London Dover

From the days of Celtic invaders to the age of the Chunnel, the white chalk cliffs of Dover have been many a traveler’s first glimpse of England. They have also been witness to some serious wartime bombardment, from Napoleon’s cross-Channel threats to heavy bombing in both World Wars. In July and August, adventurous swimmers make the 21 mi. doggy-paddle across the Channel to France. On land, walk along the cliffs or through the formidable castle.

Trains: (☎08457 484 950), from London. 2hr., 4 per hr., £22.
Buses: National Express (☎08705 808 080) buses run from London (2hr., every hr., £11.80) to Pencester Road Station between York St. and Maison Dieu Rd.
Taxis: Central Taxi Service (☎240 0441). 24hr.

Practical Information

Tourist Information Centre: The Old Town Gaol (☎205 108; www.whitecliffscountry.org.uk), off High St. where it divides into Priory Rd. and Biggin St. Helpful staff sells ferry, bus, and hoverspeed tickets and books accommodations for 10% deposit; after hours call ☎01271 336 093 for accommodations list. Open June-Aug. daily 9am-5:30pm; Apr.-May and Sept. M-F 9am-5:30pm, Sa-Su 10am-4pm; Oct.-Mar. M-F 9am-5:30pm, Sa 10am-4pm.
Tours: White Cliffs Boat Tours, at the Marina (☎01303 271 388; www.whitecliffsboattours.co.uk). 4 per day. £5.
Banks: Several banks and ATMs are in Market Sq., including Barclays in the northwest corner. Open M-F 9:30am-4:30pm.
Police: Ladywell St. (☎240 055), off High St.
Pharmacy: Superdrug, 33-34 Biggin St. (☎211 477). Open M-Sa 8:30am-5:30pm, Su 10am-4pm.
Internet: Miles & Barr Coffee Barr, 7 Canon St. (☎202 111). Internet access £2 per hr., Wi-Fi £1.50 per hr. Open Tu-F 9:30am-5:30pm, Sa 9:30am-5pm.
Hospital: Buckland Hospital, Coomb Valley Rd. (☎201 624), northwest of town. Take bus #67 or 67A from the post office.
Post Office: 68-72 Pencester Rd. (☎241 747). Open M-F 8:30am-5:30pm, Sa 8:30am-2pm. Postal Code: CT16 1PW.

Accommodations And Camping

Rooms are scarce in summer; book well ahead. July and August are especially busy due to the influx of distance swimmers eager to try the Channel. Cheaper B&Bs gather on Folkestone Road, a hike past the train station. Pricier B&Bs lie near the city center on Castle Street, and more can be found on Maison Dieu Road.

Churchill Guest House, 6 Castle Hill Rd. (☎208 365). Enormous, tidy rooms near the castle base. Breakfast included. Singles £35; doubles £55-70. Cash only.
Victoria Guest House, 1 Laureston Pl. (☎205 140). Cheerful ensuite rooms and talkative owners in a large mansion with views of Dover. Doubles £48-58. AmEx/MC/V.
YHA Charlton House, 306 London Rd. (☎201 314), half a mile from Priory station; turn left on Folkestone Rd., then left at the roundabout on High St., which becomes London Rd. Lounge, pool table, kitchen, lockers, and Internet. Sells ferry tickets. Breakfast included. Lockout 10am-1pm. Curfew 11pm. Dorms £17.50, under 18 £14. MC/V.
Linden Bed & Breakfast, 231 Folkestone Rd. (☎205 449). A bit far from the town center, but this plush B&B makes every effort to accommodate—ask about pickup from the train station or docks as well as breakfasts for special dietary concerns. Discount vouchers for local sights. Satellite TV. Singles £30; doubles and twins £45-60. MC/V.
Hawthorn Farm (☎852 658), at Martin Mill Station off the A258 between Dover and Deal. 2min. walk from the train station; follow the signs. Set among 28 acres of gardens. Hot showers and laundry facilities available. Closed Nov.-Feb. June-Aug. 2-person tent and car £14, with electricity £17; Mar.-May and Sept.-Oct. £12/14. Hikers and bikers £4; Mar.-May and Sept.-Oct. £3.50. Cash only.

Food And Pubs

Despite Dover’s proximity to the Continent, its cuisine remains staunchly English. Most of the restaurants in the city are unimpressive, but diligent travelers will find a few worthwhile options. Chip shops line London Road and Biggin Street. Visit Holland & Barrett, 35 Biggin St., for groceries. (☎241 426. Open M-Sa 9am-5:30pm.)

La Salle Verte, 14-15 Cannon St. (☎201 547). A relative newcomer to the city center, this modern cafe has old-fashioned charm. Specialty coffees (£1.50-2) and a selection of pastries (£2-4) served on a garden patio or comfortable leather love seats. Wi-Fi £1.50 per hr. Open M-Su 9am-5pm. Cash only.
Dickens Corner, 7 Market Sq. (☎206 692). The ground floor bustles with channelers downing baguettes and cakes (£2-3.50) or hot lunches (£4-5.50) in a sun-filled room. Upstairs, avoid the wait and have a more leisurely meal. Additional outdoor seating faces the water fountain in Market Sq. Open M-Sa 9am-4:30pm. MC/V.
Chaplins, 2 Church St., (☎204 870), off Market Sq. Huge portions of traditional English food. Sandwiches (£2.75), savory pies (£6), and heavenly apple pie with cinnamon cream (£2.75). Su roast served noon-3pm. Open daily 8am-5pm. MC/V.
Louis Armstrong Pub, 58 Maison Dieu Rd. (☎204 759), on the outskirts of town, marked by a picture of Satchmo himself. Su live jazz music. Excellent selection of ales. Open M-Sa 11am-11pm, Su noon-2pm and 7-11pm. Cash only.
The Lighthouse Cafe and Tea Room, at the end of Prince of Wales Pier. View emerald waters and chalky cliffs from half a mile offshore in the closest cafe to France. Mediocre food, but worth it for the view. Open in summer daily 10am-5:30pm. Cash only.

Sights

Dover Castle. More fortress than fairy tale, Dover Castle, Castle Hill Rd. on the east side of town, is imposing and magnificent. The safeguard of England since Roman times, the castle was a focus of conflict from the Hundred Years’ War to WWII, during which its guns were pointed toward German-occupied France. Watch the introductory video in the Keep before entering simulations of the castle under siege and in preparation for a king’s visit. Hitler’s missiles destroyed the Church of St. James, leaving the ruins crumbling at the base of the hill. The Pharos lighthouse—the only extant Roman lighthouse and the tallest remaining Roman edifice in Britain—towers over St. Mary-in-Castro, a tiled Saxon church. Climb to the platform of the Admiralty Lookout for views of the cliffs and harbor. For 20p, you can spy on France through binoculars. The (not so) Secret Wartime Tunnels, a 3 mi. labyrinth deep within the white rock, were only recently declassified. Begun in 1803, when Britain was under the threat of attack by Napoleon, the underground burrows doubled as the base for the WWII evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk and a shelter for Dover citizens during air raids. The lowest of the five levels, not open to the public, was intended to house the government should the Cuban Missile Crisis have gone sour. Tours fill quickly, and there is often a long wait; check in at the tunnels first.Give yourself at least 3hr. to tour the entire castle and grounds. (Buses from the town center run daily Apr.-Sept. (every hr., 55p). Otherwise, scale Castle Hill using the pedestrian ramp and stairs to the left of Castle St. Open Apr., June-July, and Sept. daily 10am-6pm; Aug. daily 9:30am-6pm; Oct. daily 10am-5pm; Nov.-Jan. M and Th-Su 10am-4pm; Feb.-Mar. daily 10am-4pm. £9.80, concessions £7.40.)

The White Cliffs. Lining the most famous strip of England’s coastline, the white cliffs are a beautiful backdrop for a stroll along the pebbly beach. A few miles west of Dover, the whitest, steepest, and most famous of them all is Shakespeare Cliff, traditionally identified as the site of blind Gloucester’s battle with the brink in King Lear. (25min. by foot along Snargate St. and Archcliffe Rd.) To the east of Dover, past Dover Castle, the Gateway to the White Cliffs overlooks the Strait of Dover and is an informative starting point. (Buses go from the town center to Langdon Cliff at least once per hr. ☎202 756. Open daily Mar.-Oct. 10am-5pm; Nov.-Feb. 11am-4pm.) Dozens of cliff walks lie a short distance from Dover; consult the TIC or the visitor center at the Gateway to the White Cliffs for trail information. Dover White Cliffs Boat tours, at the Clock Tower in Dover Marina, offers 40min. trips around the coastline. (☎01303 271 388; www.whitecliffsboattours.co.uk. £6, children £3, families £16.) The Grand Shaft, a 140 ft. triple-spiral staircase, was blasted through the rock in Napoleonic times to link the army on the Western Heights with the city center. (Snargate St. ☎201 066. Open select days throughout year; call for dates. The cliffs to the east and west of Dover can be viewed and photographed at a distance from the tip of Prince of Wales Pier.)

Dover Museum. This museum depicts Dover’s Roman days as the colonial outpost Dubras. The Bronze Age Boat Gallery houses the remnants of the oldest ship yet discovered—it’s 3550 years old. (Market Sq. ☎201 066. Open Apr.-Sept. M-Sa 10am-5:30pm, Su noon-5pm; Oct.-Mar. M-Sa 10am-5:30pm. £2.50, families £6, concessions £1.50.)

Other Sights. Recent excavations unearthed a remarkably well-preserved Roman painted house. It’s the oldest Roman house in Britain, with central heating and indoor plumbing. It also holds the best-preserved Roman wall painting in Britain, more than 1800 years old. (New St., off York St. and Cannon near Market Sq. ☎203 279. Open Apr.-Sept. Tu-Su 10am-5pm. Last admission 4:30pm. £2, concessions 80p.) For striking views, take Bus A20 toward Folkestone to Samphire Hoe, a park planted in the summer of 1997 with material dug from the Channel Tunnel. The D2 bus to Aycliffe (£1) stops about a 10min. walk from the park, or follow the North Downs Way along the clifftop. (Open daily 7am-dusk.) Climb the 73 steps of the South Foreland Lighthouse for 360˚ views of Kent and the channel. (2 mi. from the Gateway to the White Cliffs Visitor Centre. Open daily 11am-5:30pm. Visits by guided tours only. £4.)