My friend Kate recently gave me a lovely book called the Great British Picnic Guide. Full of lovely fresh recipes and at the back are recommended places to take a picnic, and a suggested menu. Low and behold it had my favourite picnic spot. The white cliffs of Dover are amazingly dramatic. You can park at the National Trust car Park for a couple of pounds, and look down over the very busy Dover port. The children are gripped for ages watching the ferries load and unload and see them sail away to France. I always think there is something very romantic about being able to see France on the horizon.
There is a wonderful walk to South Foreland Lighthouse, along the cliffs. (Cliff edge is mostly fenced, so that excited children and dog don’t drop off the edge!). There are lots of seabirds to watch including Kittiwakes and Peregrine Falcons.
After a bracing walk or gentle stroll the National Trust Centre has a nice Tea Room, with explanations of the local geology, flora and fauna. For the more technically minded South Foreland was used by Faraday as the the first electrically lit lighthouse, and Marconi used it for the first international radio broadcast to France.
The White Cliffs of Dover are 20 minutes from Elmfield. Take the M20 signposted to Dover, follow the road into Dover towards the port. Take a left turn sign posted to White Cliffs. Follow the National Trust Signs to the car park.
Elmfield Farm Cottages 