“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”
The plan was to arrive at the National Trust (White Cliffs of Dover) Car Park just after 7am to avoid the crowds. I did this, but the sun was so low in the sky that I could not video the first three kilometres of my walk from Dover to South Foreland Lighthouse. However, I did manage to video the return journey to some degree. Unfortunately, due to the school summer holiday, it was difficult to film all the way back to Dover.
The White Cliffs of Dover are the region of the English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of 350 feet (110 m), owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint. The cliffs are part of the coastline of Kent at the point where Great Britain is closest to continental Europe – the Strait of Dover is approximately 20 miles (32 km) across. On a clear day, the cliffs are visible from the French coast. The cliffs have great symbolic value in Britain because they face continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel where invasions have historically threatened and against which the cliffs form a symbolic guard.
Fan Bay Deep Shelter
Completed in just 100 days, as the name suggests, Fan Bay Deep Shelter was built to provide shell- and bomb-resistant accommodation for the soldiers serving on the nearby gun battery in the Second World War.
The Port of Dover
The Port of Dover is Europe’s busiest ferry port, a vital international gateway for the movement of passengers and trade. It is also an award-winning cruise port, the second busiest in the UK, and hosts some of the world’s most prestigious cruise lines. As one of Europe’s largest and busiest passenger ports, the Port of Dover has played a key part in history. Formed in 1606 by King James I, and with the spectacular White Cliffs, it remains one of the most iconic and memorable parts of the Kent landscape, truly deserving of its title as the gateway to the UK and Europe.
South Foreland Lighthouse
The Upper and Lower Lighthouses that you see today were built in the middle of the 19th century. The Upper Lighthouse was heightened and refurbished in 1842, and in 1846 the Lower Light was fully rebuilt. The works were supervised by one of the greatest Victorian engineers, James Walker FRS (1781-1862). The Upper and Lower Lighthouses can be seen from the land, but are even more obvious when viewed from the sea. Sailors would line up the two lights, and when the Upper Light shone directly above the Lower Light, they knew they could steer safely past the southern tip of the Goodwin Sands.
