Painting Dungeness
1- Day - Photography & Sketching. Untutored
Dungeness Nature Reserve, Kent
Sun June 14th or Sun July 5th or Sun Sept 27th 2026
Price: £35 Min group size: x4
I hope you can make it. It’s going to be fun!
To join the day, please use the sign up button below. I’ll then email instructions about how to pay.
Join me for a day touring, photographing and sketching at the iconic
Dungeness Nature Reserve.
Dungeness has an eerie, desolate stillness about it with decaying boats and unused railway lines and of course the now disused, old power station in the distance. The shingle beach is dotted with old houses, boats and shacks. It’s also where you’ll find Prospect house - the previous home of artist and film-maker Derek Jarman.
We’ll meet in the morning and I’ll give a give a 2 hour “Heidi’s tour” of Dungeness Estate. I’ll take you to the spots I recommend for taking photos and sketching. Dungeness is quite spread out, it can get very busy with tourists and parking can be difficult, so I’ll show you around with tips for taking photos and planning your paintings.
After this tour, you’ll be free to pick your own favourite spots to delve deeper into or if you choose, we can all paint at the same place. I would suggest bringing a camping chair and sketchbooks or you can bring en plein air painting easels if you wish, but beware it can get very windy there.
The reason this is an untutored painting day, is because the Estate is quite spread out and this way participants can choose their own favourite parts to paint in.
When: Date options: June 14th: July 5th or Sept 27th. . 10am - 4pm approx. (Dates can be flexible). This day out can be added onto a workshop the day before. See workshops page.
Where: To get there, put in your google maps: Dungeness Nature Reserve Car Park or The RNLI Lifeboat Station, Dungeness. (Dungeness Rd, Dungeness, Romney Marsh TN29 9NE).
The main road in Dungeness Nature Reserve runs parallel to the beach with the Pilot Inn pub (limited parking) just beyond the entrance road, and the Britannia Inn (free parking) and the “End of the Line” Cafe (free parking) at the other end of the road. Half way along is Prospect House. Parking is available all along the side of the main Dungeness road (but avoid areas with parking cones as they are put out where cars tend to get stuck in the shingles).
I suggest we meet at the Lifeboat station. This is not far from the entrance into the Estate on the left side. It’s a white building. As you pull into the road as you face the Lifeboat Station, park on the Right side. (the left side is for emergencies). If this area is already full, try to find parking anywhere along Dungeness Road but as near to the Lifeboat Station as possible.
For those coming from further away, I’d suggest staying in the historic town of Rye. It’s a half an hour drive from there but Rye is a lovely place to stay. I can pick anyone up from there without a car and we can share rides where possible.
Lunch and Refreshments:
You can bring your own picnic lunch or buy lunch at one of the eateries: The Pilot Inn, The Britannia Inn, The End of the Line Cafe, or the Dungeness Snack Shack. Be prepared to wait as there will be likely be queues. Teas/coffees are also available from the Ness Cafe
What to bring:
As there’s a strong possibility it might be windy, you may prefer to bring a camping chair and sketch books rather than an easel, but if driving you can bring both just in case. If you wish , bring full en plein air painting kit. Please note, this is an untutored day out.
Please remember to bring warm clothing and suitable footwear. Shingles are hard to walk on!
If you are lacking any painting equipment or are travelling from further afield, please let me know and I can assist.
Should the forecast be terrible, we will reschedule for a better day
NB: Dungeness is a Nature Reserve with very strict rules. Please don’t leave any litter behind and be careful to take everything away with you when you leave.
Terms & Conditions/ Cancellation of a workshop
If Heidi Laughton Art need to cancel a workshop for any reason, we will endeavour to change the date to another suitable date for everyone who has booked. If this is not possible, a full refund will be made.
For participants, if you need to cancel your booking, we’ll aim to exchange your workshop for another date wherever possible or offer you a credit for a future course. If we are unable to do this and you are still unable to attend, please give us notice as soon as possible.
If we receive notice within a month of the course date, no refund can be given unfortunately.
If you are able to give notice more than 4 weeks of the course date, we will refund 50% of the course.
Notice given in advance of two months of the course, will be given a full refund. Thank you for your understanding