"There'll be Rich Jackson over, the white cliffs of Dover..."

[rich_jacko]

Going to visit a nearby(ish) castle seems to be becoming a theme when work send me to London. I went to Windsor and Rochester earlier in the year. This time it was Dover's turn.

I have to say, Dover Castle is very impressive. One of the largest castles in England, it was in continual military use from before the Norman Conquest right up to 1958 and it's fascinating to see how it's evolved over the years as military technology advanced. There's a Roman lighthouse, a Saxon church, a reconstruction of the 12th century court in the Great Tower, medieval tunnels, gun emplacements, barracks, and several miles of later tunnels used in the Napoleonic and World Wars. Operation Dynamo was planned from here, and the tour and exhibition commemorating it are very well done.

Definitely recommended as a day out if you're in that part of the world. It's not cheap, but I was there a solid six hours and still didn't quite get round everything. There are good views over the town and the harbour too; it was a clear day and I could easily see France on the horizon.





Because one castle is never enough, I also swung past the Tower of London to take a look at the growing (and stunning) sea of WW1 poppies.

Comments

[san-valentine.livejournal.com]

Oh, so that's what Dover Castle and the surrounding views look like. When I was there in 2011, it was a wet day, with low-lying cloud, so we could hardly see the town from the castle, let alone France. There were also winds averaging around Force 6, so I heard one member of staff saying. It certainly felt like it up top of the keep. You could hardly breathe in it.

Those are lovely photos of the poppies at the Tower of London. Ven's visiting London for a couple of days next week, and hope to go see them if she has the energy. I hope so, but if not, I can always send her a link to your photos.