Tankerton Slopes – the Canons and the Street

Where Whitstable’s fishermen’s cottages give way to the sea, the ground rises into Tankerton Slopes — a long stretch of green cliff-top common rolling gently down to the beach. It’s one of the best-loved spots in the town: a place for a walk, a run, a barbecue or simply an hour watching the sun go down over the estuary. Here’s what to look for.

The slopes and the beach huts

The slopes run for close to a mile and a half above the shore, and they’re a favourite with dog walkers and runners, with fitness groups meeting there morning and evening. (Dog owners are asked to keep dogs on a lead between May and September, when the wildlife is at its most sensitive.) At the foot of the slopes stand the rows of brightly painted beach huts — privately owned, occasionally available to hire from their owners, and a perfect base for a day on the beach. There’s free, easy parking along the top, seating and shelters at the best viewpoints, and the whole promenade makes an easy, level walk — many people carry on along the shore all the way to Whitstable Castle.

The Canons — a nod to the coast’s defences

At the top of the slopes stand two old cannons, pointing out to sea — a quiet reminder that this coast was once watched and defended. They’re a genuine piece of local heritage: the pair are a Grade II listed structure, listed back in 1977, and they’ve become a small landmark in their own right, with the sea view opening out behind them.

Sunsets, the regatta and events on the slopes

Everyone in Tankerton has a favourite bench for the sunsets, which through the summer can be spectacular — the slopes face north-west across the water, which is exactly why.
The slopes are also the grandstand for the Whitstable Regatta, held each August. It’s one of the oldest regattas in the country — the first was held on 7 August 1792 — and though there are fewer boats than there once were, it’s still a proper family day of funfair, stalls and fireworks. During the Whitstable Oyster Festival, the grass becomes an open-air cinema, with free films shown after dark — bring a blanket, a chair and a bottle and catch the film and the sunset together. And each July the Classic Car Show fills the slopes with historic cars. In winter, on the rare occasions it snows, the whole of Tankerton turns out to sledge down them — traditionally, it’s said, on a “borrowed” For Sale sign.

Wildlife: hog’s fennel and its rare moth

Tankerton Slopes aren’t just for us. They’re a Site of Special Scientific Interest, home to the largest population in Britain of hog’s fennel, a nationally rare plant — and to the rare moth Agonopterix putridella, whose caterpillars feed on nothing else. It’s the reason parts of the slopes are deliberately left rougher and unmown, so please tread lightly through the long grass.

The Street

From the top of the slopes you get the best possible view of The Street — the narrow shingle spit that runs out to sea and surfaces at low tide. It’s a remarkable thing to walk out along, but the tide returns fast and the currents beside it are dangerous, so it’s not to be taken lightly. We’ve given it a page of its own — how it formed, where its name comes from, and how to walk it safely.

With its views, its wildlife, its huts and its history, Tankerton Slopes is one of the essential Whitstable places — and it costs nothing to enjoy.