Drop in
Free
Full directions below.
Closest Local Reference:
Abbotts Cliff House
Capel Le Ferne
Folkestone
CT18 7HZ
Chalk Coracle invites you to consider the fragility and dynamism of the local landscape and seascape by providing a new perspective on time and place and asking where we fit in.
Begin at edge of the land where once a path continued across The Channel and look down from the chalk cliff at a tiny figure within a vast seascape. Journey then from the top of the cliffs (which once were sea) down through time, to meet a fragile craft afloat in a magical intertidal space where the tide marks the hours and years on the landscape, taking away what it has previously built.
The coracle holds one person at a time, the human body surrendering control to the circular craft on the waves so the mind can look up and acknowledge the depth of time they have descended through to reach this point.
This work can be experienced via a self-navigated walk with artist’s map starting on the England Coast Path to the east of Abbots Cliff House, Capel-le-Ferne, between Folkestone and Dover, and descending 128m (over thousands of years) into The Warren and onto the beach.
The coracle will be viewable from 4pm-6pm on Saturday 24th September and the walk takes approximately 60 minutes from the top of the cliff to the beach, so we recommend starting before 5pm if you wish to meet the coracle at the base of the cliff. A limited number of spaces will be available to experience floating in the coracle after completing the walk.
To reach the start of the walk, take bus 102 or 991 to the Royal Oak pub, Capel le Ferne, walk along the New Dover Road towards Dover for approx. 100 metres and then follow the Cycle Route 2 sign on the right down the lane towards Dover. Walk past the sign to Abbots Cliffe House until you reach a bollard in the road with a gate to the right. Take the small path to the right of the gate towards the cliff edge. At the railing, you have reached your destination. And a map. And some wayfinders.
It is a pleasant 60-minute walk back to Folkestone along the promenade from the coracle beach or a 40 minute walk back up the cliff path to Capel le Ferne.
OS Map Co-ordinates for the start of the walk: 51.1016105, 1.2391081
Royal Oak pub, New Dover Road, Capel le Ferne, CT18 7HY
Abbots Cliff House, Capel le Ferne, CT18 7HZ
There is limited parking at Abbots Cliff and at the Royal Oak if you buy a refreshment. Parking is available on street in Capel, about a 30-minute walk from Abbots Cliff, and above the campsite at The Warren for the end of the walk.
You need to be physically fit to descend and ascend the cliff. The path is stepped but rugged. Please wear suitable shoes for walking and bring water for hydration. The beginning and end of the work can be seen separately at the top of the cliff and on the beach at the bottom of the cliff for anyone who may struggle with a steep descent and climb.
Thanks to Susan from Art in Romney Marsh for the loan of the coracle, constructed from locally grown Romney Marsh Willow.
An exhibition of work in process will be shown at Fourth Wall Folkestone, 48 The Old High Street from Thursday 22 to Saturday 24 September, midday to 4pm.
Alison Neighbour is a scenographer working across performance, installation and curious adventures. Her work explores connections between people and place with a focus on shared environmental responsibility. Currently developing work on the intertidal zone and processes of adaptation resulting from sea level rise.
