1st March 2025. The sun was rising over the sea as I set out from Deal. No harbour here, but plenty of boats pulled up onto the beach from where they traditionally launch. A long history here of watching over the treacherous Goodwin Sands, where many a ship has run aground. And ships can be seen out in the water beyond the sand bars that make Deal’s waters calm. Past Deal Castle, and Deal seamlessly merges into Walmer. Then Walmer Castle, official home of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. This was a walk of two halves. The first along flat beach. Then reaching the start of the chalk cliffs, around the base of which it is impossible to walk, particularly at high tide. So for the first time on this coastal odyssey, coast walking also became hill walking. Traversing the cliffs to reach Dover, with its seemingly constant stream of ferries entering and leaving the harbour. 11 miles.
