Dover

The weather looked good for Saturday, so I decided I would head to Dover in southeastern England. I caught a train at Waterloo Station in London and after an hour and a half I was there. The second to last stop on the way to Dover stops at Canterbury, where I could see the famous Cathedral in the distance. Part of me wished I had decided to go there but I think I'd had my fill of Cathedrals from the previous weekend.

After arriving in Dover I wondered if it was always so crowded but I quickly found out that it was the 100th anniversary of the first flight across the English Channel by the Frenchman, Louis Bleriot. There wasn't a whole lot in the town so I made my way to the "Key of England", Dover Castle. As you can see from the second photo below, the Castle complex sits on top of a pretty steep hill. It was a little bit of a walk to get there from the town but was well worth it once you arrive. The first thing I did was climb to the top of the Admiralty Lookout, the lookout position used during World Wars I and II. The photo below is from the top of the lookout towards France, 21 miles away. It was pretty easy to see France that day, although it's kind of difficult to make out in the picture (it might be easier to see if you click on it). The third picture below is of the White Cliffs of Dover from the Admiralty Lookout. It was a really great view, France in the distance, the town of Dover to my right, the White Cliffs to my left and the ferries leaving the bustling Port of Dover for France below.

At noon I joined a tour of the castle's underground war tunnels. The tour focused on World War II, although there have been tunnels there since Medieval times. The tunnels were expanded during the Napoleonic Wars as England expected an invasion from France and, as you can see from the photos below, were extensively updated and used during World War II. After being routed by the German offensive into France at the outset of WW II, the British Expeditionary Force needed to be evacuated from Dunkirk, France. The operation to evacuate the British forces, codenamed Operation Dynamo, was conducted from these bunkers. Initial expectations were to evacuate around 45,000 soldiers; however, over 338,000 were eventually evacuated. The operation became known as the "Miracle of Dunkirk".

One really interesting thing about Dover Castle is that it contains something from almost every major chapter of English history. The first photo below is of the Roman lighthouse, built in the 1st century AD after the Roman invasion of Britain. The second photo below is of the Saxon church, St Mary de Castro. At this point I've gotten pretty good at being able to pick out which buildings are of Saxon construction. In general, a building with thick walls and only a few, small windows tends to be Saxon. Neither the lighthouse or the Saxon church had much to look at on the inside. The lighthouse was hallowed out and the church had been remodeled fairly recently (19th century). The third photo below shows the Norman Keep from the hill next to the Saxon church and Roman lighthouse. The keep has been closed for a year and is set to open next month so I couldn't go inside. Construction of the keep and the refortification of the castle began shortly after William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings (not too far away). In fact, his army took possession of the town and the Saxon fortifications after the battle before making their way to London.

I thought the below photo was somewhat poignant as it captures the castle complex's long history in one snapshot. The Saxon church is on the left (the Roman Lighthouse is barely visible just behind/to the left of the church), the Norman keep is to the right, and in the foreground is the barrel of a World War II anti-aircraft gun.


After leaving the castle I followed my trusty guidebook's directions to head to the National Trust's White Cliffs of Dover (like a National Park in the U.S.). I'm wondering if any of the writers actually made the walk. The sidewalk quickly disappeared from the road I was directed down. I had already gone too far, so I kept going. As I said, it was kind of a busy weekend so there was quite a bit of traffic. I kept having to jump up on the side of the road. Eventually I made it there in one piece. It is free to enter for people traveling on foot. I hadn't expected too much from the cliffs. I figured they would be just like normal cliffs, but white. Which they were, but it was much more exciting than I would have thought. Maybe it was because it was such a beautiful day, or maybe because I've seen them referenced in books and movies so many times, but the cliffs really were an enjoyable experience. There are a lot of walking paths, so I quickly made my way to a section that was less crowded.

Notice one of the many ferries to France in the right of the photo.

I settled down on a quiet section of the cliff to relax. Not wanting to be associated with the headline "Another Tourist Falls to His Death", I decided to stay at least one foot from the very edge. It was a great feeling, to lay back against my backpack and look out at the English Channel. One of the things I love about the ocean is its timelessness. I could lay on this windy cliff edge and imagine the Spanish Armada sailing through the Channel, a British soldier returning home after years of serving in the Empire, or the drone of the German bombers as they passed overhead during the Battle of Britain. That is one of the great things about history, it adds a further layer of depth and appreciation to life. I could have laid there a lot longer than I did, but eventually I had to get up and head back into town. It was a very cathartic experience and rivaled that of my second day in Scotland, when I stood on top of that mountain on the Isle of Skye. If there is one things I've increasingly come to realize during these trips, it's that I really enjoy being in nature. In fact, I think it's something that I need in my life rather than just enjoy. It doesn't always have to be far away places like the Scottish Highlands of the Cliffs of Dover, but I think I will make more of an effort to get out and appreciate the world around me.

After getting back to town I got a quick dinner at a pub then hopped on the train back to London. I took the below video while I was laying on the cliff edge, it is of a World War II British Lancaster bomber that flew past. The video pans over to the right so you can see the Port of Dover, to the left so you can see the White Cliffs and down so you can see the edge of the cliff.