The Walk: This walk is only possible when the MOD Lydd Range has a 'no-firing' day and the red flags are down. We walk along the huge Camber Sands Beach to Jury's Gap. We then access the Range coastal track and beach normally out of bounds to the public, and walk all the way to the Nuclear Power Stations on the shingle headland at Dungeness.
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| The concrete track along Lydd Ranges 'sea front' |
Route
NB The map shows my route, with various diversions and excursions which you may not wish to follow precisely.
Starting from the Central Car Park at Camber Sands, take either the wide concrete track along the sea wall or the sandy beach (a vast expanse at low tide) to the cottages at Jury's Gap. Here, provided the red flags are not flying, bypass the boulder embankment and locked gates of Lydd Ranges by descending the wooden stairs to, and walking along, the short beach (low tide required). (The alternative inland route following the official England Coast Path is shown in RED.)
There are two options to traverse the Range sea frontage: along the shingle beach, or following the range service track, concrete for about 1.3 miles, then a shingle covered track. Both routes converge where a byway comes down to the sea: from there it is a shingle slog along the beach past the Nuclear Power Stations to meet the road at the two lighthouses and the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway (RHDR) Station.
Follow the road to finish at the Pilot Inn on the outskirts of Lydd-on-Sea.
Back at Camber Sands, the map also shows a route along the East bank of the River Rother channel: the connecting paths to Rye are currently (2024) closed due to flood defence works.
Why do it?
This is a walk of contrasts, from the bustling resort and impressive sandy beach at Camber Sands, along the remote, deserted coast of the Lydd Ranges, with its backdrop of ruined buildings and burned out armoured vehicles, past the huge behemoths that are the Dungeness A and B Nuclear Power Stations (currently being decommissioned), and ending on the Dungeness cuspate shingle headland, home to a National Nature Reserve, two lighthouses ('Old' and 'New'), the terminus of the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, and now-trendy fishing shacks, including Derek Jarman's Prospect Cottage and garden.
And if you like shingle, this is the one for you.
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| The Dungeness Nuclear Power Stations A and B, now being decommissioned |
Logistics:
Start: Park at one of the car parks at Camber Sands (charge). By train, you could walk from Rye Station along the Rother River and onto the Camber Sands, but the first half of this route is currently (October 2024) closed and diverted due to flood defence work on the river bank.
Finish: Pilot Inn, at the end of the Dungeness access road. There is a bus stop nearby for buses back to Camber (change at Lydd or New Romney may be necessary). Or, from Dungeness RHDR station (if operating), get a train to New Romney, then pick up the 102 bus to Camber. Or you could call a taxi from the Inn - try Compass Taxis of Rye.
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| The walk ends at the Pilot Inn |
Distance: 10.5 miles
Challenges:
This walk can only be done on one of the relatively infrequent no-firing days for the Lydd Ranges: Google 'MOD Lydd Ranges firing times' or similar. If red flags are flying or red lights lit up, do not enter. It is possible to follow the official England Coast Path inland via Lydd, although this somewhat defeats the object of a coast path, and includes a roadside pavement as far as Lydd.
It is easy to walk along the massive sea wall from Camber Sands to Jury's Gap, but it is nice to have the option of walking on firm sand and bypassing the tall breakwaters on the massive expanse of Camber Sands beach exposed at low tide.
A low tide is also necessary to allow access to the Lydd Ranges. The range gate is kept locked, and the range should strictly be accessed only by a set of wooden steps down onto the foreshore, then along a narrow strip of beach to bypass the massive boulders piled against the sea wall in the vicinity of the guard house. Said steps and beach will be covered at high tide, and even at 'mid tide' when I did it, the base of the steps were awash, requiring a deft manoeuvre through the step railings to avoid getting my boots wet.
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| Steps down to the beach at Jury's Gap awash |
It may be possible to climb over the concrete wall at the range gates, and scramble along a few meters of boulders to the other side of the guard compound. But I haven't tried it.
The allowed route along the range coast is unclear. There would appear to be two options:
First, the official footpath shown on OS maps, but this runs below the high water line, and I imagine is rarely exposed. The de facto interpretation seems to be to follow the shingle as close to the waterline as possible. Anyway, it is inevitably quite laborious. (A very low (Spring) tides may also expose some sandy beach, which would provide a welcome alternative to slogging along the shingle.)
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| Lydd Ranges beach |
Second, to follow the range coastal track. This starts from Jury's Gap as a good concrete road, but this runs out after 1.3 miles, then becomes a track covered in places with deep shingle, which is heavy going.
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| The concrete track (the power stations on the horizon are about 5 miles away) |
The golden rule is not to stray onto the range proper on the landward side of the obvious official track - which is lined by 'Keep Out' signs.
The Nuclear Power Stations at Dungeness are visible from Jury's Gap onwards, but seem deceptively near: in reality they are initially 5 miles away.
Both routes converge where a public byway track comes down to the sea, ending in a small car park. From here, the shingle beach is the only option to finally pass out of the MOD Ranges and head past the Nuclear Power Stations to reach welcome firm tarmac at the Lighthouses.
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| Where the public byway heads down to the sea |
The necessity to get the right combination of no-firing days, low tide, daylight, good weather and transport is inevitably constraining.
Refreshments:
Beach cafes and bars at Camber Sands.
'End of the Line' cafe at the RHDR Dungeness station.
Britannia Pub near the new lighthouse.
Fish Snack Shack on the Dungeness access road.
Pilot Inn
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| Beach cafe at Camber Sands |
Nearby Walks:
For an overview map of all my coastal walks, see this Page.
To the West: Hastings to Rye
To the East: Dungeness to Hythe (which I have yet to do), and Folkestone to Dover
A cycle ride including Dungeness, the inland route and Camber Sands is described in this blog, Dover to Rye along the Cantii Way.
More Photos
Sunny day in late October
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| Camber Sands |
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| Camber Sands |
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| Camber sea defences |
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| Camber sea wall |
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| Camber sea wall |
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| Beach narrows approaching Jury's Gap |
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| Jury's Gap |
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| Gates to Lydd Ranges at Jury's Gap are locked even on no-firing days |
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| The boulders at Jury's Gap must be bypassed via the small beach |
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| Steps down to the beach |
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| Jury's Gap from 'inside' the Ranges |
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| Buildings used for military training |
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| Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm |
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| Looking back to Jury's Gap, Fairlight headland on the horizon |
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| There are several shot up vehicles on the Ranges |
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| South Brooks lakes (you cross into Kent round about here) |
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| Lydd Ranges shingle beach |
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| Another shot-up vehicles on the shingle track |
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| Pylons leading to/from the Nuclear Power Stations (the massive tower of Lydd Church is a landmark rising from the shingle desert) |
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| More shingle on the approach to the Power Stations (still over a mile away) |
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| At the Denge Marsh Sewer outfall (I think 'sewer' is a local term for the drainage ditches) |
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| The Eastern edge of the Military Training Area |
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| Pylons marching over the shingle desert |
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| Wooden 'X', presumably a marker for shipping |
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| The shingle 'bund' to protect the power stations from flooding by the sea |
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| The shingle is constantly being moved to maintain the bund |
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| The 'Old' (left) and 'New' lighthouses at Dungeness |
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| End of the Line cafe at the RHDR Dungeness Station |
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| The New lighthouse (whose foghorn is frequently activated due to the haze which often hangs over the headland) |
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| Popular Fish Snack Shack |
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| Derek Jarman's Cottage and Garden |
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| Poem is 'The Sun Rising' by John Donne ('Busy old fool, unruly sun....') |
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| Upmarket 'shack' |
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| Camber Sands - huge beach at low tide |
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| Path beside the Rother |
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