Walk From Dover To Deal (With a Stroller): White Cliffs Views, Detours, and What I’d Do Differently

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Another day, another walk. I’d been wanting to see the famous White Cliffs of Dover for ages. Can you imagine — it was my first time in Dover. I felt like I was missing out, so I was genuinely excited to walk from Dover to Deal.

There are a couple of things worth mentioning before we start.

Because our kiddo was too small to walk the full distance, we took a stroller. That meant we often had to abandon cliff-edge paths and follow roads instead. Only later did I realise there are more cliff paths than I thought that are stroller-friendly.

Since we didn’t follow the “proper” route, I wasn’t sure if I should write about it at all. The trip felt like a bit of a fail. But I decided to share it anyway — partly as a practical guide, and partly as a reminder that “different” doesn’t equal “worse”.

If you’re doing this walk with a stroller, remember this: you can absolutely make it work — but expect a few detours, gates, and the odd road section.

Walk from Dover to Deal (at a glance)

The walk from Dover to Deal turned out to be around 11.37 miles (18.3 km) and took us 5 hours 17 minutes. It’s part of the Saxon Shore Way and covers the main White Cliffs of Dover section.

The route takes you past:

• three castles
• a lighthouse
• plenty of cliff-top views
• a couple of villages before Deal

Let’s go.

Arriving at Dover

We arrived at Dover train station and headed through the town centre to the main road, where we turned left. After walking alongside Townwall Street, we took East Cliff Road. It leads along a backstreet of houses with beautiful (and very high) cliffs behind them.

The road quickly turned into a narrow path (Dame Vera Lynn Way) with views of the Port of Dover. It runs underneath the cliffs and has a warning about falling rocks, which made me second-guess whether we were going the right way up to the cliff tops.

The path ends with a lot of steep steps — definitely one of the toughest parts of the walk, especially with a stroller and a little one. The views are interesting though. I’d never seen a ferry port before, so it felt like a proper “oh, wow” moment.

When you reach the top of the stairs, don’t forget to look behind you.

White Cliffs of Dover walk

Here’s the first “mistake” we made: I missed the gate to the path that runs right along the cliff edge, so we walked along the road instead. Hopefully we didn’t miss too much.

We followed a wide gravel path, but it turned into a narrow muddy track fairly quickly. It was difficult with a stroller, but not impossible. At one point we almost turned back to look for another route. The views were definitely worth the trouble.

We kept walking, admiring the White Cliffs of Dover and the green valley ahead. Then we realised the only way down was via steep stairs. Only my little one was delighted.

The good news: the hardest part of the walk was over.

From there, the path became much more comfortable with a stroller. We chose a route a little further from the cliff edge, and there was a fence alongside it — which meant our little one could run without me hovering every second.

The views were genuinely mesmerising. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see France because there was fog on the horizon. I can see France regularly from Ramsgate (and sometimes from Deal), so I was curious how it looks from Dover. Another reason to do this walk again on a really clear day, isn’t it?

South Foreland Lighthouse

Once we reached South Foreland Lighthouse, we found ourselves in a pickle: the gates weren’t wide enough for a stroller. We had to ask someone to help us lift it over a fence.

I think it took us around 2.5 hours to get to this point, mostly because our little one walked for about half of that time. Google says you can reach this section in under 1.5 hours, so yes — we were moving slowly.

It was worth it, but it took a toll on me physically and mentally. I was exhausted and on the verge of giving up.

St Margaret’s Bay and St Margaret’s at Cliffe

That’s why we made another “mistake”: we started walking towards St Margaret’s Bay instead of looking for a route closer to the sea.

We found a slightly hidden public footpath at the entrance to the village. It goes through fields and takes you from St Margaret’s Bay to St Margaret’s at Cliffe.

This is where I was so tempted to give up and head to the nearest train station at Martin Mill. At that point, a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) walk sounded much better than the 5.7 miles (9.2 km) we still had left to reach Deal.

But I didn’t walk this far just to give up now.

We turned right from High Street into Kingsdown Road and continued. The village isn’t perfect for a stroller — there’s no pavement at one point — so take care.

Otherwise, St Margaret’s at Cliffe looked like a lovely little village. I was surprised (again) by how quiet and beautiful some parts of Kent are once you leave the usual spots.

Walk to Kingsdown

Kingsdown Road felt so comfortable after cliffs and muddy tracks. I was relieved to discover we could follow it towards Deal, although there’s no pavement alongside.

Part of the road is closed to cars and the rest is fairly quiet — it only leads to a few houses and a golf club. I felt slightly uncomfortable at times with the stroller, but I didn’t feel unsafe. The views were gorgeous, and the valley looked unreal.

We saw horses on the way and even spotted Otty Bottom Cottage, which looks like it might be a wedding venue. I couldn’t find much about it online, but it looked like a perfect little weekend getaway spot.

We were thrilled to see the beach at the end of the road. I’d love to do the Kingsdown stretch on the beach next time — but with a stroller, it wasn’t really an option.

Kingsdown to Walmer

We continued through Kingsdown and turned right onto Boundary Road. This route was marked as more family-friendly, which was exactly what we needed.

We continued our walk from Dover to Deal alongside Wellington Parade. This section was mentally tough because we could see Ramsgate’s white chalk cliffs and Deal Pier in the distance (and “nearly there” can be the longest part). Time slowed down.

Just before we entered Walmer, we saw Walmer Castle on our left. I was surprised by how many people were out walking. Even though the sun was shining, it was windy and cold.

Arriving at Deal

The path from Walmer to Deal had cute beach huts, boats, and colourful buildings — much more pleasant for me.

Soon we reached Deal Castle (the third castle of the walk). This one looked much more interesting than Walmer Castle. I’d love to tour it one day. I couldn’t resist taking a picture.

Less than 10 minutes later, we arrived at Deal Pier. We were starving and tired, so we headed straight back to the train station rather than staying on the beach. Our train was due in a few minutes, so the timing was perfect.

Logistic for the Dover to Deal walk

Start	Dover
Finish	Deal
Distance	11.37 miles (18.3 km) Distance depends on the exact paths you follow.
Time	around 3.5 – 5 hours (longer with a stroller + kid breaks)
How to get to Dover (and back from Deal)	The easiest way to get to Dover from London is a direct train from St Pancras International (around 1 hour). If you’re travelling locally, there are also direct trains and buses from Herne Bay, Canterbury, Thanet, Folkestone, and other towns. The same applies from Deal, although it takes around 1.5 hours to get from Deal to London by train.
Recommended tide times app	Tide times (iOS/Android)

More walks along the South East England Coast Path

• Margate to Broadstairs — 6 miles (9.7 km), part of the Viking Coastal Trail (sandy beaches + chalk cliff views).
• Ramsgate to Margate — 10.25 miles (16.5 km), also on the Viking Coastal Trail. I did this one with a stroller too, and it was a completely different experience.

Dover to Deal walk map

Can you see France from Dover?

Yes — you can see France from Dover on a clear day, but you need to be up on the cliffs. Even though the sky was clear for most of our walk, fog on the horizon limited visibility and we couldn’t see it that day. I’ve seen France from Ramsgate and Deal multiple times though.

Are there white cliffs in Deal?

No — there aren’t any cliffs in Deal. The nearest white cliffs are around Kingsdown (and you can also spot Ramsgate’s chalk cliffs from Deal on a clear day).