Kent

Monday 22nd June 2026 – back to Jurys Gap and Camber, then Winchelsea and Hastings….

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Another stunning day but with a little more breeze around so we decided to make an early dart and return to Jurys Gap and what a difference the tide makes….

An absolute gem of a beach at low tide – stretching all the way to Dungeness in one direction and Rye Harbour and Rye Nature Reserve Beach on the other side, in the other….

With the beautiful partly dune backed Camber Sands in the middle….

We really enjoyed our walk along the sea edge catching the refreshing breeze and slight cooling factor of the shallows (though they are indeed almost warm!) and it was a shame to move on but as it is getting very warm as we get into the early afternoon we need to press on albeit we are homeward bound from here. Our next and brief stop was to Winchelsea Beach and already here the sand is beginning to be lost to the now rising tide…

By the time we make it to our last stop in Hastings the sand has gone….

We had hoped to take a decent walk in Hastings as there are several beaches but suitable parking was in short supply and it really is too hot to be walking along the promenade – so I guess we shall have to come back at some point.

It was very hot by the time we got back to sight and we needed to open all the windows and doors to allow a through breeze – even the window I don’t usually open as the blind is broken and so it is a faff and guess where the coolest spot is this evening?….

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 74
  • Miles walked – 4
  • Beaches – 5
  • O/N – £11.10

Saturday 20th June 2026 – back to Kent for the day….

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A lovely day with a bit of cloud and breeze around to keep the temperatures comfortable and so getting a fairly early start we headed for Dymchurch and after a little bit of searching found somewhere to safely park the van as we went for a walk along the sea wall (at high tide there is no beach along this bit of coast) to enjoy the miles of uninterrupted and glorious sand….

We walked beyond the busy resort of Dymchurch to the next village beyond – St Marys Bay and it’s glorious beach stretching to the horizon and the silouette of Dungeness Power Station….

We then headed back to the van and drove down the coast towards Dungeness, stopping briefly at the pebbly beaches of Littlestone-on-Sea and Greatstone-on-Sea…

Parking up again at Dungeness we had a good wander around this beautiful yet barren landscape enjoying the New Lighthouse, Old Lighthouse and the quirky almost shanty type houses with no apparent structure to their location….

Even though you are very aware of the presence of the huge Nuclear Power Station the area has the feel of untamed wilderness – I found it quite magical, though I imagine on a bleak grey winters day it would be quite desolate….

The vast pebble beach was littered with sea anglers fishing and barbequeing and though remote there are several cafes and a pub all doing a grand trade on this fine Saturday afternoon….

The road ends here (which seems very appropriate) and so it was a bit of a detour around to rejoin the coast at Jury’s Gap just beyond a Military Base of some sort and by the time we arrived the beach had gone!!!….

A little further down the coast we had hoped to visit Camber Sands where some beach remains below the dunes but every available parking space was either gone or had a height restriction so we shall either have to try and get back here early next week or save Camber sands to another time. As we started to head back to site we spotted this pretty scene with the dunes of Camber and a golf course on one side of the road and a picture perfect farm scene on the other….

A lovely day out and some lovely walks.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 100
  • Miles walked – 5
  • Groceries – £30
  • O/N – £11.10

Monday 15th June 2026 – moving into East Sussex after a stop off at Folkestone….

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A bit more of a grey day today with some very half hearted attempts at rain first thing as we pack up and make ready to leave Canterbury and Kent behind.

First though we find parking on the seafront on the south side of Folkestone in Sandgate and walk along the promenade on Sandgate Beach heading northwards….

Passing Sandgate’s small castle….

Before rounding the headland onto Folkestone Beach, somewhat lost to the tide in places….

Folkestone Beach giving way to the deeper shingle Mermaid Beach which butts up to the Port….

The clouds here looked fairly dramatic but only produced a couple of spots of rain fortunately as we made our return to the van parked beyond Sandgate.

Moving on a couple of miles and stopping briefly on the seafront at Hythe to capture the beach….

Here the parking was chargeable so we decided to continue on our way to our next campsite another 40 or so miles along the coast in East Sussex at Normans Bay CCC and once we had arrived and were pitched, we crossed the road to explore our resident beach for the next week or so – Normans Bay Beach….

A nice bit of off lead time for Tilly and a nice bit of sea air to help us sleep!!

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 65
  • Miles walked – 6
  • Beaches – 5
  • O/N – £11.10 no EHU

Sunday 14th June 2026 – a coastal walk along the beaches and castles of Deal….

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Another fine walking day with the same gentle coastal breeze as yesterday. Today we continue our journey around the coast heading south and find seafront parking at the northern end of Deal by the site of the former Sandown Castle and at the start of the promenade.

Sandown shingle beach continues north for several miles to Pegwell Country Park just shy of Ramsgate backed by several golf courses along the way and southwards towards the coastal town of Deal….

Apart from the odd fisherman dotted along the shore, the beach is pretty deserted until we arrive near the centre of Deal where the beach becomes Deal Beach….

The town itself and the promenade are quite busy on this lovely Sunday afternoon as we continue our walk passing the Time Ball Tower a Victorian Maritime Signal Tower, now housing a museum – the time ball is mechanically programmed to rise up the mast at 5 to 1 and drops at 1pm every day (we are too late to see this) and a little further on is Deal Castle ….

Beyond the castle the beach is occupied by a few fishing boats and wild flowers and looking back on Kent’s last remaining fully intact pleasure pier….

Pressing on along the promenade we wander past the village of Walmer (now pretty much absorbed into Deal) to it’s castle….

And very deserted but prettily strewn with wild flowers, shingle beach which eventually leads to Kingsdown which is just a tad too far for us, as we make this our turning point and after a time on the beach, we head back to the van….

Another lovely long walk not exactly beach walking but promenade walking which has to be the second best type and easily preferable when the beach is shingle!

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 36
  • Miles walked – 7
  • Beaches – 3
  • Fuel – £99.63
  • Groceries – £51.71
  • O/N – £9.50

Saturday 13th June 2026 – a lovely walk along the Botany Bay Walking Trail….

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A perfect walking day for us today, a little cloud and breeze around making for comfortable walking conditions as we head back up to the coast just to the east of Margate and find free seafront parking in Cliftonville where we join the Botany Bay Walking Trail at Palm Bay Beach, a lovely sandy crescent shaped beach backed by white chalky cliffs….

The trail is actually along the tops of the cliffs but there is an undercliff walk for part of this trail, suitable for when the tide is out or at least when the seas are relatively calm and this was our choice today….

As the undercliff walk finished and we rejoined the upper cliff trail just before we reached the lovely wilder end of Botany Bay Beach….

Around a small headland the wider Bay of Botany Bay opened up….

Surprisingly quiet on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, we continued along the trail until Kingsgate Castle came into view….

Sitting high above the rather lovely Kingsgate Bay with it’s dramatic and perfectly formed chalk archway….

A little further along and the last bay on this section was Joss Bay, probably more popular because of it’s proximity to a car park – this was our turning point….

On returning to the van we drove a few short miles to Broadstairs where we opted for paid parking away from the seafront as it didn’t look like the seafront was as accessible and wandered down through the busy village to Stone Bay to the west and St Mary’s Bay still largely engulfed by the tide….

In the centre of. the town is Viking Bay, clearly the most popular….

Walking along the promenade to the east of town is the much quieter and equally sandy Louise Bay….

Our day is not done yet as we move further south and make a brief stop on the seafront in Ramsgate, choosing the north and quieter end of town to find free parking and walk from Winterstoke Gardens end along the top above Winterstoke Beach

And finally down onto Ramsgate Beach and back along the lower promenade….

A fabulous day, lots of lovely beaches and plenty of good walks.

Today’s stats:

  • Miles driven – 45
  • Miles walked – 9
  • Beaches – 10
  • C/P – £2.20
  • O/N – £9.50