Samphire Hoe

If you find yourself on the A20 leaving Dover, Kent and you see a sign for Samphire Hoe pointing to a dark tunnel, take it. Venturing down this subterranean tube will bring you to 30 hectares of triumph to man's ingenuity, the country park of Samphire Hoe.

Construction started in the late 80s with sheet pilling creating huge lagoons. These were then filled with nearly 50 million cubic metres of chalk marl (it preserves fossils) from the newly excavated Channel Tunnel.

After landscaping, seeding and the building of visitor amenities, the park was opened to the public in July 1997. Today, cows and sheep keep the meadows short but look closer and you will find over 200 plant types plus a plethora of birds and insect life.

The name Samphire Hoe comes from the Rock Samphire which still grows on the cliffs and was once a very popular side dish for meat. Hoe is an area of land that juts into the sea.

For the more adventurous the shoreline is accessible at low tide. Ask at the kiosk for tide times.