White Cliffs of Dover, England

The White Cliffs of Dover was one of the sights on our list that we finally crossed off this year. We drove down to Dover to take the ferry over to Normandy. We had an afternoon ferry, so we spent the morning exploring the Cliffs. After parking near the Visitor Centre we enjoyed our first excellent view of...the Port of Dover.

We didn't run into Nathan

The Port of Dover

The port is the busiest passenger port in the world. Ferries leave every hour taking cars and pedestrians to France. The place runs like clockwork. If you miss your ferry (which we did on our way back) there's always another one not long after.

Walking on further, we saw a small pasture with ponies. J and L were excited but the ponies were uninterested in any beckoning we did. We should have brought some apples or carrots with us.

Ponies grazing

We walked up a trail along a high ridge, allowing us views of some of the chalk cliffs.

The port, the cliffs, and Dover Castle in the distance

Some of the chalk cliffs

View from the walking trail

After five minutes or so, we came upon the towers of the Maritime Coastguard Agency.

Us on the trail

Maritime Coastguard Agency antenna and radar

A few more minutes brought us to Langdon Hole, a natural depression in the landscape that has a staircase leading down to a shipwreck on the beach below.

Langdon Hole sign

The hole was just under this ridge

View by the hole's edge

We were interested in going further but the rain started in earnest. I took a few quick pictures then headed even quicker back to the visitor centre.

A ferry boat!

A bit of cliffside

Some strange structure just barely visible

We double-timed it back to the car. By the time we were there we were soaked. We found some dry trousers in the car and went to switch clothes. It was still 9:50 a.m., so the tea shop didn't open for another ten minutes. Luckily, the toilets were open and we were able to change. We all had hot beverages and snacks, though some people's moods were dampened by the experience.

Maybe L doesn't want to play with you, J...

After a reviving snack we went into town, saw the local museum, and then took the ferry over to Normandy. Another France series starts in the next post!

Dover Museum and Bronze Age Boat Gallery, England

Dover Museum is located on the Market Square in Dover, England. We visited the museum and learned a lot about the history of the area, starting even earlier than the Roman times.

But the very first display is about the Romans, specifically Emperor Claudius's invasion. Claudius landed in Richborough, only 15 miles from Dover. Apparently he brought elephants with him!

Display on Claudius's invasion

J hangs out with a local and a Roman

Roman statue, maybe Venus?

Roman artifacts

Some displays even explain how archeology was done in the area. J and L decided they wanted to be archeologists. I think they just wanted to dig in dirt a lot.

Archeology in action

Nearby was a more interesting and fearsome display--a lion!

A lion! (and me, reflected)

The middle floor of the museum has different exhibits annual. We visited in 2014, so the exhibit was about World War I (being the 100th anniversary).

Ships from WWI

Vickers machine gun

Documents and medals from WWI

An army uniform

Typical bomb from WWI

Upstairs was a roomful of artifacts and explanations on Dover's history as a major port town from Roman times. After the Roman fort was abandoned, the Angles and then the Saxons expanded the town walls. The castle was built by Henry II in the 1100s to the east of town on a hill. The town grew over time.

Dover circa 1450

By the 1400s, the River Dour had clogged up its natural harbor with silt and the bay to the west became the only spot ships could dock. The castle was little changed. Commerce by sea was still the big employer.

Items from the 1400s

For the Elizabethan era, a local room is recreated along with other items.

Elizabethan-style room

Instruments from a ship back then

The room concludes with the 20th century, including a model of the city and a World War I rifle.

Dover in the 1900s

World War I rifle

Across the hall is the star exhibit, the Bronze Age Boat Gallery. The boat was discovered in 1992 during road construction. After several tests, it is thought to date back to 1500 B.C., making it 3500 years old! Only part of the boat was taken out of the ground, so the full size and shape is unknown. What remains is carefully protected behind glass and in dark light (apologies for the poor photography!).

Bronze Age Boat

View down the length (?) of the boat

Several surrounding displays explain various things about the boat, including what is known of the Bronze Age and how they determined the age of the boat.

Recreation of a Bronze Age home

Contemporary artifacts

Speculative recreation of the boat (in part)

Scientific ways to figure out how old the boat is

Some of the exhibits are interactive and especially designed for children. L enjoyed doing the archeological puzzle of putting the boat back together. J liked using microscopes to look at the finer details of the wood.

L rebuilds the boat

One final display talks about discoveries at Ringlemere Henge, an ancient site in the Dover region. A gold cup was found there. Subsequent archeology has revealed it as a funerary complex. The cup is not thought to be part of the complex but dates from the time of the henge's construction.

Ringlemere Henge

The Dover area has a rich and diverse history that is well told at the Dover Museum.