The views of the Castle offered a good distraction to the poor walking through scrub woodland and wasteland. One highlight was coming across the memorial to Louis Bleriot’s record breaking first flight across the Channel in 1909. The silhouette of the plane was marked out on the ground but it seemed fairly lost, hidden deep within dark scruffy woodland, and I did not stay long.

After a few more twists and turns, humps and hollows, I was up on the cliff tops above the Eastern Docks. I could have stayed here for hours gazing out to sea and watching the comings and goings in the harbour – the movement of ships, lorries and cars looked almost balletic. However the White Cliffs beckoned.

I headed away from Dover, towards Deal, and what turned out to be some of the best cliff top walking so far. The clear blue sky helped and I could have been in France, and my phone thought I was – springing into life with a cacophony of beeps and a text message welcoming me to France Orange!! Unperturbed I continued along the cliffs and headed down along Deal’s beach.

The seafront of Deal was very pretty, with its forts and rows of fishing boats, but it was not long until I was in the land of golf courses with three that hugged the thin strip of land along the shore.

Having made good time so far I opted not to go and find the B&B in Worth straight away but to head up to the mouth of the River Stour and Pegwell Bay. The dunes and shoreline were beautiful and I lingered a little too long before heading back. It was almost dusk as I passed through Sandwich and by the time I got to Worth it was completely dark.

With the detour I managed just over 22 miles today. It was a slow walk back to the village pub for supper as my legs were starting to cease up. It could be a very slow walk tomorrow to Margate.

Center of map

Route

See all the pictures from all the days walking here in this gallery.