hosted by Thanet District Council

Some key points

Chalk talk

  • Thanet is the eastern-most outcrop of chalk in Britain and one of the eastern-most in Europe
  • Thanet contains some of the best chalk caves in Britain and chalk reefs in the south-east
  • The Thanet Coast has the longest continuous stretch of coastal chalk in Britain
  • It represents 20% of UK - & 12% of European - coastal chalk
  • The chalk cliff and cave habitats and species are very uncommon in Europe and therefore internationally important.

Bird facts

  • The intertidal reef, together with the mudflats and sandflats, provide valuable feeding grounds for wintering birds, which roost on shingle and sand above the high water mark Of these, the turnstone and golden plover occur here in internationally important numbers.
  • In summer, shingle provides an important breeding site for little terns.
  • Wintering golden plover roost on mudflats in Pegwell Bay