April 26, 2024 Dover, England

Overnight the clocks went back an hour to British time. As the ship approached Dover, England at 7:30 a.m. the temperature was 7°C under a cloudy grey sky.

The ship docked just before 8 a.m. The folks on shore excursions are going to places in Kent county such as Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, Sandwich, Walter Castle and medieval Rye. We chose to explore Dover.

After breakfast in the dining room, we got our jackets and walked the 1.5 kilometres to the intersection of New Bridge and Townwall Street and took the tunnel under Townwall Street into the city center. There was one other ship in port Hurtingruten Expedition’s Maud. She can carry between 500 and 1,000 passengers and 45 cars and does 12 day voyages. In the sidewalk of Townwall Street by Channel View road, we noticed embedded in the cement, about a 20 cm diameter medal medallion that read “Bluebird Heritage Trail”. We later found the booklet at the Information Center. The price of unleaded gasoline at one gas station was £1.529 per litre.

Our first destination was the castle on the hill. We walked along the High Street to the Market Square where we found a map and found our way to Castle Street which branched into Castle Hill Road that led to Dover Castle. The sidewalk on the hill side began to slope upwards and stopped at a set of steep stairs - 42 steps to a landing then 44 more steps to the entrance to the castle. There was a ticket booth, but it did not open until 10 a.m. We decided that £28 each for something we were not overly excited to see was not worth the price. We took a few photos then walked back to the Market Square. On the way back we saw a ruin on Hubert Passage later finding out that it was Old St. James’ Church. Nearby we found that the Information Center was open and it also housed the Dover Museum in the Old Market Hall built in 1846. To our surprise the museum was free but donations were accepted. We had walked over 4.5 km.

We spent almost two hours exploring the three floors of exhibits about the history of Dover.

Dover Castle’s construction began in the late 12th century under Henry II. It was completed in the mid 13th century and had few changes until 1450. But the peace with France ended in 1535 when Henry VIII added fortifications. More additions were added between 1779 and 1867. It was used for military purposes in the 20th century wars and was the headquarters for the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. In 1963 the castle was opened to the public as a national monument.

The Strait of Dover is 22 kilometres wide here, the shortest distance between France and England. The daily average number of ships using the waterways is about 500. It is the route that various swimmers have attempted to cross and some were successful.

On the third floor is the Dover Bronze Age boat that was unearthed in Townwall Street on September 28, 1992. It is over 3,600 years old. It is made from four oak planks held together with oak wedges and yew stitches. The seams were packed with moss and beeswax. To excavate, it was carefully broken into 32 pieces and studied and preserved. The preservation was accomplished by soaking the pieces in polyethylene glycol (liquid wax) for 12 months to replace the wood’s water content. It took eight months rebuilt the boat, which was not complete, using Bronze Age tools and techniques. The actual size of the original boat is not known.

The Bronze Age began in Türkiye around 8,000 B.C. when tin and copper were combined. The process took over 5,500 years to reach Britain, when cross channel trade with Europe developed. By the Iron Age southern England’s trade was mainly with northern Gaul (France) and Armorica (Brittany). Later during the Roman era, Dover was known as Dubris. It was the closest British port to the Roman Empire.

The first ferry to cross the English Channel was a paddle steamer in 1821, but took just people. In 1928 the first ferries to transport cars was introduced. However, vehlcles had to be craned on and off the ferries. By 1933 train ferries left Dover on a route from London to Paris. The first roll on roll off (ROLO) ferries appeared in 1953.

The first hovercraft was invented by British engineer, Sir Christopher Cockerell. On July 25, 1959 he successfully crossed the English Channel from Calais to Dover. The last commercial hovercraft ferry crossing was October 1, 2000. It was replaced by the fast catamarans which carried people and vehicles until November 7, 2005.

When we left the museum we began the Bluebird Heritage Trail which started about 200 meters further up the High Street from Market Hall. We walked 6.2 km following the trail and going back to the ship. First stop was the Dover War Memorial unveiled in 1924 which was in front of Masion Dieu House which was built in 1665 and currently holds the Town Council offices. The Masion Dieu beside it is under renovation. Close by on Effingham Crescent was Dover College which was formerly St. Martin’s Priory. Today it is a school for young children. St. Edmunds Chapel was next back on the High Street and set back from the road. It was consecrated in 1253 and is one of the smallest churches n England. Going back in the direction of Market Square we viewed St. Mary the Virgin church. The parish is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The towers date from early Norman times around 1100 AD. Most of the church was demolished in the mid 1840s. The church was rebuilt in Victorian Gothic style. At Market Square we turned on to Castle Street to find Castle Hill House built in Georgian style in 1760 as a residence for the Stringer family. Next door was the White Horse Inn which is now the oldest surviving public house in Dover. Down Woolcomber Street at Hubert Passage were the ruins of Old St. James’ Church. It was originally Norman and restored in 1869, but badly damaged in German bombing during World War II.

We then walked to Townwall Street and crossed it go along the waterfront promenade. There were several memorials along the walkway overlooking the pebble beach. First a bust of Captain Matthew Web who in 1865 was the first man to swim the channel unaided, succeeding in 21 hours 45 minutes. He died in 1883 in an attempt to cross the Whirlpool Rapids of Niagara Falls. There was memorial to the Merchant seaman of the Second World War. There was a 1 in 3 chance of the seamen not returning. There was a new statue unveiled exactly one year ago. It was Sri Chinmoy who founded the Peace Run, that is now international, in 1987. The next statue was Charles Stewart Rolls, who on June 2, 1910, was the first person the cross the Channel both ways in a single flight taking less than 90 minutes for the return flight from Swingate aerodrome in Dover. Just a month later he was in a flying display at Bouremouth and became the first Britain to be killed in a flying accident. We detoured to Cambridge Terrace to New Bridge street to see the Rifle Monument erected in 1861 in memory of the first Battalion 60th Royal Rifles members killed in India. Back to the seafront of Dover Harbour to the Dunkirk Memorial which pays tribute to the events from May 26 to June 4, 1940 when 338,225 British and Allied troops were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk. Our stroll ended at Prince of Wales pier and we walked back to Townwall Street for the 15 minute walk back to the ship.

It was just after 1 p.m. There was a shuttle bus to take people into Dover which cost $10 US for the return ride. One of the busses was unloading passengers as we entered the security gates. Lunch was milkshakes by the Lido pool today. Then back to the stateroom to start packing our luggage.

We stopped to enjoy a drink at Happy Hour before going to dinner. The dessert menu had Baked Alaska and half of our tablemates ordered it. Our whole table was there. Eric, Lois and Sharon are spending a few days in Rotterdam then, a few more days in Amsterdam before returning home. Bill and Lynn are going home having cancelled there river cruise in the Lyon France region because of the fall Bill had a few days ago when his hip gave out. He was using a cane since but wants to see his doctor as soon as possible. Heather is remaining on the ship for the next 7 day cruise to southern Norway and Scotland. When she departs, neighbours of ours will be embarking on the same ship for a 14 day cruise around Britain.

Tonight’s show was the return of the Classical trio which we enjoyed. Then we returned to the stateroom to finish packing. We put the suitcases in the corridor, to be collected by the staff and stored on the ship for removal to the cruise terminal in the morning when we depart.

Steps were 19,027