Samphire Hoe Beach – Beach in Dover

Key information

Pebble Beach

Toilets

Parking nearby

Cafes/ Restaurants

Nature Reserve

There are no known dog restrictions

Weather Forecast

Tide Times

Samphire Hoe Beach, Dover: Hidden Beach Below the White Cliffs

Samphire Hoe is a nature reserve and beach formed from Channel Tunnel excavation. Great for walking, birdwatching, and spotting marine wildlife along the Dover coast.

Samphire Hoe Nature Reserve is located south of Dover Harbour. It is accessible from the cliff top down through a short tunnel. There is a convenient car park with a cafe, toilets and an education centre. There are walkways along the sea wall and also through the grassland where you will find multiple lakes occupied by wildlife. Surrounding the reserve are huge majestic white cliffs.

The secluded shingle beach at the bottom of the cliff can be accessed from the nature reserve along the path by the sea wall. It provides peace from the busy Dover Harbour and Port. The shingle beach is rocky so is ideal for rockpooling and less than ideal for swimming. The reserve is luscious and biodiverse. Fishing and bird watching are popular activities due to the presence of a variety of wildlife.

History

The large amount of chalk and debris that was left over after excavating the tunnel had to be removed by engineers building the Channel Tunnel, which connects the UK and France beneath the English Channel.

Rather than being disposed of somewhere, the chalk that was unearthed was utilised to make Samphire Hoe. Chalk was deposited along a massive embankment that was built along the beach to recover the land from the water.

Samphire Hoe was constructed with great care to reduce its negative environmental effects. It has evolved into a distinct coastal environment throughout time. It is now home to several plant and animal species.

Samphire Hoe was finished and made public in 1997. With walking routes, fishing locations, and picturesque views of the English Channel and White Cliffs, it is currently used as a leisure area. Samphire Hoe is an excellent example of transforming industrial waste into a beautiful area for the general public to enjoy.