We came for the cliffs and ended up spending most of the day just sitting on them, watching the sea.
The White Cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs stretch for 13 kilometres along either side of Dover, rising to 110 meters at their highest point. They’re made of chalk, soft and white, and they are ultra bright on a sunny day. The chalk formed at the bottom of a shallow sea around 70 million years ago, the same process as the Seven Sisters further west along the coast, except the White Cliffs are protected from erosion while the Seven Sisters are left to erode naturally. Which is why the Seven Sisters stay bright white and Dover’s cliffs are slowly going green with vegetation. Ironically, the more famous cliffs are actually less white.
A herd of Exmoor ponies has been grazing on the clifftops for at least two decades. They’re kept there deliberately to manage the chalk grassland without human intervention. Maybe you’ll encounter some of them on your walks. But they are semi-wild so just leave them be.
On a clear day you can see France from up here. We were hoping for that. We didn’t quite get it on our visit, but it’s apparently very much possible.
Walking the Cliffs
We ended up here slightly by accident, we actually got lost, didn’t know where to go. We were trying to reach the lighthouse, couldn’t find the right car park, ended up parking somewhere on the Upper road and just walking toward the cliffs until we found a path. It worked out perfectly.
The walks are genuinely lovely. You either walk on the path or on the softest green grass I have ever walked on, you can see the views of the Channel opening up in front of you, and feel the wind. Oh, the wind. It’s very windy up there. Even on a warm sunny day the breeze coming off the Channel is tough.
We found a good spot on the grass, sat down, and just stayed there for a while looking at the sea, sky, it was just lovely.
The official National Trust visitor centre and main car park are on Upper Road, signposted from the A258 roundabout outside Dover. That’s the easiest starting point with proper parking, toilets, and a cafe. From there marked paths take you along the clifftop toward the South Foreland Lighthouse. We found that out after we left, but it all turned out good. It just means it’s okay not to have a plan every time and maybe get a bit lost.
On the other side of Dover there are Shakespeare Cliff and the Solar Tower House, which we’d planned to visit. The weather turned bad so we skipped them. Something for next time.
Dover Castle
You can’t come to Dover and not at least acknowledge the castle sitting up on the cliffs above everything. I mean you will see it while entering Dover, can’t miss it. Dover Castle has been here in some form for over 2.000 years, which makes it one of the longest-serving military sites in the world. The Romans built a lighthouse on this spot in the first century AD to help their ships navigate the Channel. The lighthouse is actually still standing inside the castle grounds.
The castle itself was built in the 11th century and then expanded, most significantly by King Henry II in the 12th century when the Great Tower was added, intended both as a fortress and as a statement of Norman royal power. The whole thing is called the Key to England, which tells you what it was for.
The most interesting part, and the part you should definitely visit if you go inside, is the tunnels. Hidden inside the white chalk cliffs below the castle is a labyrinth of tunnels first carved during the Napoleonic Wars and massively expanded during the Second World War.
These tunnels served as the headquarters for Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of over 330.000 Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940.
The tunnels are the main reason to pay for entry.
⏰ Opening hours: Daily 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (summer), 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (winter).
🎟️ Tickets: ~£26 (~31€), it’s actually cheaper on Get your Guide, 28€ book here
Things to Know Before You Visit
- The National Trust car park on Upper Road is the easiest access point for the cliffs, well-signposted from the A258.
- It is windy. Very windy. Bring a layer even in summer.
- The cliffs erode. Stay on the marked paths and well back from the edge.
- From London Dover is about 90 minutes by car via the M2 and A2, or around an hour by high-speed train from St Pancras.
- The South Foreland Lighthouse, the world’s first electrically operated lighthouse, built in 1843, is managed by the National Trust and open to visitors on certain days. Worth checking before you go.
Dover doesn’t get the same attention as some of England’s prettier towns, and the port area around it is a bit rough around the edges. But the cliffs and the castle are worth your time, and sitting on the grass up there with the Channel stretching out in front of you is one of those experiences that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. Until next time, be mesmerized 🩵
