BryanM0606

Greetings...My wife and I, on our first trip to England, are hiring a car from London, and are spending our first night in Canterbury, before heading to Portsmouth, then, north through Wales, and eventually to Scotland. Are there any "must see" places around Canterbury and Dover? And, concerning the rest of our trip, are advanced reservations needed for the local B&B places we plan on staying in, or can we just show up? Thanks for any helpful info.

rickmav

I'm assuming you want to make a circle around to Portsmouth, then north to Wales and are planning on enjoying things as you go. So, you must already have some things in mind that would make you take this route. I can add the things that we enjoyed in the Canterbury-Dover area.

Canterbury, of course, is wonderful. The Cathedral, the wonderful restaurants, narrow streets (like something out of Dickens) and lots of shopping. South-east of Canterbury we stopped at Walmer Castle. About 15 min. fr. Dover. Nice little castle built by Henry VIII and inhabited (sometimes) by the Lord Wardens of the Cinque Ports. (Most recent one was Queen Mother, also Winston Churchill). Quite an exhibit on the Duke of Wellingston. We particularly loved the garden, lots of ideas if you like gardening.

In Dover you must see the Castle. We really enjoyed the views and the Secret Wartime Tunnels. It's a kind of living exhibit with smells, voices, sounds of bombing, lights go out, air raid sirens, etc. - very well done. There's also a film on a 1216 Siege Experience, battlement walk, and a Saxon church.

I'm not sure of the route you are taking from London and if you want to stop on the way to Canterbury. If so, let me know and I can offer some ideas about thing you might see on the way there or from Dover to Portsmouth. Or perhaps on your way to North Wales.

Re: B&Bs - that will largely depend on what time of year you are going. During the summer, I'd book. And if you have a particular B&B in mind, also book. Otherwise, you'll probably do fine booking as you go, although I wouldn't wait until too late in the day.

angeleno

i absolutely adore Dover - don't miss the Dover Experience. maybe a little cheesy but oh so much fun.
As the previous response said - the Dover Castle is magnificent. Don't miss the ruins of the Norman castle.

tammylouky

Something else you might want to do is go to St. Margaret's at Cliffe. Go through town and follow a windy road down to the shore. Great views of the channel and the white cliffs. When you are in Dover, I never saw good views of the white cliffs, but St. Margaret's offered great views.

BryanM0606

Thank you all very much. We will be there this Saturday, and are very excited!