Samphire Hoe

Created using the spoils excavated during the creation of the Channel Tunnel, Samphire Hoe was considered at the time to be the most environmentally friendly way to reuse the materials and it finally opened in 1997, three years after the tunnel.

Today it is a 30-hectare site which is a peaceful and calm place to be, with lots of flowers and birds to see. There are a variety of habitats in the park, thanks to the chalk landscape and proximity of the sea. You’ll find over 200 species of plants, 120 different kinds of birds and 30 species of butterflies. There is also livestock here with a number of cows and sheep grazing on the meadow. As a relatively recent area of land, new animals and plants are discovered here every year, so there is always something fresh to see and do.

As well as cycling, walking and admiring the wildlife, you can take your family on an educational journey at Samphire Hoe. The specially built education centre hosts a variety of events including talks on the history of the area, art classes focused on wildlife and much more.

If you’re a keen fisher, you can also cast your net in Samphire Hoe. Permits must be requested at the tea kiosk, and a ticket is around £6 per day for an adult and £4 for a child. If you are in the area between May and September, you can even take part in the Best Fish of the Samphire Hoe competition where the heaviest fish caught on the Hoe wins a Eurotunnel trophy and six months of free fishing.

There is no café here, but there is a kiosk selling hot drinks which is open on weekends between Easter and September and picnics are encouraged as there are plenty of places to set down and relax for a couple of hours.

Just off the A20, you can access Samphire Hoe by car, foot, bicycle or bus. It is open from 7am until dusk all year round, and on every day of the year, and there is ample parking available on a pay and display basis.