Walking in Deal Kent UK

Deal .... Kent's hidden gem

Nestling between the White Cliffs, the ‘golf coast’, the English Channel and the pretty East Kent countryside, Deal is one of Kent’s hidden gems.

The town really does have a great deal for walkers, proved by it becoming the first town in the entire South of England to receive Walkers Are Welcome status.

DEAL’S history has been linked firmly with the stretch of water it sits
alongside ever since Julius Caesar landed on Deal beach in 55BC.

Over the centuries it has been an important port, its three castles –
Deal, Walmer and Sandown – being built by Henry VIII to defend the
coast from the threat of invasion. Deal was granted its own Royal
Charter in 1699 and by the time of the Napoleonic wars, military
establishments were well developed in the town. The principal military
association has been the Royal Marines, whose School of Music was
transferred to Portsmouth in 1996.
The town has also been known for smuggling, mining – Betteshanger,
just outside Deal, was the last Kent pit to close in 1989 – and fishing.

Walks in Deal

The town’s seafront is a delight, full of interest and leading to the White Cliffs, which start a couple of miles on at Kingsdown. There is an excellent network of well maintained paths taking ramblers into the countryside, with Fowlmead Country Park only two miles away.

The long distance Saxon Shore Way passes through Deal; the town has its own walking festival; the White Cliffs Ramblers – the branch of the national Ramblers’ Association covering South and East Kent – was formed in Deal; and Fowlmead is the base for the 50-mile White Cliffs Challenge walk which is held every three years.

What’s more, the town has scores of pubs, guest houses, hotels and restaurants which welcome walkers.

Deal Welcomes Walkers

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Deal Welcomes Walkers PDF...