Essex Man Does Walking

Folkestone to Dover

I had a good sleep, woke up and had a good breakfast. I headed out earlier than I had planned as I just wanted to get to the finish! The sight of Castle Hill in front of me reminded me it would still take some energy even if it was a shorter leg.

Avoiding cows at the top I made my way down yet another overgrown path and over a main road. I tried the path on the other side but gave up after a while and walked on the road beside it. Eventually, the road ends and the trail heads towards the cliffs and then turns left along them. I get to the Battle of Britain memorial site and managed a couple of photos before I was escorted off as a private event was happening later that day.

Walking around the outside of the memorial site I get back onto the path which winds it’s way along the foggy cliff tops. Houses on one side give way to countryside again and I pass lots of World War 2 buildings. Some of the footpaths closest to the cliffs are closed off due to erosion. I spy Dover in the distance and start to descend thinking I would be at the end soon.

The path however heads away from Dover! Up a hill, of course and into the Western Heights which has three forts built on top. I can see Dover Castle in the distance before I head back down into Dover again and through the high street to the seafront. I miss the finish line and wander around a bit before I go back to where I first got onto the parade and there it is! I consider doing a Pope like kiss of the ground but figure people might think it a bit strange. So instead I sit down and contemplate what a long and hard journey it was.

I will write up my thoughts on the whole trip later but suffice to say it was more difficult than I imagined and I was glad to get home!

Distance: 10 miles

Overall Distance: 130+ miles