Folkestone Harbour Lighthouse

A tortuous journey down to Folkestone this afternoon for a walk along the coast and out on the arm of Folkestone harbour. All the years I’ve lived in Kent there has never been the opportunity to walk out along the arm.

Today was a first and well worth the wait. I’ve crossed the Channel from Folkestone on a few occasions, the earliest in 1969 enroute to Switzerland on a school trip and again perhaps over 20 years ago. Now no more and quite a shame too.

Now largely deserted this once bustling port, lately a cross channel ferry port, is being redeveloped alongside Folkestone Harbour Station which closed in 2014.

The lighthouse would have been one of the last landmarks of the United Kingdom that serviceman going over to the Western Front and in the Second World War would have seen. Many of course, never coming back. In the quietness of the harbour now are echos of of those turbulent and poignant times.

On the day we were meant to leave the EU, France was not visible. And one of the effects of the decision to leave was Operation Brock which replaces Operation Stack to manage trucks caught up border checks. But nobody told us, publicity about how the system works and how it impacts locally has been nonexistent.