While the UK is often visited for its tourist attractions related to galleries and museums, monuments and pop culture (like the Beatles), there is definitely one geographical feature that also shares some renown, which is The White Cliffs of Dover. When you think of the area, you imagine those beautiful cliffs, but you don't think about the fact that it's also a major port for traffic between the UK and continental Europe. Even the borders between Scotland and Wales with England don't have welcome signs that I've noticed, so I was kind of excited to see one in Dover, pictured here.
We were expecting a rainy day with possible thunderstorms, and thankfully the rain stayed away during our visit. The only downside is that it was really humid, so it felt a bit like walking through a jungle without the volume of vegetation. In any case, the cliffs were a bit easier to access than I imagined. We had heard it's better to have a vehicle to get there, unless you want to walk a 30-minute hike to get up, but it wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be. There is some uphill, but it's relatively gradual, and while it helps to be more in shape than I am, it's doable, and it's always more enjoyable than driving when you can do it. The White Cliffs of Dover park being run by the National Trust, there is also a café and gift shop once you get to the top of the climb, so you have a comfortable place to relax in and get a drink if you need one. We opted to stop there on the way out for a pot of tea, but just in case you ever decide to go there, at least you know what to expect.
One of the reasons that Dover is a major port between the UK and continent is that the water between the two points of land is shorter than any other stretch of water. It's the place where many refugees enter, many goods travel by truck on ferries, and it's also for public use for those that want to drive between the two locations, travelling by ferry to get from one place to the other. On a clear day, you should even be able to see France from the cliffs, but given that it was cloudy and a bit foggy, we couldn't even see a crisp horizon line, let alone be sure we could see land. In any case, if you can see land, it's a small wonder that this is where they chose to put the Chunnel. You can't see the entrance for it here, though. When we took the train to Belgium, the entrance is quite a ways away from the coastline; you go under and don't even realise you're in France when you emerge on the other side because it seems to happen so quickly--and there are a couple of other sections where you go through tunnels.
Anyway, the cliffs themselves are really beautiful. I'm sure that on a sunny day, the white sparkles more and provides more contrast against the sea and sky, but at the same time, you have a higher chance of getting overexposed photos, so having some cloud cover is not a showstopper. I also was able to get several good photos of some Eurasian kestrels, who were all fledglings. They were flying here and there but seemed to keep close to the nest and hung out in it as well. Given that the nest was on the cliffside, it should be noted that I was able to keep a safe distance, shoot with my zoom lens, and not disturb the nest at all. I always want to be an ethical birder!
I'm glad I went to Dover. The town itself isn't the best looking town, but the cliffs are the star of the show, and you get away from town to enjoy them anyway. Perhaps sometime we'll have a chance to go back to hike more of the English Coast Path there, since it's a much closer trip than going to Cornwall or Wales--it's easily done as a day trip from home if we want. It's nice to know that a pretty slice of the seaside is so accessible from where we live.
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