Jane S's Downs, woodlands and wildlife of Dover, 9 miles, moderate.

This is a 9 mile circular walk through the chalk downland and woodlands near Dover. It starts in the village of Temple Ewell, in the free Kent Wildlife Trust car park, behind the former George & Dragon pub. From the car park we will head through the Lydden Temple Ewell National Nature Reserve, which is owned and managed by the wildlife conservation charity, Kent Wildlife Trust. This site is one of the largest areas of chalk grassland habitat left in Kent and supports many rare species of plants and insects, including the early spider orchid, the Adonis blue butterfly and the wartbiter bush cricket. The walk then heads through MOD training grounds, after which we will arrive in the village of Alkham, after the first 8 miles. We will have a picnic lunch at the Alkham recreation ground, and a drink in the Marquis of Granby pub in the village, if people wish to do so. We then continue through more Wildlife Trust and MOD woodlands and downland until we return to the car park. There are toilets and a cafe at the nearby Kearsney Abbey gardens approximately half a mile away.

No dogs please due to walking through sensitive sites for wildlife.

Please note that there is a £2 payment required for non-Ramblers members to help cover our Meetup costs. Please help the walk leader by bringing the exact change.
Members of the Ramblers Association are welcome on any of our walks, but we would still encourage you to RSVP on Meetup. This will give our volunteer walk leaders an idea of how many are attending, and also to keep the numbers manageable. If, on the day of the walk, you are still on the waiting list and a Ramblers member, you can attend just let the walk leader know you are coming by adding a comment 'Coming as a Rambler'. You will find the start location via our website Our Walks (westkentwalkinggroup.org.uk).