The White Cliffs of Dover

Important notice -

Our car park will be open from 21 May (9am-6pm). You don’t need to book but parking space is limited. If the car park is full please come back another time. The toilets, café and shop will remain closed until further notice. Please take litter home.

Magnificent coastal site overlooking the English Channel

More about this place

Back to top
The White Cliffs of Dover

Things to see and do

Family walking dogs

Which places are open and what you need to know before you visit 

We're reopening the places you love, gradually, safely and in step with government advice. Our houses, gardens and parklands remain closed for now, in line with the rules about ticketed venues. But we're opening some of our coast and countryside car parks in England, so you can get out into green spaces. You'll need to book for some of them. Some coast and countryside car parks in Northern Ireland will start to reopen from 27 May. For now, all car parks in Wales have to remain closed on government advice. Read this article to find out what's open, how you can visit, and what to expect from your visit.

Back to top
The White Cliffs of Dover

Our work

A photograph of the cliffs from teh tramway

Conserving The White Cliffs of Dover for the future 

Protecting the chalk grassland is a delicate job, using traditional methods such as grazing ponies and with lots of help from our volunteers we are caring for this rare environment, protecting it for years to come.

Exmoor Ponies Grazing

Carrying on the grazing tradition 

Here at the White Cliffs of Dover we use the age-old method of grazing in order to ensure that the rare chalk grassland does not become over grown and out of control. The grazers most popular with our visitors has to be the Exmoor Ponies.

Back to top
The White Cliffs of Dover

Wildlife

A butterfly on a purple flower

Cliff top wildlife  

The rare chalk grassland habitat creates an abundance of wildlife from birds to butterflies and wild flowers, all thriving on the tough conditions their cliff-top home provides.

Back to top
The White Cliffs of Dover

History

Chalk cliff and the sea
Men walking towards Langdon Prison
Men lined up at a prison
A historic photograpgh of the cliffs railway
A photograph of an aerial ropeway

What is chalk? 

The geology of the cliffs is a surprising story that unfolds over millions of years. From the smallest of creatures to the drama of cliff falls, see how time has shaped the landscape.

Langdon Convict Prison 

Langdon Convict Prison has left almost no traces, but in its heyday in the late 19th century it housed 102 prisoners on 20 acres of Dover’s cliffs. It was open only for 12 years, until 1896, although the work cost nearly £6 million in today’s money.

The White Cliffs of Dover at War 

The cliffs were on the frontline in both world wars and, with France just 21 miles away, the White Cliffs of Dover became a crucial part of the British defences.

The Tramway  

The tramway cut was built in 1912 to connect the Dover tram system to the neighbouring village of St Margaret's. However, once the work was complete, the system was never built and thus the cut remains unused to this day.

The aerial ropeway 

The ropeway was designed to deliver coal to the port for export. Railway transport was expensive, so the aerial ropeway was built to take coal to Dover Harbour, an innovative solution to a logistical problem.

Back to top
Close

For everyone, for ever

Download the app

© National Trust Registered Charity 205846 Heelis, Kemble Drive, Swindon SN2 2NA

We use cookies to provide you with a better service. Carry on browsing if you're happy with this, or find out how to manage cookies.