3^rd October, 2013 – off to explore England.

We set off early to explore the countryside. We drove through lush, green countryside of a sort you rarely see in Australia.

We drove all the way to Dover, around 2 hours away on the south-east coast. We wanted to see Dover Castle, and it would be hard to miss it! It’s on a hill which looms over the town and the surrounding area.

We drove past some satisfactorily white cliffs, up to the castle. It looks just as impressive up close.

There is a lot to see at Dover Castle. The oldest building there is actually one of the oldest in the country – a Roman lighthouse from the first or second century AD.

Next to it is a church from around 1000 AD, although it has been altered significantly over the years and especially in the 19^th Century after it had fallen into disrepair.

The castle has been a part of British history for centuries, with a significant role in defence during World War II due to its position facing France. There are networks of tunnels under the castle and built into those soft chalky cliffs, and these were used as communications posts and relatively bomb-proof military command stations. There was even an emergency hospital set up to treat injured soldiers as soon as they arrived in England – we did a short tour of some of this area, and also visited a museum and coffee shop built in to part of the tunnel.

The tunnels have lookouts which show what a strategic position it had, with views around the coast for miles.

The main castle buildings are from the 12^th Century. There are walls around the whole castle area, then an inner ring with towers, gates and drawbridges.

 The great tower has been set up to show what it would probably have been like when it was new, with a theme of preparing to receive honoured pilgrims from Europe on their way to Canterbury. There are kitchens, sleeping rooms, a great hall and so on. All the furniture is in 12^th Century regal style but new and using modern materials, so you can sit on the chairs, play with the chain mail, and so on.

We climbed to the top of the tower, where there is a rooftop with more amazing views.

As well as the World War II tunnels, there are older tunnels built for defence in mediaeval times. These are dark and mysterious places.

We could have spent all day at Dover but we had other things to do so we had to say goodbye.

Our next stop was Canterbury, less than half an hour away – well, that’s the theory, but road works added quite a lot to that. Canterbury is like some of the towns we stayed at in Ireland, with mediaeval roads that can’t cope with modern traffic – so they have built car parks on the outskirts with frequent buses into town. You can park close to the town but it’s expensive so we didn’t. All this meant that it took us a very long time to get from Dover to Canterbury. We did manage eventually, and it’s a very attractive town.

We visited Canterbury Cathedral, the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, symbolic head of the Church of England. This is an amazing place, with centuries of history. As we arrived, there was an announcement from the pulpit reminding visitors that the church is a place of prayer and worship, then a short prayer and the Lord’s Prayer with an invitation to join in.

We saw the place where Thomas A Beckett was murdered in 1170 and where all those pilgrims were headed. We also saw the tomb of the Black Prince, a 14th-Century crown prince who died before his father so never became king. The cathedral is a magnificent building with incredible stained glass and decorative features.

We also saw the cloisters and the beautiful chapter house.

We walked from the Cathedral to St Augustine’s Abbey. As we arrived, a rainbow appeared over the site.

St Augustine is a highly significant figure in the history of England and Christianity. This is the abbey he founded in the year 597. It has been destroyed but there is still quite a lot to see.

By this time, it was getting toward evening and we still had the long drive back to Windsor, so it was time to get back to the car and head home.