As a twelve year old I saw the White Cliffs of Dover for the first time on the mandatory school trip across the English Channel to Boulogne-sur-Mer in France. It holds particular resonance as I had to forgo the trip with my usual classmates as I was attending my first concert to watch the Jam on 25th March 1982 at the Manchester Apollo. So I went a few weeks later with classmates unfamiliar to me, a foreigner on a the school coach on my first trip to a foreign land.
I've seen the cliffs many times since, and they never fail to stir a sense of history and drama, as opposed to any sense of belonging. I never got that. But they do possess an aura that will forever fascinate, maybe because of what they have witnessed over the centuries without passing comment or judgement.
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| Antony Gormley Iron Man Statue, Folkstone, Kent |
So the cliffs were long overdue were due a closer look. The National Trust White Cliffs of Dover visitor centre has excellent facilities and has stunning views of the Dover Port. I found it astonishing to see the UK's major gateway to Europe laid out in front of you from up high. It's quite some view and there are several lighthouses to spot in the harbour.
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| South Foreland Lighthouse, Kent |
The walk to South Foreland Lighthouse from the Visitor Centre takes around forty-five minutes and is glorious. The tantalising views of the White Cliffs set against the busy shipping lanes of the English Channel are fabulous. It was a little overcast so we couldn't make out France, but you can't have everything. The Old (Lower) Lighthouse at South Foreland is still visible from the coastal path, perched precariously over the white cliffs.
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| Old South Foreland Lighthouse, Kent |
The new (1843!) lighthouse at South Foreland is picture-perfect and again has great facilities including a tea room and small shop. The very friendly staff of the National Trust offer tours of the lighthouse and I would thoroughly recommend their tales of the treacherous, shifting Goodwin Sands that the lights on this cliff edge have protected sailors against for centuries. The lighthouse was the world's first to shine an electric light, courtesy of Michael Faraday in 1873. It was also the site of Marconi's first wireless transmission to a ship on the sands on Christmas Eve in 1898. Astonishing stuff.
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South Foreland Lighthouse, Kent
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A short distance down the south coast is the headland of Dungeness. We'd previously visited six years ago, but it left such a lasting impression that we had to return for another look whilst in this neck of the woods. It's difficult to explain the allure of Dungeness to someone who hasn't visited. Two lighthouses, both very distinctive in their own right overlook a shingle beach which is decorated with the remains of boats, rusting and twisted iron train tracks and old, discarded fishing paraphernalia from another age. This is set against a backdrop of a massive nuclear power complex, comprising of two retired stations.
To further confuse, this apocalyptic scene is dotted with isolated charming huts and dwellings, some housing local fishermen still tending the waters. The sublime Prospect Cottage, the former fisherman's cottage once owned by the Director Derek Jarman is famous for it's wonderfully understated garden.
The place is a photographer's dream.
Oh, and it has it's own miniature stream train, complete with station.
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| Folkstone Lighthouse, Kent |
A superb surprise was stumbling across the hidden Antony Gormley statue on harbour arm looking out onto the white cliffs of Kent. Blink and you'll miss the secret steps down to this remarkable viewing platform.
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| A light of hope. Amal arrives in the UK |
Totally unplanned we came across a huge crowd waiting for Amal, the giant puppet representing a nine-year-old Syrian girl refugee who had finally reached the UK, and was coming onshore in Folkestone after walking thousands of miles across Europe.
"She had made the same cross-Channel journey taken so far this year by more than 17,000 people seeking refuge from conflict, hunger and persecution."
The lovely, honest welcome she received from the huge crowds was heart-warming in these troubled, confused times and she can only shine a light of hope for the future generations.
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| Whitstable Harbourside Market, Kent |
The last stop on our tour of the Garden of England was Whitstable, a town famous for it's Oysters, and they were readily available at the splendid harbour side market, although we opted for a bag of chips with mushy peas instead. The main shopping street of Whitstable is compact but teaming with interesting shops and some of the best looking pubs. We took advantage with a few pints of Lighthouse Lager at the Twelve Taps bar.
On day two in Whitstable, with the sun threatening to make an appearance we our did best to walk off a hearty breakfast from the Farm & Harper café in the centre of town. Heading along the seafront towards Herne Bay, you'll pass the Tankerton beach huts. Tankerton itself is a pretty little village with a craft bar and an excellent restaurant called JoJo’s Meze, Meat & Fish Restaurant. Great staff and top food.
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| The Tankerton beach huts, Kent |
The plan on our final day was to walk the opposite way along the coast to Seasalter, based on the advice of a friendly old fella we bumped into the previous day. But at the harbour we spotted a boat trip out to the Red Sands Sea Forts departing imminently, so we jumped on that instead.
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| Red Sands Sea Fort, Thames Estuary |
We had long hankered to visit the forts but thought the time of year and weather would put a stop to that on this trip. So we were fortunate to catch a boat on one of the last days of the season with favourable weather. The towers are other-worldly stunning, and their eerie allure magnifies as you slowly approach these remarkable monuments. Up close they are haunting, imposing relics of a different era in engineering. The Maunsell Forts, named after their designer, were built in the Second World War and deployed in the Thames and Mersey estuaries to protect shipping, but were never called upon in anger.
It was just over an hour's round trip on the small boat which also meandered through the nearby expansive wind farm and boy, are those turbines big close up!
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Red Sands Sea Fort, Thames Estuary
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And that was the marvellously dramatic ending to our trip to Kent.
From my journal.
"There was no room for any more food or wine so with the early start ahead of us we retired for the evening."
Which just about sums up a week exploring English coastal towns.
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