Dungeness

Dungeness is a cuspate foreland, a triangular mass of shingle built up by longshore drift over thousands of years and still growing eastward, and it is one of the largest such formations in Europe, designated a national nature reserve for the specialised plants and invertebrates that live on bare stone. There is no soil and no shelter. Scattered across it are timber cabins built by fishermen, some converted into houses, and two lighthouses, the old one of 1904 open to climb and a newer one of 1961 built when the power station blocked the light. Dungeness B, a nuclear station, dominates the horizon; it stopped generating in 2018 and was closed for good in 2021. The film-maker Derek Jarman lived in Prospect Cottage from 1986 and made a garden of flint, driftwood and salt-tolerant plants without any fence, which was bought for the nation in 2020.

What you'll find

• The shingle expanse - one of Europe's largest, with specialised bare-stone flora.
• Prospect Cottage - Jarman's black cabin and its unfenced driftwood garden.
• The two lighthouses - a 1904 tower open to climb and its 1961 replacement.
• The miniature railway - a fifteen-inch gauge line running from Hythe.

When to go

April to October; the headland is fully exposed with no shade or shelter and the wind is constant. Spring and autumn bring migrating birds to the RSPB reserve. Winter is bleak, which some come for.

Practical notes

There is no beach in the ordinary sense, only steep shingle. Prospect Cottage is a private house shown only on booked tours, and the garden is viewed from the road without entering. The power station is unavoidable in every view, which is part of the character or a spoiler depending on the visitor. Walking on the shingle is exhausting.

Nearby

Rye lies west; Romney Marsh and its churches spread inland.

Key facts