So, we took the two and a half hour drive to Dover. Not a bad drive, and as you come up over one last rolling hill, and suddenly the English Channel is right ahead of you. The white cliffs truly are white and amazing to see. The castle itself is fairly extensive, with a Roman lighthouse (2nd century) and Saxon church (c. 1000 AD) inside the first set of walls, which you can see in the picture we took from on top of the castle tower. The kids loved rolling down the hill next to the church, and s
tanding on the edge of cliff looking down over the channel (although it was a little windy).
English Heritage just finished a massive renovation of the Great Tower, which was built between 1182 and 1188 for the court of King Henry II. It was decorated and furnished true to the period, and there were reenactors--Madeleine and Colin are here knighted by the King, and Bronwyn gets a lesson in swordplay from the knight, Sir George. Since the chalk cliffs give such a perfect vantage point for protecting the
coast, there has been a defense here. William the Conquerer built a castle here in 1066 after the Battle of Hastings, likely building on a prior Iron Age fort. We walked part of the Battlement Wall, where you can see the anti-aircraft guns and cannons. There are tunnels all throughout the cliffs as well. We went through the Renaissance tunnels before we went the biggie: The Secret Wartime Tunnels of WWII.
These tunnels were expanded from 18th century ones that were used as barracks at the outbreak of WWII. We took a tour of the extensive tunnels--miles and miles through three different layers, which housed hospital facilities, radio operators, map rooms, and planning rooms for Admiral Ramsey and his staff to carry out the Dunkirk evacuation and track all ships and planes in the Channel. After exploring Dover, we drove about 25 minutes or so to Canterbury, where we got some dinner, walked the center of town and admired the cathedral.
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