The White Cliffs of Dover

With the cold weather continuing, Garry and I decided to abandon plans for a New Year road tour of Cornwall. Instead we set out for two days in Kent; spending the first day in Canterbury and the second driving along the coast from Margate to Dover. We couldn't have picked a better day for our drive to Dover. While the weather was still bitterly cold, the day dawned crystal clear, ensuring that every scenic stop we made was framed by vivid blue sky.


I've wanted to visit Margate ever since it was mentioned in a popular novel. I can say that its far more inspiring in fiction than in real life. We saw nothing more than a typical Victorian beach resort town offering an rather dull view of the North Sea. Furthermore, we arrived at low tide which meant the seafront was nothing more than enormous stretch of muddy, rippled sand. In the background stranded boats lay prone against a tired concrete seawall. It wasn't an inspiring coastal vista by any stretch of the imagination. We stopped for a brief stroll on the sand but were soon on our way towards Dover.

We past Kent International Airport at one point and were surprised to see an aging 747-100 jumbo jet parked by its perimeter. Again, I'd first heard about this airstrip in a popular novel and had naturally assumed it was a small, sleepy location. As a result, a large jet was the last thing I expected to see. However, its runway is long enough to support older 747 aircraft and as such receives regular charter and cargo flights.


We reached Dover shortly before lunch, stopping briefly to wander along the cliff tops of the famous White Cliffs of Dover. I've only seen the cliffs up close once before, at dusk as my hovercraft from Calais pulled into Dover harbour. Today, they simply dazzled in the sunlight. It was a magic moment.


Below us we could see the busy ferry port loading and unloading boats at a furious pace. In the distance we could see the outline of the French coast 22 miles away. We were later reminded of how close France was when we attempted to tune the car radio. Station after station was French.

The White Cliffs of Dover were formed 80 to 65 million years ago at the bottom of what was then a tropical ocean. The chalk is simply the remains of shells from millions of tiny sea creatures. Scientists estimate that 15 milimetres of chalk took at least 10,000 years to create, or one million years to create 15 metres. Today, the chalk is a staggering 250 metres deep in places.


Our next stop was Dover Castle. This imposing medieval landmark dominates the white clifftop for miles around. Here we spent several hours wandering the castle grounds and touring the Secret World War II tunnels buried underneath. These tunnels remained closely guarded and on the secret list until 1984. While most of them were built during the 1940s, several sections date back more than two hundred years to the Napoleonic Wars. Once again we were reminded of how close France was as our tunnel tour guide spoke of constant German artillery bombardment Dover endured during the War.


Perhaps the most fascinating building in the castle complex is an old Saxon church, St Mary de Castro. The building is more than one thousand years old, while it crumbling grey stone bell-tower is actually part of a first century AD Roman lighthouse. The original Roman outline is still very distinctive for much of its 24 metre height.


Unfortunately, the castle's keep, or central building wasn't open to the public. Garry was most annoyed. The keep was built during the reign of Henry II and stands an impressive 50 metres high, maintaining silent vigil over Dover township and the harbour. While we couldn't go inside, the view from the outer walls, across the English Channel, were magnificant. This seemed a fitting end to our holiday travels. Its now back to work tomorrow.