to Dover walk, but it is no good if you are on the Folkestone Circular as it is used as the return route for this walk.

Hello,

I noticed you organize a lot of social events in the local area.

Happy to collaborate with you and set up a special offer for group bookings in our Hotels and restaurants.

The following are our portfolio of Hotels and Restaurants.

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Folkestone

Bestwestern Clifton Hotel, Folkestone

Chameleon Bar & Grill, Hythe

The Leaf Hotel Dover

Holiday Inn Canterbury

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to know more.

Warm regards

Logesh Waran | Food & Beverage Director | Leaf Hotels Group

Tel: +44 (0) 01304 821230

Mob: +44 (0) 07703392862

Email: Logeshboo[at]leafhotels.co.uk

Address: Leaf Hotels Group, Ramada Dover, Singledge Lane, Whitfield, Dover, Kent, CT163EL.

I did this walk at the weekend in reverse from Dover to Folkestone. Out of curiosity I did the section under Shakespeare Cliff. While it was passable, there has been a lot of rockfall over time, so it was case of clambering over lots of big and slimy rocks. I imagine it will have been easier in the past (i.e. as per the comment below from back in 2012), but it's probably more hassle than it's worth now. If, however, you are still tempted, it definitely should only be done at low tide (as you can see from the water line that it gets entirely cut off at high tide).

I want to report a missing lifebuoy at station 21 on the stretch between Sandgate and Folkestone. P Yule.

A new version of this walk has now been posted up, with the text divided into sections, each with distances. A result is that paragraph numbers have changed and previous comments referring to paragraph numbers may not therefore make sense. Apologies for this, but the walk has been recently checked and hopefully all issues previously raised have been addressed.

The walk via the Warren has also been restored as the main walk route, since the path up the cliff seems to still be passable 18 months after it was cleared by council workers. But directions for the alternatives (the path up the cliffs to the Cliff Top Cafe and the route over the cliffs, avoiding the Warren) are still available, as is the Folkestone Circular route.

The walk author

An outstanding walk - we did the main part of the route (1-79) on over the Bank Holiday weekend and followed only the directions, and not the maps (which might've been a mistake). A few points for consideration on future updates on the PDF...

• As others have mentioned, please update point 16 to mention that this part of the route is currently closed

• Between points 44-46 you pass a circular brick tower immediately to your left. As this fairly prominent landmark wasn't mentioned in the otherwise, perfect directions (whereas other lesser landmarks had been), we felt for a while we'd taken a wrong turn

• An indication of distances between points 46-48 would be helpful, as you do pass by a kissing gate at one point fairly early on and we stopped for a while to work out if this was the one mentioned in 48

• The trains sometimes from Dover Priory can be pretty infrequent - on the Sunday we walked there were two an hour back to London, spaced only ten minutes apart. It might be helpful to make more of the direct route straight to the station between points 63-65 (or an indication of how long the rest of the route will take)

The last section of esplanade in Folkestone is closed which accesses the steps up the hill. If you go back on yourself there are some steep steps up between some houses which gets you back on track very easily.

Instruction 16. The steps are closed for repair, for several months. There is no signage at the bottom alerting you to this, nor suggesting alternative routes. (There are at the top, but its a bit late by then!) keith.a.waltonboo[at]gmail.com

We did the walk today and it was great. Everything was as described, besides the part at Sunny beach (Folkestone) as there is a construction side. We had to go around it.

Lunch at lighthouse Inn was very good as well.

Also, I can only recommend to do this walk at this time of the year. Due to the sun going down early, we walked for about 2-3 hours in an incredible light setting.

Hi Anonymous (28-Oct-16)

The "start" postcode would be the train station. Some stations (not this one) have parking.

For free parking try the roads around CT196BL, (at the west edge of town),The Warren country park, or the cliff top road the memorial is on (5 mins walk away from the Memorial, and around the Cliff Top cafe is free). In general, Kent beaches are pretty good for free parking away from town centres.

Andrew

I'm afraid I couldn't do the circular walk as the postcode given for the start was a road in central Folkestone with no obvious place to park and no way to know where to walk... I cannot even see the PDF to download. Is it because I'm using Safari? I gave up on walking and spent a pleasant couple of hours at the Battle of Britain memorial, which is excellent. NB you need to pay for parking there and it doesn't take cards.

The original path up the cliff on this walk (the one going right after the railway bridge), which was seriously overgrown earlier this year has today been cleared by council workers. So the original route now works again. The walk document will be updated to reflect this in a couple of weeks.

Highly recommend the Circular walk via the Warren (an under cliff / hidden beach)

Free parking at the east side of Folkestone, or in the Warren itself.

Beach is cool at low tide, the groynes are decaying, ironwork rounded by the sea, wood only held together by barnacles.

The 'concrete' coast path continues after the 'cliff climb' turn off.

- WW2 tank traps visible at low tide

- after 1km, enter the 'national rail' maintained area

- after 1km, the concrete path ends at Abbots Cliff, an even more hidden sand/shingle beach used by naturists

- after 500m, there's a pond

- the area beyond is rocky

The climb up was through a shady forest, which was welcome as was the cliff top cafe at the top

There are new England Coast path signs on the return route along the top

The Battle of Britain Memorial, (and list of names of the 'few'), which the path goes through, was poignant.

It was a hot day, should have taken much more water.

One of the best bits of coast i the south east!

I did this walk on the 23th July 2016; Folkestone to Dover.

Beware; the path coming down into the western part of Dover was blocked off by national rail, who are fixing the line which is due to finish in December 2016. I got stuck with two others I had just met at this point, and we tried going over the fence and seeing if there was a path through the allotments, but we couldn't find a way through. We spoke to the security guards that were at the fence and they told us we would have to return to Folkestone(!). But they didn't seem to mind if I tried to awkwardly hop the fence and go under the barrier, which I did, leaving the two others behind.

As the comment on Thu, 28-Jul-16 says, go over the footbridge at Aycliff if this happens. Apparently there were signs well back saying that it was blocked off but none of us seen any signs. The footbridge is very easy to spot in the distance well before you reach it as it crosses over the A20.

Other than this, it is an absolutely excellent walk. It was a bit overgrown, especially the second half, but I hardly met anyone at all; I would say I met 5 people the whole walk, which was just wonderful. The views as you leave Folkestone are fantastic, and the atmospheric tooting of the ships as I arrived into Dover is a memory to remember!

25 July 2016 - Cliff path above Shakespeare Cliff eastern tunnel entrance is closed for a short distance due to 'unsafe fencing'

Recommended route over footbridge to Aycliffe, thru village & returning to cliffpath by subway beneath A20.

Cliff path above railway seawall repairs patrolled by friendly Gurkha security patrols - friendly unless you are one of the rock-throwing cretins.

.

The original path up the cliff that was the centrepiece of this walk is now seriously overgrown and looks like it is going out of use.

I have therefore now rejigged the walk to make the main walk Folkestone to Dover, following the clifftop North Downs Way throughout.

Using another path up the cliffs I have also created a new option to start this walk via the Warren seafront, and a new circular walk, slightly shorter than the old one.

Note that trains between Folkestone and Dover are suspended until at least December 2016 due to work to repair the sea wall. The replacement bus service is reasonably efficient, however.

In Folkestone the path along the esplanade beyond the Sunny Sands harbour beach is also closed for works. A diversion is in place signposted England Coast Path which takes you up steps from the harbour onto a higher road (with quite nice views) that takes you along to the "gable-roofed building, once a restaurant" and the Martello Tower in paragraphs 17 and 18 of the directions.

This is still a great walk and worth doing!

Did Folkestone to Dover on one of the hottest days of the year, and I'm leaving a comment here as I find it useful to see what others have said when choosing a walk....

I think the Folkestone Circular is probably a better bet. I really didn't like coming down into Dover next to a motorway. You're above it for quite a long time and though the view is spectacular, it's not very relaxing because of the roar of the traffic.

The walk up the cliff is also pretty hard going in high summer. It's very overgrown. The walk alongside the railway in the warren is almost a tunnel of vegetation. You have to crouch down and we got pretty scratched up. The Warren itself is lovely though as are the beaches and Folkestone old town interesting so I reckon the circular would be good earlier in the year.

We actually combined the walk with Dover to Deal - though cutting out a chunk in the middle with a taxi ride - because the walk into Deal is so nice and it's a rather nicer place to spend the evening than Dover. Great but long!

Thanks for posting the directions here. We did the first half of the walk (up to paragraph 32, "Royal Oak") with my 8 months pregnant wife. She is very fit though, so please do not assume it is an easy climb! 9/10 was a good estimate, you can trust it.

Some comments and possible corrections to the PDF directions:

para.24: The platform is indeed wide enough to land a helicopter, but definitely not 70 meters wide! Possibly, the author meant 70 feet wide?

para.26: Beware that as you walk along the concrete slabs, you will actually see TWO different gravel tracks signposted "Four Seasons Natural Trail", both matching the description (turning sharp left i.e. back on yourself). The first is a red herring, ignore it. You need the second one that starts from the end of the second broad platform that in medium tide looks like a hovercraft landing site.

para.29: This is very true - there are a lot of blackberry branches that will try to touch, catch and scratch you. Bring a machete! Seriously though, even if it's a sunny summer day, long trousers that are rolled up will work much better than shorts. You can roll them down while fighting with nettles and blackberries, and then roll up again. A pair of gardening scissors will give you a huge advantage.

para.30: First, the path itself will TURN AWAY from the railway fence, then it will come up to a little hill (and as the result, the path "rises above the railway line"), and only then it will turn away from the railway line, down wooden steps and over the plank bridge. Don't try to step into the blackberry jungle too early!

para.32: Beware that according to a long-standing British tradition, on Sundays pubs stop serving food very early. Royal Oak is a good keeper of this tradition - I think they switch the oven off at 3pm on Sundays.

Sunday, 1 March 15, Book 3 Walk, Folkestone Circular. Coastal Walk with fantastic sea views throughout the walk. Sunny all day. I wrote more about the walk on my blog: hikingmadness.wordpress.com/2015/03/01/folkestone-circular-a-tale-about-a-little-hot-chocolate-cup/

Great! I am a local person and did this route following your directions rather than ambling along. One thing, the 'Home Ground' teashop in Folkestone is no more but I can recommend the 'Lavender Tea Rooms' at the top of the Old High Street in Church St.

I walked from Folkestone to Dover yesterday and it was great. There was scattered cloud until lunch then blazing sun. Th instructions were totally accurate. Very interesting leaving Folkestone and heading to the Warren, A steep climb but at least the vegetation had been cut back, giving onto marvellous views. Enjoyed the little detour in Dover onto the ramparts, nearly didn't bother but glad I did. Great walk, I'll do the circular Folkestone one soon.

Great walk. Highly Recommended. Interesting 'undercliff' to explore, and views of the Channel.

Folkestone has faded grandeur, but is looking up and a nice place to the finish. Take your time along its promenade, or start early & have breakfast/coffee at a cafe

The Warren / undercliffe is interesting. You can carry on along the concrete beach path (at low tide only) to Samphire Hoe (a nature reserve created from Chunnel Tunnel spoil). From there, go up to the cliff top, and go on to Dover, or back to Folkestone.

There is a **very** steep path up to the cliff top. Just take it slow but steady. Stunning views if you stop to catch your breath.

The Sea View cafe has to have one of the best views of any cafe in England. (Its the only place on the 'sea' side of the cliff top road.) Has great views out to sea, but queuing up to order is **slow**. Very reasonable for the stunning location: sandwiches ~ £3, Tea £1.40

Then a nice cliff top path back to Folkestone. The route back through the town goes along an 'artists quarter' street.

Makes a great & varied circular walk. Thanks to the author.

I did the circular walk on 21 August 2013 on a lovely sunny day. Very clear instructions and I wasn't worried about doing it on my own. I didn't use the print out of the map.

The concrete on the esplanade is being patched up and the path behind is having a new fence fitted. I'd suggest one change to the directions: para 25 says ignore a track slanting up to the left. It might be worth adding that this is also signposted Four Seasons Nature Trail. It looked very similar to the description in para 26 and I was worried I'd missed the steps. The steps are visible from below when you get to the correct turning.

There are seasonal toilets (Easter to Sept) at the Leas and harbour beach. The Clifftop cafe has great views but a limited selection of drinks that seemed expensive for what they were. There are sandwiches and nice looking cake.

I had difficulty printing off your route map but the detailed description of the route was so accurate I didn't need a map at all. I did the circular walk on 23rd May. The weather was mixed sunshine and heavy showers. It was wonderful - the tide was in but fairly calm sea so only a couple of places where you might get wet from the sea spray. The climb to the cliff top was invigorating with lovely views on the way. Arrived at the top with a shower of hail stones and with a notice to say the pub is only yards away - yes! After a pint I set off back on the cliff top, in many places you're right on the edge which I found exilerating but care needed. Found a grassy area with a bench for my picnic and after the cliff climb I was quite tired so took the remainder of the walk at a leisurley pace enjoying the views all the way back.

Walked from Dover to Folkestone and back on Sunday 7th April 2013, it took 5 hrs, we were very lucky with the weather, the sun was shinning and we had a slight breeze, which was lovely after walking up the cliff steps (386 approx)We followed the print out to the letter, very easy to follow and was educated along the way too. We stopped half way and ate our picnic, lovely surroundings, a thoroughly enjoyable walk, very much recomended!

I did this walk with my friend this sunday and I have to say the whole walk was amazing!

The weather was so clear we could see right into france.

The worst part was climbing those steps to the top of the cliff but the rewards were outstanding even halfway up the cliff.

This is by far the best walk the Saturday Walkers Club have done.

Well done!

Saturday 29 September: Folkestone to Dover: 9 on this walk: 4 on the high speed train, four on the slow train and one on the later high speed train who soon caught us up.

This was a beautiful sparkling, sunny day by the sea (the fourth sunny Saturday in a row!), enhanced in the morning by a lovely high tide, which had the sea lapping right up to the promenade (and in one place splashing over it). The sea looked so inviting that four of us were tempted to take a dip, but it was a very brief dip as the water was very cold.

For lunch we split more or less equally between those who went to the Royal Oak, and those who sat nearby on the clifftop, with fantastic views having our packed lunches.

In the afternoon the traffic noise from the main road just inland was a nuisance, but I think there was general agreement that it was more than offset by the magnificence of the scenery, the interesting World War II remains, and the wonderfully clear views of France - you could see Calais with the naked eye, Calais town hall through binoculars, and a wide variety of shipping.

There were also beautiful views of Dover for the final section over the Western Heights and a brief visit to the beach, before repairing to Weatherspoons for tea, beer and sticky puddings with custard.

Be careful at points 28/29, the narrow path parallel to the railway, particularly if it is wet. The path can be slippery and there is, in places, a quite significant drop to the right.

At low tide ONLY, it is possible to continue walking along the beach from The Warren past Abbot's Cliff to to Samphire Hoe. This avoids a climb back up to the cliff top (and the nice views over the channel from the top).

Samphire Hoe is a new nature reserve made by spoil from the Channel Tunnel, which has access to the cliff top.

It is also possible, at low tide ONLY, to carry on from Saphire Hoe along the beach below Shakespeare Cliff to Dover. This would probably be the nicer of the 2 sections to do as this part of the cliff top path isn't as nice as the first one.

Both these routes are cut off at high tide.

See http://www.kentramblers.org.uk/coastal/survey/Folkestone_Ramsgate_RPRFINAL.pdf

Done the Folkestone Circular on the 19th of February. It's a gorgeous walk, one of the very best in the South Coast

Saturday 28 January, Folkstone to Dover: Wonderful clifftop walk, nine people, one dog. No-one used the slow train from Charing Cross.

Lunch at the Royal Oak made up for the expensive train fare (£2.50 for a sandwich and not much more for a big hearty meal).

The weather was mainly cloudy overhead with some periods of light drizzle and the odd bit of sun, but much more varied and dramatic out to sea, with sections of clear sky, beautiful shafts of light and dark rain clouds often at the same time.

Some fantastic views with France clearly visible - someone thought we were looking at high rise flats in Dunkirk. The most amazing view was looking across the sea at Dungerness, surounded by an expanding peach-pink-red glow framed on three sides with clouds and rain. (I guess you had to be there).

Re the previous post: did you mean column TWO, para five? If so, this has now been corrected in the version on the site

One little thing: On page 11, col 1, para 5: at the large roundabout turn left, not right, up Folkestone Rd for Dover Priory station.

MG