About a month ago we took a trip to the White Cliffs of Dover. It is an amazing place with so much to see. Our first stop was Dover Castle, which is perched overlooking the town:

Dover Castle is situated at Dover, Kent and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history.

As with all things in the UK, the history goes back thousands of years starting with the Normans and progressing through to the cold war and the secret war time tunnels that are now open to the public.

A few notable facts:

• During WWII Dover Castle was key to the evacuation of allied troops at Dunkirk. There is a monument to Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsey who lead the retreat and is credited for saving 400,000 troops to fight another day.
• Later the tunnels were to be used as a shelter for the Regional Seats of Government in the event of a nuclear attack. This plan was abandoned for various reasons, including the realisation that the chalk of the cliffs would not provide significant protection from radiation, and because of the inconvenient form of the tunnels and their generally poor condition.
• The tour took us through the older parts of the tunnels that held 2000 troops during the Napoleonic wars. One thing was certain, it must have been cold, smelly and miserable in there.

A few pictures:

Note the mix of WWII era bricks, Napoleonic era tunnels and in the background pre-Napoleonic. Fascinating. 

It was a bit chilly and grey on the coast that day.

The view from atop the central fortress. Quite a view. A little grey out .. but beautiful.

Amazing.