Cliff''s of Dover

 July 1, 2013

  I hear a picture is worth a thousand words but these pictures  can't begin to illustrate how stunning the White Cliffs of Dover really are!  They are as white as fresh laid snow and the green prairies above make them look magnificently white. White like you dream your teeth would be. They are really freaking white!!

 

As we drove through the English countryside we passed the entrance to the cliffs and boy was that pure luck that saved us a buck.  Around the next bend we noticed a collection of cars parked on the side of the road. Glancing to the right we noticed people walking freely though huge fields of wheat, towards the edge, where we could see the cliffs in their entirety as they hung over the Dover Port Authority.

                                          

We scoured down a quick bite, took a leak in a field of golden wildflowers, and headed toward the view of the cliffs. With a steady sea breeze and warm rays of sunshine we reached the edge and bravely looked down upon a beach made completely of rocks and pebbles. 

Path leading to the beach 

Similar to the Mediterranean Steps we climbed on the Rock of Gibraltar, we took the zigzag trail down.  The path was unkept, lined with wild plants, yet it offered us an up close look at the chalk like substance that makes the cliffs so white. 

         

Carving our names in the chalk rock

Inside the garrison 

Once we reached what seemed to be the bottom of the path we found two medal garrisons that overlooked the sea. Being that we still had not reached the beach we found a vertical iron ladder that dropped us straight onto the rocky surface.  The views of the cliffs from the beach were spectacular. 

                         

                       

                         Ross with the two garrisons behind him.

           

 Neither one of us had seen a pebbled covered beach so we let out our inner child and played; running, sliding, throwing rocks, and dipping our toes in the sea! Each time a wave crashed it sounded like snap pop fireworks as the rocks smacked against each other. Nature has spent decades polishing these stones into almost perfectly cylindrical pebbles.

                                

 After a full day of play we worked up quite an appetite. We wanted a traditional English meal, so we trusted Tripadvisor and enjoyed a meal at Archer’s; the #1 recommended frugally priced restaurant in Dover.  The food was excellent!  For appetizer we ate baked mushrooms covered in a bleu cheese sauce. Ross had the locally made sausage trio platter, with mash potatoes and peas smothered in brown onion gravy. My meal of choice was the homemade pie; filled with all white meat chicken, ham, and a white cream sauce, topped with filo dough, also served with mash and peas. Yummy!

Ready to sleep like hibernating bears we headed for our temporary home; the parking lot of a truck stop and car park called the Stop 24. We stayed there for 4 nights. It was like a mini mall for travelers. There were showers, an award winning loo, free wifi, KFC & Subway, and a general store; all for just 6£ per night.   

Inside the Kangoo

Movie night in the Kangoo