Dover-a stroll through history

 

The Gatehouse, where soldiers kept watch 

and stopped anyone not a soldier from getting closer to the castle, how you ask...well an arrow to the shoulder apparently did the trick

A slow start on a foggy day and I have decided that visiting castles is just not happening for me.  A few years ago we were in Scotland and I hiked the five kilometres to the old castle ruins only to arrive and discover it was closed.  Today my DH and I decided on a later start to the day.  We hopped a bus to Dover, and began the walk up the hill to Dover Castle.  We are nearly there when we are stopped at a gate and told "the castle is closed today and tomorrow, come back on Wednesday.  That is all fine and good but we will be on the move again and going back won't be an option.  So we did not get to explore the castle and caves.  Down the hill we go again.  On the trek down we met a local who was happy to chat and suggest what we should see.  

The outside walls that we could see from our walk

Churches are not open today either ( only Sunday and Wednesday) so we only saw St. Mary from the outside. And no luck with graveyards or ancestoral information either.  I will need to head towards Devon.  My DH suggested I plan it after all when might I have the chance again.  Well it is a four hour train ride and it will have to keep for my next trip!

The church of St. Mary the Virgin. One of Dover's important churches for over 400 years.

So we went to the museum for a look around.  The bronze aged boat was fascinating, it was excavated in Dover.  The information about smuggling along the coastline was quite entertaining.

The boat dates back to before the time of Moses and King Tut

There was a special exhibition that was just set up, a tribute to Dunkirk.

A Bomb.  

The sign says to not climb on it!  I didn't need to be told twice

Knitted and crocheted poppies.  

These poppies were the result of an appeal to local crafters in 2017 so that this rug of poppies could be made as a tribute

And then we hired a taxi to take us to the White Cliffs so we could at least walk some of the trail.  

Not the panoramic shot but breathtaking none the less

Did I tell you it is foggy today??  The photo opportunities were not so good and as I write the blog I am listening to the fog horn.  A sound I quite like listening to, except it means poor visibility for those on the water.

A bus ride back to Folkestone and a walk along The Leas was a lovely ending to our excursion today.  

 

Folkestone Beach just below our hotel.  

I saw someone coming out of the cold water!!!