Braving inclement weather to visit Kent’s beautiful coast, Susan Taylor fulfilled her dream of walking on the White Cliffs

STORM ALEX WAS on the way, and we were booked to stay at Kingsdown International Camping Centre, roughly halfway between Dover and Deal, on the gorgeous Kent coast.

After gazing back at those famous white cliffs from the deck during many a ferry crossing, I was looking forward to getting closer and walking on the clifftops, but the storm was threatening to put paid to my long-cherished plans.

However, I have never been one to let a little storm get in the way! Armed with hot chocolate, cold beers, cards and board games, my husband and I arrived at the campsite on a grey Saturday.

“Just look at that amazing view!” I said. “You really can see all the way across the Channel to France.”

“Just look at that mud!” groaned my husband. “I’m not sure how we’ll get back out of this field.”

Views over the Channel

We were pitched in splendid isolation at the far end of the site, looking out over the English Channel and yes, we could just make out Calais 20-odd miles away.

Kingsdown – which accepts caravans up to 6.5m in length – provides a huge grassy field with electric pitches around the edge, so everyone has a sea view. There are also plenty of non-electric pitches, but no hardstanding. The site is ideally located, almost on the beach, and within walking distance of plenty of English history.

Unfortunately, we found the gate leading to Kingsdown Beach locked, because of the campsite’s Covid-secure precautions, but it was still an easy 10-minute walk out of the site and along the footpath.

This is an excellent beach for walking, but probably not the best for families with very young children, because it is shingle and it shelves quite steeply – although there are plenty of interesting rockpools to explore at low tide.