Your guide to exploring the Cross-Channel Geopark with interpretation panels

Ever wondered down a coastal path, or a chalk valley and thought – what’s the real story here? Beneath your boots, the landscape holds clues to a past more ancient than dinosaurs.  

The rocks, the soil, the very ground you’re standing on holds stories millions of years old. Shaped the landscapes you see, the plants and animals around you, and even the history of the people who lived here. 

Now, new interpretation panels across the Cross-Channel Geopark invite you to uncover these stories. 

These signs aren’t just information – they’re eye openers. Whether you’re local or exploring somewhere new, they help you see familiar places in a completely different way. 

What will you find? 

Each panel is designed to spark your curiousity – revealing how the land beneath your feet shaped the plants, animals, buildings,and communities around you.

Look out for: 

• Stories that link geology with wildlife, farming, and local traditions. 

• Geological timelines that help you picture where your spot fits in to the world’s history. 

• Striking visuals and bite-sized text – so you can learn as you wander. 

They’re perfect for curious mings of all ages – and especially great for family walks or solo rambles when you want to dig a little deeper into the place you’re visiting. 

Where can you find them? 

The panels are popping up at some of the most beautifuland geologically significant sites in the Cross-Channel Geopark, including: 

• Cap Blanc-Nez (Escalles) (two locations)
• Pointe aux oies (Wimereux)
• Mont de la Calique (Vieil-Moutier)

• Carrière de la Parisienne (Ferques)

• Carrières du Boulonnais (Ferques)

• Carrière du Griset (Ferques)

• Devil’s Kneading Trough  (Wye)

• Dryhill Local Nature Reserve (Sevenoaks)

• Farthing Common (Folkestone)

• Folkestone Warren (Folkestone)

• Forteresse de Mimoyecques (Landrethun-le-Nord)

• River Darent (Darenth) (two locations) 

• Samphire Hoe (Folkestone)

• Shoreham Woods (Shorne)
• Maison du Parc et du Geopark (Le Wast)

 And we’re adding new ones all the time—including Folkestone Downs soon, as well as Mont de Couple (Audembert) and Sanghen ! 

What the signs help you see 

Geology might sounds like rocks and old stuff – but it’s the quiet force that shapes everything. Why does that river run there? Why does that wildflower grow here? Why did people build on this hill and not that one? 

The new interpretation panels connect the dots. They show how geology shapes nature, culture, and stories of both northern France and southeast England. You’ll discover surprising links across the Channel, and gain a deeper understanding of how interconnected our landscapes truly are.  

Take a moment to pause and see things differently 

Next time you’re walking in one of our Geopark locations, look for one of e new panels. Spend a minute with it and it might change how you see the whole landscape. This is your story, your place, and it’s full of things still waiting to be discovered. 

A shared journey 

These new panels are part of our journey towards becoming a UNESCO Global Geopark.  They’ve been made possible thanks to support from UK’s The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), and from our French partners including the Green Fund (Fonds Vert), the Water Agency (Agence de l’eau) and USAC project within the framework of Interreg France Channel England (projet USAC dans le cadre de l’Interreg France Manche Angleterre) in France.