A Well Trodden Path

White Cliffs is a National Trust stretch of the Kent coastal countryside, for the most part open to the elements and at this time of the year wild and barren…a guided tour is going to have to be a must for me to identify the shrubby growth that withstands the harsh winds that whip off the English Channel.  Pathways along Langdon Cliffs followed the coastline at various levels. We chose what I think was the middle one; a well trodden path with, for the first stage of the walk, had only a short drop to the next level before dropping to the sea.  The scrubby bushes along this route had vicious thorns and an orangey tinge to the new growth, making a thicket that sent the wind up and over rather than through the copses.

Lower path visible

It is a two-mile walk to South Foreland Lighthouse, something to save for a less windy and warmer day. We walked as far as Langdon Hole but many people could be seen way in the distance making their way along to the tearoom at the lighthouse. We turned back at Landon Hole and took a higher pathway; this proved to be more windy still where the grass lay almost flat in the wind…

Impossible to capture the conditions but the grass lay flat because of the wind

The return journey opened up long views across the channel and towards Dover castle...

Dover Castle

A welcome piece of carrot cake and a pot of tea back at the visitors centre finished our first visit to this lovely spot. We will be back often to see the wild flowers that abound later in the year.