Kent is an expansive county boasting towns, cities, villages and an extensive road network used by lorries and other vehicles – meaning traffic news often appears there. But one place often overlooked in Kent is Dungeness Desert, the UK’s sole desert – traveller @lotteboo3 shared images from there as “post-apocalyptic and beautiful”.
1. Dungeness – the UK’s only desert
If you want to check off “desert” off of your travel bucket list without traveling all the way to Dubai, look no further than Dungeness in Kent’s southeast coast – home of one of Europe’s largest stretches of shingle.
At its heart lies an area of Special Scientific Interest due to its rare geomorphological features and large variety of plants, and is home to wheatears, martins, and lapwings breeding here during summer. Additionally, this reserve also features an informative visitors center where you can learn more about its fascinating history, such as when women used it as hunting ground for women’s hats!
Dungeness estate exudes mystery and otherworldliness, boasting wooden fisherman’s cottages, two lighthouses and a steam-powered narrow gauge railway. Its beach is also stunning; with eerie white shingle changing to beautiful turquoise during the year.
This area is well known for its collection of homes – 29 in total that were converted from railway cottages – with The Shingle House being most sought after and sleeping eight. Pink Floyd used the landscape in their top 5 1990 hit “I’m Free”, while The Soup Dragons used it in their 1991 top 20 hit “Mother Universe”. Furthermore, Sir Alan Sugar conducted the world’s inaugural commercial drone flight here in 1994.
2. London to Brighton Mini Run
The London to Brighton Mini Run is an annual event where drivers of classic and modern Mini cars travel along Brighton seafront from London to Brighton in an annual trip. Last May’s run brought together drivers of Classic Mini cars as well as fans from London and Surrey; participants included Knight Rider-themed vehicles as well as models inspired by The Beatles. Unfortunately, organizers announced in June that this year’s run will not return owing to spiralling costs, ULEZ zones and reduced parking availability – this decision being reached after “lengthy discussions”, according to The London and Surrey Mini Owners Club website.
LSMOC and its official ticket provider Minispares will only make tickets available for sale after 12:00 (Midday), to avoid overloading of Minispares’ system with demand.
3. Rochdale vs Ebbsfleet
Rochdale and Ebbsfleet should expect an action-packed matchup against each other this Saturday, given both teams have had success against one another in recent meetings; average goals scored per match per meeting have averaged out to over 2.5 goals and home team has won three of those meetings against their visiting opponent(s).
Kent lies along England’s eastern coast, providing essential links between towns and cities. However, its extensive road network can sometimes cause traffic issues during peak times when many commuters travel to work en masse. Fortunately, there are ways to circumvent delays to your journeys through Kent.
Kent is also home to cross-channel ferries and railway services, making it an attractive tourist destination that relies heavily on tourism as a source of economic development.
If you’re travelling to Kent this weekend, be sure to use the RAC Route Planner for updates in your area and save time when planning your journey. Furthermore, discover more by reading up on Kent with our Kent Guide – in the meantime enjoy your weekend and come back next week for more travel news in Kent and don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list to ensure nothing slips past!