Best Places to Visit in Kent
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit in Kent are Abbot's Cliff Sound Mirror, St Andrews Lakes, Kings Wood Sculpture Trail, Samphire Hoe Beach, Hothfield Waterfall, Knights Templar and Walpole Tidal Pool.
Kent runs its white cliffs and North Downs down to the Channel, and its best places mix wartime relics, old ruins and open-air swimming. Above the sea between Folkestone and Dover stands the concrete dish of the Abbot's Cliff sound mirror, an early attempt to hear aircraft before radar, while nearby the reclaimed platform of Samphire Hoe, built from Channel Tunnel spoil, runs below Shakespeare Cliff.
On the Western Heights above Dover, the foundation ring of the Knights Templar church marks a spot tied to King John. For a swim there is the vast Walpole tidal pool at Margate and the flooded quarry lakes of St Andrews near Halling, and for a gentler day the sculpture-dotted paths of King's Wood near Challock and the small dammed cascade at Hothfield.
Some are grand set pieces, others quiet corners. Here are seven places to visit across Kent.
Abbot's Cliff Sound Mirror
Photo: Barry Hunter via Geograph.org.uk
Abbot’s Cliff Sound Mirror Long before radar, the plan was to hear enemy aircraft before you could see them, catching the drone of their engines out over the water in a great concrete dish. That is what this grey slab on the clifftop between Folkestone and Dover was for, its shallow bowl about six metres across, weathered and streaked and tilted toward the Channel.
Built in 1928, it was obsolete within a decade once radar arrived. A short walk along the cliff path from the old coast road brings you to it, with a small concrete structure alongside that once held listening equipment on a central pillar.
It stands alone now, sea below and the North Downs rolling away behind.
St Andrews Lakes
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
St Andrews Lakes is a set of flooded former quarry lakes near Halling, in the Medway valley of Kent, run as an open-water centre for swimming and watersports. The clear, deep water, left by old chalk and cement quarrying, is used for open-water swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, paddleboarding and sailing, with lessons and gear hire on site.
There is an inflatable aqua park with an obstacle course out on the water, along with waterside lodges and a small spa. It is a busy activity centre rather than a wild spot, popular on a warm day.
Kings Wood Sculpture Trail
Photo: Danny P Robinson via Geograph.org.uk
King's Wood is a large forest on the North Downs near Challock in Kent, once home to a trail of outdoor sculptures set among the trees. The art project that made and cared for the works closed in 2015, and because many were built of natural materials meant to decay, some have since crumbled back into the wood while others still stand.
Waymarked paths still lead through the forest, past the surviving pieces and the ghosts of others. Fallow deer live among the trees, which are open to walk and cycle.
Samphire Hoe Beach
Photo: Rose and Trev Clough via Geograph.org.uk
Samphire Hoe is a country park and nature reserve at the foot of Shakespeare Cliff, a couple of miles west of Dover, on a platform of land reclaimed from the sea. It was made in the 1990s from the chalk marl dug out during the building of the Channel Tunnel, whose trains still run through the cliff beneath it.
A shingle beach, a sea wall and grassy paths run below the white cliffs, rich in wildflowers such as the early spider orchid, with fishing off the wall and views out over the Channel. There is a cafe, toilets and a car park, and the reserve opens from early morning to dusk.
Hothfield Waterfall
Photo: Robin Webster via Geograph.org.uk
Hothfield Waterfall is a small man-made cascade at the village of Hothfield, near Ashford in Kent, made in the 1850s by damming springs to feed a lake on the old Hothfield estate. The water drops beside a road bridge on Waterfall Road, an easy roadside spot.
It lies apart from the nearby Hothfield Heathlands, a reserve of heath and bog. It is a modest, little-known feature rather than a natural fall.
Knights Templar
Photo: Michael Dibb via Geograph.org.uk
The Knights Templar Church is the low, foundation-only ruin of a small medieval chapel on the Western Heights above Dover. What survives is the outline of a round nave, the circular plan the Templars favoured, echoing their church in London, though some think it may instead have been a roadside shrine on the old road to Folkestone.
It was built in the twelfth century, and it is remembered as the likely spot where King John made his submission to the Papal Legate in 1213. It is a free English Heritage site, open in daylight on the open downland of the Heights, with uneven ground underfoot and wide views over the town and harbour.
Walpole Tidal Pool
Photo: Nigel Cox via Geograph.org.uk
Walpole Bay Tidal Pool is a large open-air seawater swimming pool built onto the chalk foreshore at Cliftonville, on the eastern edge of Margate. Three concrete walls enclose part of the beach, and the chalk itself forms the floor, with every high tide flooding and refreshing the water.
It covers around four acres and is free to use, with no lifeguards or admission. It opened in 1937 and is now a listed structure, still used daily by local sea swimmers.
FAQs
Where can you swim in Kent?
The Walpole Bay Tidal Pool at Cliftonville, Margate, is a vast four-acre seawater pool on the chalk foreshore, free to use and refreshed by every tide, still used daily by sea swimmers. St Andrews Lakes near Halling is a busier activity centre in flooded quarry lakes, with open-water swimming, diving and watersports and gear hire on site.
What is the Abbot's Cliff sound mirror?
The Abbot's Cliff sound mirror is a slab of grey concrete with a shallow bowl scooped into its face, standing on the cliff between Folkestone and Dover. Built in 1928, it was meant to catch the sound of approaching aircraft out over the Channel before they could be seen, an early attempt at air defence made redundant within about a decade once radar arrived.
Which places in Kent are good for a quiet walk?
King's Wood, a large forest on the North Downs near Challock, has waymarked paths past the remains of an old sculpture trail, with fallow deer among the trees. Samphire Hoe, below Shakespeare Cliff near Dover, has grassy paths and a sea wall below the white cliffs, rich in wildflowers, with a cafe and car park.
Conclusion
Kent runs its white cliffs and downs down to the Channel, with wartime relics, old ruins and open-air swimming along the way. Above the sea between Folkestone and Dover, the concrete dish of the Abbot's Cliff sound mirror once listened for aircraft, while the reclaimed platform of Samphire Hoe runs below Shakespeare Cliff, and the foundation ring of the Knights Templar church marks its spot on the Western Heights.
For a swim there is the vast Walpole tidal pool at Margate and the flooded lakes of St Andrews near Halling, and for a gentler day the sculpture paths of King's Wood and the small cascade at Hothfield. From concrete dish to seawater pool, these are the places to seek out across Kent.
