Ultimate Guide to Dungeness: What is it? Where is it? And What Can You Do There?

Someone recently asked me, "What is Dungeness like"?

Surreal and fascinating, I answered, because these two words perfectly describe this otherworldly place. If you have watched the Mad Max films of a post-apocalyptic society, then you will understand the vibe of Dungeness.

Let's face it; where on earth could you find a shingle beach, classed as a desert due to its vast size, housing a decommissioned nuclear power station?

Add two lighthouses, a scattering of unconventional and ramshackle dwellings, and an RSPB nature reserve.

And let's not forget one of the smallest passenger railways in the UK and a selection of disused fishing boats and implements randomly lying on the beach far from the water's edge. Do you get the picture?

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So the next question is, where is Dungeness?

Dungeness sits proudly at the southernmost point of Kent's beautiful coastline, close to Romney Marsh Nature Reserve. With its diverse landscape, it is home to many animals and birds, including one-third of all UK plant species.

Dungeness is only a short distance from the medieval town of Rye and Camber Sands, two popular tourist destinations.

Although it may not be as well-known as its neighbours, it is a unique and unusual place to visit on a day out in Kent.

Getting to Dungeness

By Car

The easiest way to visit is by car. From the M20, leave at junction 10 and follow A2070 towards Brenzett and then the A259 towards New Romney.

Turn right onto B2075 towards Lydd. Follow signposts in Lydd to Dungeness.

Free parking in Dungeness is available at Lydd Beach Car Park. It is close to the Britannia Inn, which, like the Pilot Inn, serves fabulous fish and chips.

Alternatively, parking is available in the RSPB Dungeness Nature Reserve car park at the top of the Dungeness Estate. It costs £6 for non-members, while remaining free for RSPB members and Blue Badge holders. Alternatively, there is on-street parking along Coast Drive.

By Train

If you don't have a car and can't persuade a friend to bring you in theirs, you will need to take a train to Ashford International Station, then take bus number 11/11A or 11B to Lydd-on-Sea and get off at The Pilot Inn.

Alternatively, you can take a train to Rye, jump on the 102 bus to Lydd-on-Sea, and stop at the Pilot Inn.

On a clear day, you can see the coast of France from Dungeness, a mere 29 miles away.

Map of Dungeness, Kent

The Best Things to Do in Dungeness

I suggest we start at the Pilot Inn in Lydd, as it is close to where I parked and is the bus's drop-off point.

The Pilot Inn, which, according to local connoisseurs, serves the best fish and chips in England.

Amazingly, the original Pilot Inn was constructed in 1633 out of the wreck timbers of a Spanish ship called The Alfresia!

Local smugglers lured the ship onto the rocks, murdered the crew and looted the cargo of alcohol.

That poor Spanish captain had no idea when he set off that his ship's timbers would be used to construct a pub in Dungeness!

Walk around the side of the Pilot Inn and see a fitting tribute to the airmen who lost their lives during bombing raids in WW2.

The sculpture of an airman looking up at the sky next to the B17 propeller and engine and the information plaque are a poignant reminder of what took place in the skies along the English coast during the wars.

Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

You will see train tracks next to the Pilot Inn on either side of Battery Road.

These are for the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. It opened as the 'smallest passenger train in the world', and starts in the seaside town of Hythe and terminates by the lighthouse in Dungeness.

Sadly, it no longer holds the title, but it's still an iconic train ride that visitors have enjoyed since 1927. Pre-booking is essential as the world-famous steam railway is one of Kent’s top attractions.

The train arrives in Dungeness and gives visitors one hour to explore the surreal landscape before returning to Hythe.

The Dungeness Estate

Heading along Battery Road and past the signposts, you will see the entrance to the Dungeness Estate. The area is residential, although many homes lie empty for much of the year.

It is a place that, due to its surrealism, attracts people from all walks of life. From artists looking for inspiration to professionals looking for a stark and barren place to get away from work pressures!

Most dwellings resemble a ramshackle clapperboard appearance, with fishing boats or buoys in front gardens.

However, a few recent additions have been designed with ultra-modern 21st-century touches, including decks and huge picture windows.

These desirable properties are rented out to holidaymakers looking to escape the norm.

Dungeness's shingle beach is wild and unforgiving, and the sight of tumbleweeds blowing across its expanse would fit the scene perfectly.

Littered with battered wooden fishing boats and a few makeshift sheds selling locally caught fish, all add to the unusual charm of Dungeness.

Where to Stay in Dungeness

There are plenty of places to stay in Dungeness. In recent years, local developers and visionaries have transformed many of the old buildings into chic holiday lets, giving visitors a chance to experience the vast, barren landscape over a few days. They’ve turned once-ramshackle, weather-beaten wooden bungalows into stylish, designer-focused retreats.

Here are a few suggestions of accommodations in Dungeness you may like:

Fog Signal Cottage

The Pump Station

Coastguard Lookout

Prospect Cottage

One of the most famous residents of Dungeness was the English film producer Derek Jarman, whose clapperboard cottage and seaside garden attract a lot of interest from visitors.

Yellow windows add a pop of colour against the black wooden boards that clad the cottage. They are a pick-you-up on wild and windy winter days.

A featured poem on the outside wall, called 'The Rising Sun', is a nod to Jarman's love of prose. In the garden, an old wooden boat, pebble stacks and driftwood remind you that, despite the nuclear power station in the background, this is indeed a seaside location.

In the summertime, the shingle and shrub garden comes alive with colour from yellow gorse bushes, red poppies and pink foxgloves.

Dungeness Photography

Visitors to the Dungeness Estate must follow specific codes of conduct.

The wild landscape is often used for photoshoots and filming - both need a special permit. And private property is just that.

Bold signs to "stay out" seem to shout their words out with such authority that you feel a shotgun may be produced if you dare disobey.

Abandoned Boats

The part I loved most about Dungeness was the random fishing boats just left on the beach.

They were like art installations in their own right, and it was fun taking photographs next to them.

I wondered why they were so far up the beach and what adventures they had encountered before their demise in Dungeness's shingle desert.

After my Dungeness photography opportunity with the boats, I stumbled (literally) across the rusted and twisted track lines strewn across the beach.

Oddly out of place with no connection to the railway, what were they for?

It turns out that fishers would put their carts on the tracks and pull their haul across the shingle by hand or horse to the roadside for onward transportation. Ingenious!

A Fishing Environment

Dungeness is not just a photographer's dream; it is also a fully functioning work environment and is considered one of the best places for fishing in the UK.

You will see containers lined up shoulder to shoulder along the Dungeness coast where the fishers keep their equipment - this area is off-limits to the public.

Dungeness beach fishing is allowed, and I witnessed several anglers braving the winds as I walked along the beach.

But, Dungeness is not the place to come if you want to swim - the undercurrents are strong and dangerous. Instead, head to the sandy beach just along the road at Greatstone. Or visit one of the other beautiful Kent beaches like Dymchurch, which are scattered along the coast.

Dungeness Desert

I was hooked when I originally read that Dungeness is a desert - had someone gone crazy? The claim sounded delusional. But once I'd read that, the hook was set—I had to know what madness turned a windswept English coast into a desert.

I discovered a desert is classed as a barren landscape with little precipitation: the stark and mysterious Dungeness fits that description.

There are four types of desert: Cold (Antarctica), Hot (Sahara), Coastal (shout out to the shingle beach in Dungeness, which is bigger than any other shingle expanse in the world), and semi-arid (Arizona).

Keep an eye out for seals at Dungeness Beach for a cool nature experience.

Dungeness Lighthouses

Over the centuries, there have been eight different lighthouses at Dungeness.

The most striking one is Dungeness's current lighthouse, standing 43m high and still in daily use.

It is painted black and white to stand out to mariners during daylight and is a stark contrast against the bleak Dungeness landscape.

This lighthouse was built in 1961 as the warning lights on the "Old Lighthouse" were obscured by the newly commissioned nuclear power station.

A modern boardwalk close by serves no other purpose than to lead across the beach and near to the water; still, it is a great place to take photographs.

Built in 1904, the Old Lighthouse was the predecessor to the above-mentioned one. It provided a warning beacon to passing sailors navigating Kent's rough coastline for nearly 60 years.

The Old Lighthouse is next to a circular building that would have sat at the base of yet another earlier lighthouse called Wyatt's Tower. Its purpose would have been to provide living quarters for the lighthouse workers.

Today, visitors can climb to the top of the Old Lighthouse for fabulous views across Dungeness's surreal scenery and learn more about the Dungeness lighthouses.

Dungeness Old Lighthouse ticket prices/opening times are: Adults £5, Children £4. Open July and August only from 10 am to 4 pm.

Dungeness Nuclear Power Station

The strangest thing about Dungeness is its decommissioned nuclear power station beside the sea. Reactor B was in use until 2021.

What struck me as weird was that people originally chose to live by a nuclear power station.

Close by is the 1000-acre RSPB nature reserve, one of the best places for wildlife in the UK and designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Please include a stop here when you visit Dungeness; it is an exceptional place. A 2-mile circular route around the reserve is available, and regular events like pond dipping and history talks can be booked. RSPB Dungeness is open from 9 am to 5 pm, with the visitor centre and toilets open from 10 am to 4 pm.

If you love wildlife, Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is a 30-minute drive away. It offers another opportunity to explore the coastal and wetland landscape on a 2-mile, 4-mile or 6-mile circular walk or bike ride.

Look out for bird-watching hides, WW2 "pillboxes", and a discovery centre in Rye Harbour.

Conclusion

If you are looking for things to do in Kent or want to visit the coast on a day trip from London, I recommend Dungeness.

I loved discovering Dungeness's quirky landscape. It is unlike anywhere else I have ever visited, which made it so interesting and surreal.

Oh, and don't forget to try the fish and chips at the Pilot Inn - supposedly the best in England!

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