Dover to Dungeness - Day 1

Last week my best friend and I embarked on a 3 day walk along the Kent coast between Dover and Dungeness on the England coast path. On the first day we walked from Dover to Folkestone.

We started at midday from Dover Priory station and straight away it was some strenuous stair climbing to reach the Knights Templar church ruin in the Western Heights. Built in the eleventh century it looked very small, obviously not expecting a large congregation back then. 

Before long we were walking along the cliff tops, France loomed on the horizon and container ships sailed in the channel. We didn’t see any of the much reported migrant boats though. After passing Shakespeare cliff we saw our first world war 2 concrete pill box, entry wasn’t allowed but we did enter the next one. It was very dilapidated and an eerie experience. I thought about those who were posted in there, waiting for the invasion that thankfully never arrived.

Then, under steel coloured skies, an abandoned fenced off building came into view. What could it be? A former command centre? An ex-stores warehouse? I have no idea. 

Another structure we couldn't work were these conical structures that resembled short thick chimneys.

Before entering the town, there was our final WW2 landmark, the Battle of Britain memorial. A tribute to the few, with the names of the fallen eched on a marble slab, overlooked by a Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. There was a small museum alongside the memorial and if I had more time, I would have given it more of my attention. But alas we were here to complete a journey.

Luckily the weather held for us. When we arrived in Folkestone, I noticed lots of sculptures and other artistic structures. It was to do with the Folkestone Triennial, a thrice annual arts festival. Not what I was expecting but interesting nonetheless, so I photographed a few. 

One interesting sculpture was the Folkestone Mermaid, not as big as the ones in Copenhagen or Zhuhai but pretty anyway.

Second world war pill boxes weren't the only coastal defences found in Kent, before those were the Martello towers, built during the Napoleonic wars to fend off a French invasion which also never materialized. We came across Martello number three on Wear Bay Road.

It was my first time in Folkestone and first impressions were that it was more a seaside resort rather than a major port, with its shingle and beach huts. Before long we arrived at our hotel reasonably tired. That’s day one done.