A Day in Dover

When putting together my trip to Dover, I mentioned our plans to several people in our little home village in England. They invariably smiled broadly at me and said, "So, you're spending the weekend in France, eh?"

This question confused me the first time I heard it. You see, I was going to Dover to see Dover.

The reason the question was asked, however, is that Dover is the place where you can catch the ferry---or where you can go through the tunnel under the English channel---if you want to get you AND your car over to the continent. On a clear day, you can actually see France on the distant horizon... a glimmer of land less than a marathon's run away.

This is all well and good, but Dover has other things to offer that are interesting to a person like me.

For one, Dover Castle garrisoned English soldiers for centuries. This imposing fortress is in such a strategic spot that it had a major part to play as late in the game as World War II! Within the castle are the famous underground tunnels used by British forces when planning its defense against Germany. Any student of English history will find it interesting to see this place so often described as "the key to England."

The White Cliffs of Dover are unlike any other natural formation that I have ever seen anywhere else. Who hasn't heard of them? My family and I went to the cinema to see the latest Elizabeth I movie, The Golden Age, in which the good Queen Bess must face down the onslaught of the Spanish Armada. It is on the White Cliffs that you see her in shining armour, rallying her troops from the saddle of her horse, sitting tall and unafraid for her people as she gazes calmly out to the threat riding fast towards her kingdom on the waves of the sea.

While we did not have the chance to visit since it is only open from April to September, the Richborough Roman Fort reminds visitors of more ancient times when Roman invaders ruled the land.

Nearby Canterbury with its amazing cathedral should be coupled with a visit to Dover. It's only a short drive north.

Conversely, a Dover visitor could make an easy trip to Battle and Hastings to see where English history as we know it really began in 1066.

Quick Tips:

If you can't find lodging that looks acceptable (or affordable) in town, there are a lot of places to stay outside of Dover and Canterbury that won't be too far away from either. We took a room at a Holiday Inn in nearby Ashford. This was an especially good choice for us as we were returning to London the next morning.

While you're in the Southeast, you should take the time to look for other attractions outside of Dover that are close to the motorway and plan to incorporate them into your travel. This is especially true if you're in the area for more than a weekend.

For instance, Chartwell (Winston Churchill's home in Kent), Hever Castle (Anne Boleyn's ancestral home), Leed's Castle (considered one of the most romantic in the land), and Rye (an ancient village know for its charm) are all just over an hour's drive... and these sites just scratch the surface of what you could plan to see. (London itself is only two hours away.)

If you're going to visit both Dover and Canterbury on the same trip, allow at least one full day for each, an entire weekend... unless you don't like history. If you are very short on time, however, you can see just the main highlights of both in one day as detailed in the entries of this journal. If this is your plan, start with Dover so that you're assured a place on the underground war-time tunnel tour at Dover Castle.

We had read we could see both cities on a Saturday, and this was really misleading. I don't want to make you think that's a good plan! Again, this amount of time only allows for the biggest highlights--i.e. Dover Castle and Canterbury Cathedral--but you won't be able to do or see much else.

Best Way To Get Around:

We had a car. Dover Castle has its own carpark... as does the National Trust land on which you can best view the White Cliffs without getting on a boat.

If you drive to Canterbury, park as quickly as possible and walk. You won't like driving through the ancient, narrow streets, and everything you'd want to see can be easily reached on foot anyway.

With that said, a car seemed to me to allow the most flexibility for viewing both Dover and Canterbury... and going between the two via motorway is surprisingly faster than other forms of transport.

If you need to take the train, both Dover and Canterbury have their own train stations that are easy to get to from London.

You can also take the bus.

We wanted to see Dover and Canterbury in one weekend. I looked at lodging in both places, but I ended up deciding to stay outside of either city, fairly in between the two, on the road back to London. I found a good, affordable option in the Ashford-Central Holiday Inn near the M20.

A night here puts you in a good position to visit all of South East England, Dover and Canterbury included. Plus, it won't break the bank for a family.

What was the hotel like? This is a chain hotel, and it offers chain hotel quality. After staying in a dismal, more expensive room in a lesser known brand hotel closer to London, I happily embraced the green and white sign that's as familiar to modern holiday makers on a budget as the Golden Arches is to cheap hamburger lovers.

Does this mean our room was pretty generic? You bet'cha. But it was also clean. The staff was competent. The room was plenty big. We weren't charged extra for the single bed that was already made-up for our son when we checked-in. There was also a fold-out sofa bed that could be used for bigger families. Parking was free. Internet was available. We got a paper in the morning. The tiles in the shower didn't scare me. There was a "pillow menu" that my son used to get an extra pillow with feathers from housekeeping. And the whole she-bang was just £69 through the internet for the evening. After fleeing a place where none of these niceties applied, the Holiday Inn's "generic" qualities felt like heaven. A basic three star kinda place.

Food? There is a restaurant on-site, but we didn't try it. Instead we drove into Ashford and took advantage of a large cinema complex that offered evening entertainment and several dining options. This is where the front desk clerk sent us when I asked for a "nice" place for dinner. I can't fault the boy. He was probably no older than 19. We have different definitions for "nice." His suggestions was an American chain pizza joint that caters to family dining. It wasn't exactly posh, but hey. It was good enough.... A Frankie and Benny's. There's also a chain pub directly across the street from the hotel if you want a place that's closer. Breakfast was not included in our rate, so we didn't get it.

How long did it take to get here from Dover? The drive was easy and took about 45 minutes. If you drew lines on a map from Ashford to Canterbury to Dover and back to Ashford, you would see a triangle.

I would stay here again.

The second time I ever went to Dover, I was really only looking for a place to sleep as we were taking the ferry to France in the morning. An English bed-and-breakfast can be a wonderful alternative to a hotel... especially if you're on a budget. They vary widely in quality and price, so you need to do your research to find a good one for you. After reading several positive reviews, I settled on the Pennyfarthing Guest House because it is located only five minutes from the ports, and it offers reasonably priced family rooms.

As we drove down Maison Dieu Road where this B&B is located, we couldn't help but notice Dover Castle lit up on its white hill with a full moon dangling in the sky above it.

Going through stained glass doors, we entered the lobby of the Pennyfarthing where a reception area is located. An old-fashioned bicycle like the one found on the B & B's sign was leaning against a wall. We rang a bell for the proprietor, and she emerged from a door marked "private", all smiles and welcome. A delightful lady, she showed us upstairs to our spacious room while explaining that she sees a lot of other Americans who flood into Dover from cruise ships. She also mentioned that the B & B closes for part of the winter. We settled the bill so that we could get up and go to our ferry without worry in the morning. We also had the opportunity to add breakfast, but since this wasn't served until 7:30 AM, we knew we'd have to skip this. Then she left us with two keys: one to the house and one to our room.

What was the room like? The carpet is all flowers. The lamps have lace shades. The bathroom has an avocado toilet and sink by the shower. The drapes are heavy. The wood is dark. The tiny TV has bunny ears to help with the reception of just three channels. YET it all worked here. I mean, this decor would be extremely outdated in a hotel, but in this high-ceilinged Victorian townhouse with its friendly English hostess? I liked it. There was an element of "comfy home" to be had. Plus, the beds were really comfortable and all was clean. (There was one double for the parents and two singles to accommodate kids.)

My husband started the kettle to make us tea while my son scarfed down the complimentary biscuits. I noticed a sign that said you could order a basic ham and cheese sandwich or get a coke for a small fee before 9 PM from the kitchen.

While it was plenty warm, I found extra blankets and pillows in a wardrobe. We settled into our beds and watched a late-night talk show, content and cozy.

Cost? You can get a single here for as low as £20. Our bill for the family room with 3 guests was £52 in November 2007.

As evidenced by the Roman lighthouse you'll see on the grounds, Dover Castle's location has been important to the island of Great Britain since before the history of an actual country called England really got going.

When William the Conqueror started his reign, one of the first orders of business was to make sure this place could be better defended. After all, on a clear day it is possible to see all the way across the channel to France.

Dover Castle would get to prove its worth as a stronghold in time of siege during the reign of King John in the 13th century. Despite heavy bombardment, the castle did not fall.

Fast forward to the time of Napolean and you'd find the castle defenses still being fortified. Soldiers burrowed tunnels through the chalk hills on which the castle is perched.

This martial warren was later turned into a center for strategic planning against the Nazis.

The tunnels were expanded to become a nuclear shelter for the country's leaders; however, it was discovered that the chalk in the hills was so porous that it would not protect from nuclear fallout.

As a result, the castle's military usefulness was lost and all was turned into a musuem for future generations.

So what is there to see? A lot.

The first thing you need to do is to get to the castle early and acquire your timed entry tickets to the WWII war time tunnels. Due to limited space, these tickets run out, so be warned. We got to the castle right after lunch with expectations of going on this tunnel tour. I had not read anywhere that we might not be able to do so. Yet this was indeed the case. The (not-so-helpful) ticket lady looked shocked that we didn't know that spaces on the tours get booked up fast. (Yet none of the literature I had read mentioned this fact.) You can't call ahead and make a booking either. It's first come, first served. This was a big disappointment though we were still able to go underground and see a small section of the tunnels, and that was pretty cool.

The second thing I would advise you to do is to walk up to the keep and see the short intro film to the castle. It's not Oscar worthy, but it gives you a better clue as to what (and where) all the attractions are... things like the 1216 Siege Experience, a "show" of sorts done with lights and sound that offers more of the castle's history in a family friendly manner: a fun, fast presentation.

In truth, my son enjoyed just exploring though.... walking up the ga-billion steps, seeing the rooms that were once prepared to receive Henry VIII, and then taking in the view of the English Channel. There are also the medieval tunnels to see, and, and, and....

You can spend the better part of a day here. Tickets are £9.80 for adults, £4.90 for children.

Canterbury is a lovely city that makes most people think immediately of the book by Chaucer that they had to read in school. Hundreds of years of pilgrims are no bit of fiction though. When a holy man, Thomas a Becket was murdered almost a thousand years ago by knights for defying the king in the UNESCO World Heritage site Canterbury Cathedral, something strange began to happen. The faithful who came to pay homage to the slain saint were healed when they prayed here. This, of course, pulled in the crowds! Becket's body was set up in a place of honor, and the people poured in from across Christendom.

So hundreds of years later, we made our own pilgrimage to see this sacred place. We found parking and made a beeline to the church. This is the thing to see in this city, and if you are anywhere in the area, you shouldn't miss it. Entrance will set you back £6.50/adult, £5/child. A guided tour costs extra, but if you can get on with a live guide, it's worth it!

During our tour, a gray-haired English lady led our small group by the Victorian stained glass windows, down empty corridors, through the crypt, all the while pointing out the different sections of the building: "That's Gothic at its finest, not a nail in any of the joints..... Notice where the ceiling slants. That expansion is the work of a French architect.... Look up! Look up! There are miracles in those colored panels. Henry VIII's henchman couldn't break everything. Can you see the wonder of it?!?"

Yes! Yes! Brilliant.

Apart from Canterbury Cathedral, there are plenty of attractions around the city that can keep you busy.

For instance, my family couldn't resist popping into an old bookstore off Beercart Lane, and there are a ton of other stores to please any window shopper.

You can also go to the The Canterbury Tales exhibit that is supposed to give you a sense of the sights, sounds, and smells of the 14th century, but we skipped this and its £7.50/adult pricetag because our tastes tend to lean more in the direction of ruined abbeys like St. Augustine's.

Alternatively, The Roman Museum lets you explore that era of English history when there was a Roman town on site. (Cost: £3.10/adult.)

Or fast forward a few hundred years to the time of the Normans and see the ruins of a Norman Keep in Canterbury Castle. That's free.

Maybe a ghost tour strikes your fancy? They are held all year round and you can find one by going to the Visitors' Centre near the entrance to the cathedral.

Bottom line? I took the advice of a guidebook that said I could squeeze both Canterbury and Dover into one day. They are close enough to scratch the surface of both in that short period of time, but I wish we'd lingered longer. Canterbury Cathedral by itself can take a morning to explore. You need a full weekend.

I read in a guidebook that you can only see the White Cliffs of Dover if you are looking at them from a boat. While I am sure you might get the best view from this vantage point, rest assured that you can see these chalk wonders from the land and still feel impressed by the beauty of them. In fact, the National Trust maintains a small tract of wildlands to preserve these unique works of Mother Nature, so off we went to see them!

The National Trust site at Langdon Cliffs is a mile's walk from Castle Hill... or follow the clearly marked signs posted on the A20. There is a small fee of £2.50 for parking a car. National Trust members have this fee waived at the gate, and disabled badge holders get a discount.

Apart from parking, admission to the grounds is free.

Even after living for a year in England, I am always amazed at how close together Brits park... the size of the tiny spaces. Unless you just like a challenge, when you first drive past the attendant's gate, don't worry about pulling into the first little spot you see. The narrow road leads to a bigger lot that will suit a vehicle as big as a motorhome.

After you park, it's good to lace up your hiking shoes. There are guided tours to an old lighthouse that you can take from the spring season to October. Ask about these in the visitors' center where you can get a cuppa tea, use the restroom, shop for postcards, or read about the flora and fauna you'll find on the ground.

Alternatively, you can do as we did and simply hit one of the dirt paths hugging the cliffs.

Despite the gray day, we strained our eyes to try and see France less than a marathon's run across the channel. We pulled our coats closer around our bodies and pointed to Dover Castle looming above us nearby. We walked in the opposite direction from that and smiled when the White Cliffs curved in such a way that we could see a large swathe of them in front of us, falling away beneath us.

We touched the white chalk peppered with flint and were amazed at its texture. We wished there was a giant sidewalk around where we could use chips of chalk to draw stick figures on the ground to be washed away with the next rain.

We commented on a well behaved dog or two romping through grass with ruddy-cheeked masters. We took pictures, said "oh" and "ah", and then got into the car to drive away again.

On a warm day, a longer walk over these 80-million-years-old landmarks might be in order. Even if you're short on time like we were, the cliffs are worth at least half an hour. The guidebook was wrong about having to take a boat. They're lovely to see from land.

When is this site open? Basically daylight hours.

One of the most common reasons for English people to go to Dover is to take their cars on the ferry to travel to the continent. This can be a really economical way to do it.

Conversely, you can put your car on a train that will go through the Eurotunnel. (This is a faster option. Just 35 minutes to France!) But when I made my reservations, I found the ferry was a third the price. I didn't mind spending the extra time on a boat if I saved money.

I also researched the various ports to find the best deal.

In the end, we boarded at the port in Dover on the Norfolk Line to disembark right under two hours in Dunkirque, France.

What was the procedure like? Everything was very easy to do. We purchased our tickets in advance on-line. We printed out our reservation number and had this ready when we went to the port. We were told at our bed-and-breakfast that the Norfolk Line is very strict about when cars arrive to get onto the ferry.

You must get to the port at least 45 minutes before boarding.

Knowing that we needed to buy a "GB" sticker to put next to our license plate on the back of our car, we got to the port an hour ahead of time so we could pop into the shop next to the ticket office. If you need this sticker, there is also a shop on board the ship. (When you check-in, you'll be given a sheet that tells you everything that you'll need to legally drive on the continent.) As our cars are right-hand-drive, we also bought special reflectors for our headlights to stop glare. These ran around £6.

Then we found the "Norfolk Line" lane and drove up to a small kiosk where a man asked for our passports and reservation number. (All company lanes at the port are clearly marked.)

Then we went into a customs hanger where a customs agent gave our car a quick once-over and waved us through. (Coming BACK from France, you will go back through this customs area again, but it's pretty simple... like when you cross the border to and from Canada.)

We stopped in our designated line and waited for the gates to open to go on the ship.

Finally, we drove onto the ferry, parked, locked the car and got out.

Take everything you need from the car with you as you won't have access to your vehicle while the ferry is moving.

We got breakfast at the restaurant on the ship by a window that looked out to the sea. In truth, the waters were rough during our trip, and I didn't like the rocking. But I knew this was actually pretty moderate due to the size of the ferry.

How long did the trip take? Just under two hours.

In France, we drove off the ferry and hit the road.

Easy.

We'll do it again.