RAF Lympne
RAF Lympne is a former Royal Air Force station situated on a high ridge of the Kent Downs near the village of Lympne, overlooking the Romney Marsh and the English Channel coast. Though it no longer operates as an active military airfield, the site carries enormous historical weight as one of Britain's earliest and most storied aviation locations. Today the land is home to Port Lympne Reserve, a celebrated wildlife park and hotel complex that has given new life to this historic ground while preserving its atmospheric character. The combination of aeronautical history, magnificent views and an internationally recognised wild animal conservation programme makes this a genuinely distinctive destination in the southeast of England.
The history of aviation at Lympne predates the First World War, with the site being used as early as 1916 by the Royal Flying Corps before transitioning to RAF control. Its elevated position, sitting around 400 feet above sea level on the escarpment above Hythe, made it an excellent observation and interception point. During the interwar years Lympne became famous as a venue for aviation competitions and record-breaking attempts, including the celebrated light aeroplane trials of the 1920s, which attracted aircraft designers and pilots from across Europe. It was also the departure or arrival point for numerous pioneering long-distance flights during the golden age of aviation. During the Second World War the airfield served as a front-line fighter and ground-attack station, being heavily involved in the Battle of Britain and subsequent operations over occupied France. Its proximity to the Continent — the French coast is visible on a clear day — made it strategically vital, and the airfield was repeatedly targeted by the Luftwaffe.
After the war the airfield continued in use for a time as a civil airport, briefly branded as Lympne Airport or Ashford Airport, handling light aircraft, charter flights and aerial survey work. Proposals to develop it into a major regional airport never materialised, and flying operations gradually wound down. The transformation of the estate into a wildlife sanctuary began when John Aspinall acquired the adjacent Port Lympne mansion and grounds, and over subsequent decades the reserve expanded to encompass much of the former airfield area. Today it is managed by the Aspinall Foundation, a conservation charity with a strong international reputation for gorilla, black rhino and big cat breeding programmes.
Physically, the site retains a strong sense of its aeronautical past. Stretches of old perimeter track and the ghost outlines of dispersal areas are still discernible beneath the grass, and a small number of wartime structures survive in various states of preservation. The plateau on which the airfield once stood is broad and flat by local standards, which explains its original attraction to aviators, while the escarpment edge drops away sharply to the south, offering extraordinary panoramic views across the flatlands of Romney Marsh toward Dungeness and the sea. On a bright day the vista is genuinely breathtaking, with the nuclear power station at Dungeness visible as a distinctive landmark and, on the clearest days, the pale cliffs near Calais shimmering on the horizon.
The wildlife reserve that now occupies the grounds is home to giraffes, zebras, black and white rhinos, lions, gorillas, tigers, wolves and many other species spread across hundreds of acres of open land and specialist enclosures. The animals are often visible from pathways that follow the old airfield boundaries, creating a surreal and memorable experience in which wartime history and wild Africa seem to inhabit the same space. The sounds of the reserve — the calling of exotic birds, the occasional distant roar of big cats — layer over the quieter backdrop of wind moving across the high ridge and the hum of light aircraft that occasionally pass overhead en route to nearby Lydd Airport.
The surrounding area is rich in its own right. Lympne village itself contains a Norman and medieval church and the ruins of Lympne Castle, a fortified manor house with Roman origins. Below the escarpment, the old Roman port of Portus Lemanis has left visible earthworks, and the Stone Street Roman road once crossed this landscape. Hythe, with its Royal Military Canal and Cinque Ports heritage, is only a few miles to the east, and Folkestone is within easy reach. The Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty wraps around the site, and the ancient Pilgrims' Way passes through the broader region.
Visiting Port Lympne Reserve requires advance booking, as it is a ticketed attraction with capacity management in place. The reserve also offers glamping and hotel accommodation in various styles, including lodges positioned close to the animal enclosures for overnight safari experiences. The best times to visit are spring and summer when the animals are most active and the views across the marsh are sharpest, though the site is open year-round. The reserve is reached most easily by car via the B2067 through Lympne village, with signed car parking on site. Public transport options are limited, though connections from Sandling railway station on the Southeastern mainline are possible with a walk or taxi. Families, wildlife enthusiasts and aviation historians alike find the site rewarding, though visitors primarily interested in the RAF history rather than the wildlife park should note that the aeronautical interpretation is modest compared to the reserve's animal-focused programming.
One of the more unusual distinctions of Lympne is that it holds a plausible claim to being the landing point of some of the earliest powered cross-Channel flights in aviation history, given its position just inside the English coast on the shortest crossing from France. The aerodrome also appeared in early aviation literature and journalism as a symbol of Britain's openness to the pioneering spirit of flight. That a place so bound up with the roar of engines and the danger of wartime operations should now be home to African wildlife wandering freely across former runways is a quietly remarkable transformation, giving the site a layered quality that rewards curious and historically minded visitors alongside those simply coming to see extraordinary animals in an unexpectedly beautiful landscape.