We stayed in Dover overnight in a motel right on the beach - see post. It was amazing how much you could see from our vantage point in scenic Waterloo Crescent - an extensive pebble beach, the White Cliffs of Dover, Dover Castle up on the clifftop, the Prince of Wales Pier curving around to the marina and a clock tower, two major seaports, and even the outline of France over the English Channel!

Dover is almost as far east as you can get in England, and is a major gateway to Europe. It is home to the UK's busiest passenger and freight ferries, some of which we could see from our vantage point. These operate several services a day to Calais and Dunkirk, both in France. 

Having been on the Eurostar just a few days before, we had noticed the signs to the Channel Tunnel on the way here. It is located 15 minutes away at Folkstone and is used by the Eurostar as well as rail shuttles for cars, which take just 35 minutes to cross between England and France.

The White Cliffs stand 110 metres high and are composed of chalk. Not only are they a geological marvel, but they were also a major part of Britain's defence in WWII. There is a labyrinth of wartime tunnels and rooms within the cliffs, and if you look closely at the two close-up photos of the cliffs you can see a set of windows - these were the office of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, who masterminded the evacuation of 338,000 allied soldiers from Dunkirk in 1940, as portrayed in the movie Dunkirk. 

We could also see Dover Castle up on the cliff which is considered one of England's most important castles, having seen many sieges, invasions and battles over the centuries. Established as a fortress in 1066 by William the Conquerer, the current castle was built by his great grandson King Henry II in the 1180s. Previously the site was an Iron Age Hill fort, and was then occupied by the Romans, followed by the Anglo Saxons. There is a lighthouse in the castle grounds which, built in the early 2nd century, is thought to be Britain's oldest standing building. 

It was just amazing how much activity and history could be seen from a single location!