White Cliffs of Dover
Before leaving Uni, a group of friends invited me to their home and offered to show me around their city. One of those girlfriends was my friend, Esther, who lived one floor below mine in the dorm. She invited me to stay with her in Canterbury which is almost as south east as you can get in the UK! I got on the train and got off in a short four hour train ride from Liverpool.
After seeing Canterbury, Esther decided to take me to see the famous White Cliffs of Dover as they are only about a fifteen minute drive from her home, so we jumped in the car and drove off!
Before I can even choose a decent song to play in the car, this massive castle appears on a hill just along the road to the cliffs. I asked what it was, and Esther told me the castle was called Dover Castle. The cliffs were just beyond the castle walls. We drive another five minutes, park the car and start following the crowd along the course.
In order to get a good view, most recommend walking along the cliff path for around ten minutes due to the Port of Dover. The Port of Dover is this sort of massive, ugly eye sore that butts up against the cliffs. The most popular use of the port is the return shuttle to France. Although it’s a bit ugly, when you walk along the cliffs, you walk with your back to the harbor and just look at the picturesque white cliffs, so it’s fine!
Other than clinging to the edge and hoping you don’t fall, there really isn’t much to do once you’ve looked down the cliffs and taken your photos. On a good day this would be the PERFECT spot for a picnic, but on a normal British day there is this kind of tradition that everyone practices when visiting. At the opposite end of the national park is a beautiful white lighthouse and inside the lighthouse is a quaint tea shop. The tradition is to simply walk up to the lighthouse and enjoy a sweet brew while you sit outside and enjoy the view. Very simple, I know, but it kind of turned into that kind of pilgrimage that everyone does, and you’ll miss something if you don’t do it yourself. The hike is a bit long so sitting down with a hot brew really puts the icing on the cake!
If you ever want to pay a visit, I recommend staying in historic Canterbury, not Dover (Dover isn’t very nice), and coming during the summer months when the sun makes rare appearances. When there are no clouds, you can look out and see France from the cliffs. You will not regret it! White Cliffs of Dover = English National Treasure.
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