Butterflies Over Dover

An exhilarating trail over Dover's famous white cliffs.

Distance 5.5 miles (8.8km)

Minimum time 2hrs 30min

Ascent/gradient 131ft (40m)

Level of difficulty Medium

Paths Chalky cliff paths, some sections of road

Landscape Grassy clifftops with extensive sea views

Suggested map aqua3 OS Explorer 138 Dover, Folkestone & Hythe

Start/finish TR 321412

Dog friendliness Good, but best to start from clifftop car park with a dog

Parking Russell Street and St James Lane, also on cliffs by National Trust tea room

Public toilets Dover and National Trust tea room

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Directions
Background
Information

1 From the tourist information centre on the front, walk to the right and at a roundabout go up Bench Street. At a crossing turn left into the market square. Dover Museum is just to the left. Turn up the road on the right. Keep going to St Mary's Church and then turn right along the path that runs beside the church. Keep ahead through the car park, cross some water and come out on to Maison Dieu Road.

2 Turn right here, and then left, steeply, up Castle Hill Road. Eventually pass the entrance to Dover Castle. Further on, just past Connaught Barracks, turn right along Upper Road, signed 'Blériot Memorial'.

3 Cross the bridge over the main road and then take the footpath on the right. Go down some steps, fork left and, in a few paces, fork right. Continue on this track and eventually emerge from the scrub to see the sea.

4 Turn left here, walk up some steps, with docks on your right. At a National Trust car park follow the Saxon Shore Way down to the right and over the cliffs. Continue past the coastguard station to a gate.

5 The path now continues along the cliffs and up to South Foreland Lighthouse. Some of the tracks branch off and lead very close to the cliffs - but there is a danger of cliff falls so keep to the main route. You may see some Exmoor ponies on this part of the walk. They've been introduced to the cliffs to graze the rare chalk downland and help preserve the habitat.

6 At South Foreland Lighthouse turn around and retrace your steps along the cliff - no hardship when you have these views. You can take the upper path here and walk past the National Trust tea room if you fancy stopping for tea. Otherwise continue down the steps and walk under the main road. Go along Athol Terrace, past the First and Last pub, and up on to the main road and back to the start point.

Go on, admit it. As soon as you saw that this walk took you over those famous white cliffs you came over all Vera Lynn and hummed, 'There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover,' to yourself. It's okay, practically everyone who walks here does the same at some point. Yet while this distinctive landmark is known all over the world and is seen as a symbol of England, few people realise that it is also an important wildlife habitat - so important that it supports species that are rarely found elsewhere in the country.

The cliffs, which are made of chalk, are topped with a thin, porous soil that has been grazed by animals for hundreds of years, creating what is known as chalk downland. Grazing stops coarse grasses and scrub invading the land and creates the ideal environment for hundreds of wild flowers to flourish. And while the early farmers didn't realise it, they were creating unique plant communities. While you're walking, keep your eyes peeled for plants like horseshoe vetch, early spider orchid and yellow rattle that gets its name from the seed pods that rattle in the wind. And with wild flowers, of course, come butterflies - particularly those wonderful blue ones that you so rarely see these days. Look out for the silvery chalkhill blue and the gorgeous sapphire Adonis blue. I even spotted a butterfly here in December. It wasn't close enough to identify, but it was a cheering sight nonetheless.

Other wild creatures of the cliffs include adders (you're unlikely to see one, they hide from people), slow worms (not a snake but a legless lizard), common lizards and birds such as fulmars, peregrine falcons and skylarks - no bluebirds though.

Unfortunately modern farming methods have led to a 98 per cent decline in chalk downland and with it, of course, a similar decline in the plants and animals it supports. In an attempt to halt this decline, the National Trust has introduced Exmoor ponies to the white cliffs. These hardy little ponies eat the coarse grasses that would otherwise invade the land, and so allow the wild flowers to grow.

While you're there

Dover Castle was built by the Normans after the Conquest in 1066 to control the native population. But the site, high above the sea, has an even more ancient history. There was an Iron-Age hill fort here and the Romans used the site to defend this part of their empire. Inside the castle you can see the remains of the Pharos, a beacon, which helped to guide the Roman fleet into the harbour.

What to look for

Early on in this walk you'll pass a sign for the Blériot Memorial and, as it's only a short distance off the main route, it's worth a visit. The memorial commemorates the first successful flight across the English Channel. The Daily Mail set a challenge to early aviators offering £1,000 to the first person who could cross the Channel by plane. The prize was won by Frenchman Louis Blériot (1872-1936), who flew from France on 25 July 1909 in a single-engined plane and crash-landed not far from Dover Castle. The flight lasted 37 minutes.

Where to eat and drink

The National Trust tea room on the cliffs is the best place to stop. You can get tea, scones and cakes or something more substantial, like a hot sandwich.