The White Cliffs of Dover

Over the weekend I had a conversation over brunch if anyone had New Year’s Resolutions and how were they doing.  I shared that I only had one and I was doing a pretty good job with it – it is to be more spontaneous.  And today’s travel post is a perfect example of that!  In late March on a day off of from work we spent the morning visiting Leeds Castle and then drove down to Dover for a great lunch of fish and chips by the sea.   We did not dilly dally though as it was before daylight savings and I wanted to see as much of the White Cliffs of Dover as I could before it got dark and we had to head back.

They were everything I was hoping and more though my only disappointment was due to the cloudy day we could not see France!  But they were still there in all of their majesty and due to the fact it was a random Thursday and the muddle of March (not yet warm yet in England) we got nearly private views of the cliffs and their sheer 350 foot drop to the sea. 

Most tourists seem to only walk the 10 to 15 minutes it takes to get to the first great view of the Cliffs.  At this vista point, they take dozens of photos and then head back to the car park.  However, we decided to venture much further, walking another hour to the edge of the cliffs and the lighthouse.  It was definitely a beautiful walk but just a word to the wise – there is no bathroom at the lighthouse when it is off season so plan ahead because it is more than hour walk back to the car park and restrooms! 

As you can see in the photos above we had brief pops of blue during our day at the Cliffs of Dover but it was mainly overcast.  I have heard that on clear days you can see France but the closest we got was picking up French cell phone signal instead of the United Kingdom.  I would go back to the Cliffs just to see the gorgeous view but the town did not have much to offer! 

Would you visit the Cliffs of Dover?