Walks near Folkestone by train
Stations: Folkestone West · Folkestone Central
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Folkestone and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Folkestone.
Margate to Broadstairs (Kent)
1 hour from Folkestone Central, with one change.
Beginner-friendly: Just keep the sea on your left and follow it to Broadstairs.
Coastal: almost all along the coast.
Time: 3h–6h
1 lunch spot: the Captain Digby (1h30–3h in)
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Tartar Frigate, the Neptune's Hall, Siam Kitchen, the Magnet Micropub, or the Prince Albert
Warnings: Very popular and busy.
Adapted from: Railwalks.
Dover Priory to Deal (Kent)
15 minutes direct from Folkestone Central.
Highly recommended: Clifftop chalk paths, two significant climbs, level pebble beach coastpath, open sea views and historic town.
Coastal: almost all along the coast.
Dover Castle: A vast medieval fortress overlooking the port and the Channel to France.
Time: 5h30–11h
3 lunch spots: Saint Margarets Bay (3h–6h in) — the Pines Tea Room, or the bay kiosk; plus Walmer Castle and Gardens (3h–6h in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Port Arms, the Sir Norman Wisdom, or the Queen Street Tap
Warnings: Mobile may switch networks.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 2.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club, Walking Post (inc. GPX) and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Charing to Chilham (Kent)
30 minutes from Folkestone West, with one change.
Highly recommended
Woodland: a third under tree cover.
Time: 4h30–9h
2 lunch spots: the Flying Horse (2h–3h30 in), or Perry Court Tea Room (2h–3h30 in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Chilham Square, the White Horse, Chilham, or the Woolpack Inn, Chilham
Warnings: Penultimate section of the Pilgrim's Way to Canterbury.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Chilham to Canterbury East (Kent)
30 minutes from Folkestone West, with one change.
Highly recommended
Time: 3h–6h
2 lunch spots: Chilham (30m–1h in) — the Chilham Square, or the Star Inn
5 end-of-walk rewards: the Monument, the Unicorn Inn, the West Gate Inn, the Carpenters Arms, or the Old Buttermarket
Warnings: A fifth urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Winchelsea to Hastings (Sussex)
45 minutes from Folkestone West, with one change.
Highly recommended
Coastal: three quarters along the coast.
Time: 4h–8h30
2 lunch spots: the New Beach Club (1h30–3h in), or the Cove (2h–4h in)
8 end-of-walk rewards: the Jolly Fisherman, the Lord Nelson, the Royal Standard, the London Trader, the Hastings Arms, Ye Olde Pumphouse, the Cutter, or the Albion
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Yalding to Sevenoaks (Kent)
1 hour from Folkestone West, with one change.
Highly recommended: Undulating Kent farmland, orchards, bluebell woods, greensand escarpment and deer park.
Knole House: enormous aristocratic estate, associated with the Bloomsbury Group; well worth a visit but consumes a day in itself.
Time: 6h–12h
3 lunch spots: the Swan on the Green (1h30–3h in), the Kentish Rifleman (2h30–5h in), or Ightham Mote café (3h30–7h in)
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Hastings to Rye (Sussex)
45 minutes from Folkestone West, with one change.
Highly recommended: Clifftop coastal path, steep climbs, remote naturist beach, flat marshland, ancient hilltop towns and panoramic viewpoints.
Coastal: three fifths along the coast.
Time: 5h30–11h30
Warnings: Crumbly cliff edges.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Reverse direction: Railwalks.
Ramsgate to Margate (Kent)
45 minutes direct from Folkestone Central.
Recommended: Low chalk cliffs, sandy bays and coves, cliff-top grassland, seaside promenades and historic coastal towns.
Coastal: nine tenths along the coast.
Kingsgate Bay: A chalk-cliff cove on the Thanet coast near Broadstairs, framed by a natural sea arch.
Time: 4h30–9h
2 lunch spots: the Royal Victoria Pavilion (30m–1h30 in), or Forts Café (1h30–3h30 in)
2 end-of-walk rewards: the Mechanical Elephant, or the Cinque Ports
Warnings: Very popular and busy. Check tide timings.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Walking Post (inc. GPX).
Chilham Circular via Chilham (Kent)
30 minutes from Folkestone West, with one change.
Downland escarpment, upland fields, woods, bluebell woods, country estate and a hilltop village.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Rye Circular via St Mary the Virgin (Sussex)
45 minutes from Folkestone West, with one change.
Medieval hilltop town, reclaimed marshland, shingle beach, saline lagoons, freshwater gravel pits, reedbeds, riverside embankments and coastal nature reserve.
Time: 3h30
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Canterbury East Circular via Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve (Kent)
45 minutes from Folkestone Central, with one change.
Flat Kent countryside, arable fields, woods, ancient villages, oast houses, polytunnel farms and riverside.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Yalding Circular via Yalding (Kent)
1 hour from Folkestone West, with one change.
Flat riverside paths, farmland fields, orchards, quiet lanes and a floodplain.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).