Walking and camping on the North Downs Way
The North Downs Way is a 153-mile national trail tracing the chalk downs that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the cliffs at Dover in Kent. Our pop-up campsite at Cole Farm is less than a mile off the route at Paddlesworth. If you’re tackling the whole route, it makes for a handy stopping off point the day before the last stint to Dover (12 miles to the finish line)! Walking the whole route is a 10 to 14-day endeavour but if a fortnight on foot sounds a bit much, there are still ways to enjoy it. How about a weekend of camping on the North Downs Way so you can take on a shorter section?
Shorter walks on the North Downs Way
From our site at Cole Farm you can set out to the east on the North Downs Way and you’ll soon find yourself on the hills above Folkestone. After five miles you reach the cliffs at Capel and the Battle of Britain Memorial. There’s a tearoom on site and, a little further along the track, a clifftop café with stunning sea views too. You can head back on foot, catch a bus to Folkestone or continue to reach the seafront at Dover. Alternatively, set out west on the North Downs Way from our site and you can make Tolsford Hill your destination. It’s a hilly but lovely two miles to this local landmark which is topped with a late 1950s concrete telecommunications tower. There are more great views from this spot – and there’s a pub just down the road at Etchinghill too.
Maps, advice and resources
Pete and I have walked the length of the North Downs Way and are especially familiar with the sections around Pete’s Field. We think the stint from Capel to Dover is the very best part of the whole trail so feel lucky to have found a place for our campsite so close to it. We’re always happy to talk with campers who fancy a walk and have an OS Map on site, that we’re happy to share – but serious walkers should bring their own (in case someone else has nabbed it first)! The National Trail Official Map AZ for Walkers is the best one if you’re walking Farnham to Dover – but if you plan on shorter walks, closer to camp, OS Explorer Map 138 for Folkestone, Hythe and Dover should do the trick. The official North Downs Way National Trail website has lots more information too.
Come camping and walking
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