White Cliffs of Dover
New Year’s Day 2017 found us in London this year with a rental car. The White Cliffs of Dover was a destination we really wanted to see. We loaded our crew into the car and set Google Maps for the Greenwich Observatory. We arrived before it opened at 9AM and were greeted with easy parking right outside the gate.
We didn’t actually go in, but it was quite cool anyway.
From there, we set out for Dover. I set Google Maps to “White Cliffs of Dover” and we were off.
Eventually we left the highway and the roads got narrower and the pavement ended. We thought we had taken a wrong turn when I started picking my way around huge puddles. Suddenly, the road narrowed and was blocked by posts.
We found ourselves at the South Foreland Lighthouse. And it happened to be open for the only day in January. Inside was a wonderful tea room.
After tea and stories of the significance of the area during WWII, we set out in the cold rain to see what we could of the famous cliffs. It was foggy so we knew we wouldn’t be able to see across the Channel to France.
The high winds and rain chased us away so we headed to the port looking for a pint. Our first choice was awesome, except for the fact their kitchen wasn’t open. It was the White Horse Inn, which is apparently famous amongst the folks who swim the channel. Surprisingly that population is quite large and they get to sign the walls.
We eventually ate at Cullin’s Yard, which, along with beer and an operating kitchen, had very historical atmosphere.
On the way back to London we were greeted with this view of the Cliffs of Dover.
Here’s a condensed video of the drive to see the cliffs.
Dover 2017 from Freddy on Vimeo.
After a series of fortunate events, we got to see one of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever encountered from a vantage point that was so close it made my knees weak.
~ Freddy
