St Margaret's Bay Walk

About

The beautiful St Margaret's Bay walk is a 4.7-mile circular walk (7.5km) with panoramic views across the channel.  The walk combines stretches of the Saxon Shore Way with the King Charles III England's Coastal Path. Look out for South Foreland Lighthouse, the statue of Winston Churchill, and the whitewashed house at the end of the beach where Ian Fleming is said to have written Moonraker.

• From the car park, walk past the Coastguard Pub with its 300 years of history and back up Bay Hill.
• Bear to the left and look out for the Savon Shore Way signs, which will take you along Beach Road, past Pines Gardens.  
• The path will then take you through Lighthouse Down and past South Foreland Lighthouse (National Trust). 
• Once past the lighthouse, follow along Lighthouse Road towards the village of St Margert's de Cliffe. 
• Cross the main road and continue along The Droveway to pick up the footpath heading across fields toward the Free Down.
• At the bottom of the valley, continue past a former gun position and along the cliff tops to Fan Bay Deep Shelter - a series of tunnels constructed during World War II as accommodation for Fan Bay Battery artillery battery (National Trust).
• At the end of the walk, the shingle beach of St Margaret's Bay is just a five-minute downhill stroll.

General walk details:-

• This walk is located a short distance from the village of St Margaret's at-Cliffe.
• Takes approx 3 hours
• Car parking is available at St Margaret's Bay 
• Highlights also include the cross-channel gun positions, views of the White Cliffs, and, on a clear day, the French coast.
• Much of this walk is on easy, quiet roads; some sections involve descending and ascending, especially from and to St. Margaret's Bay.  The route also involves a long flight of steps.