WALKING FROM DOVER TO DEAL: WHITE CLIFFS, COASTAL PUBS AND SEA VIEWS.
When we are not travelling in Europe, we return to our base in the UK and one of our favourite things to do is to head out on day hikes.
My current obsession is the Kent coast and with the Kings Charles III Coastal Path now being open for business, we are aiming to walk every section from Rye to Whitstable. We started with Ramsgate to Margate and most recently have tackled the stretch from Dover to Deal.
This section of the coastal path is a 10 mile walk, combining wild sea views, beaches and history. Bookmarked by the port of Dover and the smart town of Deal.
It’s an easy-going route that took us about four hours of walking, though we lingered over a few well-timed pub stops, and ended up spending closer to six. The path undulates gently along the cliffs, with the steepest climb out of St Margaret’s Bay.
In this blog post, I’ll set out the key details about the route and what to see on the way.
Dover to Deal walk: key details
Total distance: 10 miles (16 km)
Time: Around 4 hours walking (5–6 with stops)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Elevation gain: Approx. 140 m / 460 ft
Facilities: Cafés, pubs, toilets, castles and two National Trust sites along the route.
The route is sign posted along the way, but as you walk directly along the coast, it’s virtually impossible to get lost. We also used a GPS map All Trails, just to check our progress.
Note – It’s possible to walk this route in either direction. We chose to finish in Deal, because we wanted to spend time seeing the town with it’s galleries and snazzy wine bars.
Starting in Dover
We started on Dover seafront, after a leisurely coffee near the station. There are lots of places to choose from between Dover Priory and the sea, and it’s worth fuelling up before heading out.
From the promenade, we picked up the King Charles III Coastal Path, which begins with a short climb just underneath Dover Castle.
If you have time, it’s worth taking a bit of a diversion at the start of the route and adding a castle visit to your day, but you’ll need several hours to explore properly. We decided to save it for another trip.
The climb out of town gives you a great view back over Dover Port, the white ferries sliding in and out below, and the castle watching over it all. Then, suddenly, you’re above it, out on the cliffs, with nothing but sea and sky ahead.
Along the White Cliffs
Once on the cliffs, we followed a well-marked trail through open chalk grassland. There’s the option to walk closer to the edge on narrower cliff paths or to stick to a more inland route if you’d rather avoid heights.
Not far from Dover, we passed the Fan Bay Deep Shelter, a set of wartime tunnels managed by the National Trust. You can join a guided tour here if you fancy a dose of history before carrying on.
A little further on, we reached the South Foreland Lighthouse, another National Trust site. They run tours every 20–30 minutes, lasting around 45 minutes. There’s also a tea room here for a drink and a short break – it’s a lovely, quiet spot and a great place to hide from the wind if the weather turns.
St Margaret’s Bay
From the lighthouse, the path drops sharply gradually down into St Margaret’s Bay.
St Margaret’s is a small, tucked-away bay with a few interesting stops. There’s The Pines Garden and Museum, a peaceful place to stretch your legs, and the Coastguard Pub, which sits right on the beach. We stopped here for a soft drink, watching the waves crash against the shingle. In summer, there’s usually an ice cream van parked nearby too.
Kingsdown and Walmer
Leaving St Margaret’s Bay, is the steepest section of the day – a set of steps that make the thighs burn but don’t last long.
We followed the path along the cliffs, past the golf course and some farm land, towards Kingsdown. The views across the Channel were beautiful – on a clear day, you can even make out France in the distance. And I was surprised to see that my phone had automatically skipped an hour ahead, thinking I was in France.
In Kingsdown, we stopped again at The Zetland Arms, a much-loved pub right on the beach. It’s one of those places that feels perfectly placed for walkers – a quick pint (John) and glass of chenic blanc (me) and a sea breeze before the final stretch.
From here, the route is flat and easy, following Kingsdown Road past pretty seaside houses and on towards Walmer. I loved imagining which house I’d own if I had the choice.
We didn’t stop this time, but Walmer Castle is open to visitors and looks worth a detour if you have the energy.
Arriving in Deal
The final section from Walmer to Deal is a relaxed stroll along the promenade, with the sea on your left and rows of colourful beach huts on your right. It’s a gentle ending to a beautiful walk.
In Deal, we wandered out to the pier, a sleek, modern structure with a café at the end – the view back to Deal here is delightful. There’s another castle here too, Deal Castle, built by Henry VIII, which rounds off the day nicely for anyone with a bit of stamina left.
Instead, we explored the back streets of Deal, stopping by the Kings Head for a drink and fish and chips on the beach.
You can find our guide to the best things to do in Deal here.
Getting There and Back
There are direct train services to Dover from London and from other stations in Kent. The train station (Dover Priory) is about 10 minutes walk to the sea front to start the walk.
For the return journey we jumped on a 15 minute train to Dover, then connected for our return journey. There are a few direct trains to London Charing Cross from Deal, or you can change at Ashford to pick up the highspeed to St Pancras.
If you’re driving, it’s easy to park in Dover and return by train from Deal – the journey takes about 15 minutes.
More of the Kent coast
- Best towns to visit on the Kent coast
- Walking from Ramsgate to Margate
- Best things to do in Margate
- Things to do in Hastings for a lovely weekend
- Romantic things to do in Kent for couples
Written by Emma
Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.
British travel writer and long-distance hiker, native to Kent. Emma has walked the Camino de Santiago more than ten times, completed trails across Europe from the Corfu Trail to the Fisherman’s Trail, and covered thousands of kilometres on foot. She always writes from first-hand experience. Her goal? Inspire just one person to go on their first long-distance hike.
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