Dungeness National Nature Reserve Reviews Summary

Category: Nature preserve

Address: Romney Marsh, TN29 9NE, United Kingdom

Phone: +441797367934

Rating: 4.6
based on 307 reviews.

Natural Beauty & Landscape

Pros:

  • "Wonderfully desolate place caused by natural forces."
  • "Stunning natural beauty. A desolate place under a moody autumn weather."
  • "A beautiful natural area with great views."
  • "This is a truly amazing place. A unique experience: what a landscape!"
  • "A beautiful yet surreal place to visit... A super peaceful sunny afternoon out with hardly anyone around when we visited mid week in June..."

Cons:

  • "The place can be quite bleak I would imagine, but on a clear and bright day this is a great place to visit."
  • "But don't walk over too much of it, it is a fragile landscape. Keep to the designated paths."
  • "The landscape itself is empty (desert-like) there are things to do, the mini train being one of them - not like a children's train either it is a genuine line which is amazing!"
  • "Dungeness can be a slightly bleak landscape in grim weather, it is almost entirely flat with little vegetation."
  • "This is a largely shingle landscape which is of important natural status, however, my experience is of blasted, forsaken place."

Facilities & Amenities

Pros:

  • "A nice attraction to see while visiting Dungeness. Friendly staff and nice historic lighthouse."
  • "Stopped at the lobster pot for fresh lobster sandwich which was good and well presented."
  • "Great food as well. Try the pilot or the shack on the beach."
  • "Clean and tidy in the shop, efficient and friendly."
  • "Food and drink are available at the Britannia Pub and Dungeness Light Railway Station Cafe. Both serve excellent local caught Fish served with quality chips."

Cons:

  • "NEEDS a decent cafe! This would bring more punters in to admire the birds and make it a proper day destination."
  • "No toilets available."
  • "Sadly there were no locals to chat with."
  • "There is a self service hot drink machine at the visitor centre, but no coffee shop."
  • "The carpark closes in the evening and there is an admission fee to walk in the nature reserve."

Accessibility & Cost

Pros:

  • "You can walk for miles...and the journey there is very scenic as you ride along in the Small steam train."
  • "No parking charges and there's normally lots of parking about."
  • "Free parking. Nice pub and fresh fish shack."
  • "Coming here is quite easy by car, plenty of parking."
  • "There are public toilets down at the little train station."

Cons:

  • "Considering I visited in December, when there was only one other paying customer, I thought the parking costs rather high at £8.50 for the day."
  • "Sadly you cannot take dogs round the reserve, even quiet ones on a lead."
  • "Went into the visitors centre and was greeted by a very pleasant lady who told me I could not take my dog on to the reserve."
  • "Drove 1 mile at 5mph from the road along a gravel road through some very uninspiring scenery."
  • "Be prepared for plenty of walking across heavy shingle beach if you want to get to the sea."

Wildlife & Nature

Pros:

  • "A unique and strange place to visit, teeming with wildlife and plants."
  • "It is also abundant in nature with reportedly 1/3 of all UK plant species growing wildly here."
  • "It is home to many uncommon plants, insects and spiders and is also a great place to see migratory birds in the spring and autumn."
  • "Wonderful place to see wildlife. Birds, insects and reptiles in abundance."
  • "Yet it possesses a rich and diverse wildlife within the National Nature Reserve."

Cons:

  • "Desolate, over run with people, which can't be good for the wildlife."
  • "The terrain can be very cold if it is windy."
  • "This is the bleakest and windiest place we've ever visited."
  • "Personally, I find places like this a bit bleak."
  • "Dungeness has a unique, other world feel to it."

Experience & Atmosphere

Pros:

  • "Being here honestly feels post apocalyptic, it's a truly incredible place to go especially during the summer."
  • "So laid back and relaxing, definitely worthy of a visit of what an old English seaside town is like."
  • "Love it here! So peaceful and strangely 'apocalyptic ' looking."
  • "A vast expanse of beach shingle with some amazing fine sand revealed at low tide."
  • "Beautiful day and night. Worth the trip to explore, see the old railway carriages now as homes, visit the lighthouse, the Dymchurch to Hythe miniature railway."

Cons:

  • "It's good for a short time but not a lot to do."
  • "Not a great walk - you’re on tarmac most of the time and the landscape didn’t change."
  • "Now this is a strange place to review !! We're pleased we travelled here, but .... couldn't honestly say to anyone that it was worth the drive."
  • "There's not much to do or see."
  • "Would have been nice to have a play park or something around as not much else to do there."

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