It attracts more than 1,000 walkers each year for a chance to see the county's east coast in all its glory.

The White Cliffs Walking Festival will have 42 different walks over its seven days this year, ranging from special interest ones of one or two miles to the 32-mile White Cliffs Challenge.

It will be the seventh annual walking festival organised by the White Cliffs Ramblers, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Last year’s walking festival attracted 1,200 walkers, who came from all over Kent and other parts of the South East, and beyond.

This year’s festival features 12 new walks, including Over The Downs (12 miles), taking in the downland above Ripple; From Coast to Downs (11 miles) visiting the countryside and historic villages around Deal and Walmer; and Beautiful Hythe and Beyond (five or 10 miles) taking in the area around Hythe.

Historical walks include the eight-mile Crimean Crime Mystery, which will recall a notorious murder in 1856, when two teenage Dover sisters were killed on the cliffs near Capel-le-Ferne. Their murderer was later caught, tried and hanged.

Other walks include three White Cliffs Panoramic Trails, a one-mile Carers’ Stroll for carers and those they care for, and a 2.8-mile walk for children.

The White Cliffs Challenge, put on for the festival by the Long Distance Walkers Association, is on Saturday, August 24. There are 32 and 18 mile routes, both starting from St Margaret’s.

At the other end of the walking scale there are six walks of 1-1.5 miles themed on Dover history, and there's also the Kearsney Loop, a new 2.5-mile trail, aimed at families, which was created following negotiations over access with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, part of the Ministry of Defence.

DETAILS

The White Cliffs Walking Festival runs from Thursday, August 22 to Wednesday. August 28. For a full programme and to book a place on a walk go to whitecliffswalkingfestival.org.uk

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