Dover - The White Cliffs
 

Greetings all. Can anyone tell me if Dover is a day trip out of London and if so are the white cliffs worth a visit? Anything else worthy of seeing there? Thanks.

Mark, it is hard to see much of the white cliffs from land....but!!! the Dover castle is supposed to be fantastic. I was just in Dover a couple of months ago, and everyone was telling me to go see it. I didn't have the time this trip, but I for sure will next trip. My B&B hosts said that you could spend a whole day at the castle and still not see everything. Dover itself is not very pretty, but it is a lovely 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive from London and there are plenty of pubs along the way.

Take a bus from Dover to St Margaret's Bay. You can then walk down to the bay, either by the road or by the cliff walk. You can then walk aong the beach and see the cliffs at right up close. There is also a footpath right along the top of the cliffs with wonderful views. It's a lovely part of the world.

There were no bluebirds over them but the white cliffs in the early evening were a lovely sight from the ferry on the way to Calais.

Wouldn't it also be convenient to stop at Canterbury and see the cathedral? I remember driving by there when going to the coast to take the ferry.

My husband and I were there in March 2000. We landed in London around noon, picked up our rental car, and headed to Canterbury, stopping at Leeds Castle on the way. We spent quite a bit of time at Leeds so we ended up arriving in Canterbury around 5 or 6. The next morning we spent at the cathedral and hit the road for Dover sometime after lunch. Dover Castle is well worth a long visit. The castle is amazing to see, and under it are the secret wartime tunnels. That is all we did see in Dover, however, because it was a foggy day and France was not visible across the channel. But it is worth the visit. We ended up in Brighton that night and visited the Royal Pavillion the next day. It was a whole lot of driving, but the sights were all worth it. I would go back and see them all again.

Several years ago we did a day trip from London stopping in Canterbury for the morning and having lunch there then going on to Dover. We enjoyed the castle, but didn't have enough time to see the tunnels under it. Last summer we returned just to do the tunnels which were quite interesting. They have it set up just as it was during WWII. It is a total light, sound, and even smell experience. They fake an air raid while you are in there and see the way the hospital rooms were set up, complete with the smell of a hospital and bloody bandages on the floor. This makes it sound a little gross, but it is a very well done tour. In addition there is a very interesting movie shown mainly showing D-Day activities. The views from the castle were magnificent, as we had beautiful days both times we went. This last time we took an early morning train to Dover, then went on to Rye for lunch, then on to Hastings (not much)and back to London in time for our theatre that night.

Do it! The following is from my 1999 travel diary.<BR><BR>First stop is the Dover Experience; Dover during the Second World War when it was shelled almost daily from the French Coast.<BR><BR>Then onto the Roman excavations and the painted house, one of the best Roman exhibits in England.<BR><BR>All pale into insignificance against a visit to Dover castle. The castle has dominated the town since 1198 and the site was fortified long before that, first by the Romans and then by the Saxons.<BR><BR>The old castle is displayed as preparing for a visit by Henry VIII. He evidently said that to save money he would not furnish the castle, but then insisted that it always be ready when he called! So it is being prepared for him, with many of the staff moaning, although one is saying that he is getting rich thanks to the need to renew the royal cipher every time Henry gets a new wife!<BR><BR>There is a magnificent view from the roof, but it is not the most pleasant of days!<BR>The garrison chapel is interesting, if rather bleak, and the Officer?s Mess looks magnificent, not that we can get in.<BR><BR>The tunnels provide the real icing on the cake. Although not all of them are yet on view. The highest level goes back to the Napoleonic wars being built by French prisoners (probably preferable to building Dartmoor), the next level is the battery level from where Dunkirk was orchestrated and then the rest of the Second World War tunnels, the fighter control, the gun control, the hospital and all the living space. Below that level is what was the Cold War command centre for running Kent after the bombs had fallen. Fortunately it was never needed and one day will be open for inspection.<BR>

We were in London in September, and took a Tour put on by Even Evans that took us to Leeds Castle (absolutely beautiful place and well worth a visit).Then Canterbury and finally Dover.<BR>It took from 9 am until we returned about 5.30 pm. but was well worth it and most enjoyable.<BR>Had previously only seen the White Cliffs and Castle from a ferry so it was very interesting to see them at close range, and it was a beautiful fine day which was a bonus.

We were there last spring. I have to agree with all the posts above that Dover Castle is fabulous. We however also spent the night in Dover. The city itself was charmless in comparison to the other places we stayed. Spend the night in Caturbury!

what was the B&B you stayed at in Dover and how would you rate facilities etc. We are travelling to Dover for an over night stay prior to sailing and will be arriving by train and we will not have the use of car in mid June. Would it be necessary to pre book inadvance.<BR><BR>thks Carol