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You are here: Home > News > Wild Winds Batter The Shore At Samphire Hoe

• Wild winds batter the shore at Samphire Hoe

• Date:

  5th February 2008

• Contact:

  Sarah Egerton

• Organisation:

  The Civic Trust

The last day of January was the day to see wild waves at Samphire Hoe, the Green Flag Award-winning site made possible by the creation of the Channel Tunnel. The port of Dover was closed for several hours as extreme winds reached 40 knots.

Geoff Howitt, a volunteer rangers who has helped at Samphire Hoe for almost 10 years, said: “It was the wildest day I have ever experienced at the Hoe”.  Paul Holt from the White Cliffs Countryside Project said “I had to go and check the sheep which are grazing on the Hoe and it was a real struggle to walk along the path as the wind was so strong.  I was please to see the sheep were okay and they seemed almost oblivious of the weather.”

Samphire is a great placed to watch the sea on a stormy day.  However when conditions are rough the red flags are raised and access to the sea wall is not allowed, but the rest of the site is still open for people to enjoy.

The site was created from 4.9 million cubic metres of chalk marl dug to form the Channel Tunnel.  This 30 hectare site nestles at the foot of the White Cliffs of Dover and provides a haven for people and wildlife. It is owned by Eurotunnel and managed in partnership with the White Cliffs Countryside Project.