Visit Dover Castle or travel from Dover to France by ferry

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Visit Dover


Sections:	Introduction
	Dover Castle
	Wartime tunnels
	Dover port
	Further information
	Links

INTRODUCTION

The Dover Castle Story
Author: Colin Nutt
Publisher: English Heritage Publications
Date: September 2005

Dover Castle
(souvenir guide)
Publisher: English Heritage
Date: 2001

DOVER CASTLE

Part of the outer walls
of the castle

Saxon church (St Mary-in-Castro) and
Roman lighthouse (the tower on the right of the church)

Henry the Second's Keep

Union Jack flying at the top of the keep

Trébuchet (a siege weapon)

Peverell's Gateway

WARTIME TUNNELS

The evacuation of British, French and Belgian soldiers from Dunkirk (in Northern France) in 1940 was planned from a secret command centre inside tunnels in the cliffs at Dover. This action - known as Operation Dynamo - rescued 338,000 soldiers. If these soldiers had been killed or captured by the German soldiers, it could have changed the outcome of the Second World War.

Visitors to Dover Castle can visit the secret wartime tunnels, where an audio guide (in English only) brings to life what it was like there during World War Two.

Below is the chorus from the song "White Cliffs of Dover", which became famous during World War Two. Pilots flying to Germany from the airfields in south England would know that they had made it home safely when they saw the white cliffs of Dover, so this sight had a special significance at this time. Several different singers produced versions of this song, but the one by Vera Lynn is best-known in Britain. The words of the chorus are as follows:

There'll be blue birds over
The white cliffs of Dover,
Tomorrow, just you wait and see.
There'll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow, when the world is free.

Dunkirk [1958] (video)
(film based on the evacuation from Dunkirk)
Date: June 2001

We'll Meet Again - The Best of Vera Lynn
(songs from World War Two)
Artist: Vera Lynn
Label: EMI Gold
Date: May 2004

DOVER PORT

Dover is an important port town. In particular, there is a frequent ferry service from here to Calais in northern France: the crossing takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. On a clear day it is possible to see Calais from Dover.

FURTHER INFORMATION

* Visitor information
White Cliffs Country (Dover/Deal/Sandwich) tourist information: http://www.whitecliffscountry.org.uk
Dover Castle (English Heritage site): http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/filestore/VisitsEvents/asp/visits/Details.asp?Property_Id=184

* Transportation
- On fast train services, trains to Dover Priory station from London take about 1 hour 50 minutes. You can travel either from Victoria station or from Charing Cross (services are usually about every 30 minutes). For train timetables and to buy a ticket online, see: Shop/Company/TheTrainline. During the morning and afternoon there is a bus service every 20 minutes to take you from the station to the ferry port (there is a small charge). You need to arrive at the passenger terminal at least 30 minutes before your ferry leaves.
- It takes about 2 hours 30 minutes to travel by coach from Victoria Coach Station in London to Dover (some services will take you directly to the ferry port or hoverport). For timetables and to buy a ticket online, see: Shop/Company/NationalExpress. It is also possible to buy coach tickets from London to destinations in Europe. See: Shop/Company/Eurolines.
- For Dover ferry port information, see: http://www.doverport.co.uk
Note that foot passengers cannot board ferries at Dover between 8:30pm and 6am each day.

* Weather forecast
BBC weather forecast for Dover: http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/2227

* More photos
360 degree panoramic pictures: http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/places/pans/dover/index.shtml

Lonely Planet verdict: Dover Castle "Impregnable Dover Castle is one of the most impressive in Britain, a mighty fortress commanding a superb view of the Channel and the town below ... Although the keep and its audiovisual display is mightily impressive, it is the series of secret wartime tunnels dug under the castle that are the most interesting attraction here" (extracts from "Lonely Planet Great Britain - 2003 edition", used with permission)
	Lonely Planet Great Britain Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: May 2009	Lonely Planet England Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications Date: March 2009
Other Lonely Planet publications

LINKS

Visit Canterbury (Kent): Travel/Tours/England/Canterbury
Visit Leeds Castle (Kent): Travel/Tours/England/LeedsCastle
Visit Calais (France): Travel/Tours/France/Calais
Modern British history: Britain/History/Modern
Ferry transport: Travel/Transport/Ferry

Home page: Home

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