Folkestone and Hythe

Folkestone and Hythe district sits on the Kent coast of South East England, running from the chalk slopes above Folkestone across Romney Marsh to the shingle of Dungeness. The Channel Tunnel terminal is at Folkestone, and the Royal Military Canal traces part of the district’s inland edge. The north of the district rises into the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; the south contains extensive reclaimed marshland used for grazing and arable farming.

Towns include Folkestone, Hythe and New Romney, with villages such as Dymchurch and Lydd along the coast and marsh. Hythe is one of the historic Cinque Ports, and the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway connects Hythe with the Dungeness headland, where a large shingle expanse surrounds the power station and a unique coastal ecology. Local economy mixes port and transport activity, agriculture on the marsh, and visitor services linked to the shoreline and walking routes across the downs.