24 | May | 2024 | The Cannon Family's travel blog

For all the tumultuous weather of the last 48 hours, today dawned bright and clear. It was to be a beautiful, sunny day so we planned to tick our last “must see” box: the White Cliffs of Dover.

Roof down, we headed south and got to the National Trust parking lot about 10.30. A quick coffee and cake stop at the cafe and we were off, walking along the edge of the cliffs that are now more famous than white. And it was a beautiful day! Breezy with bright blue skies. We meandered all the way to the lighthouse about 3km along the cliff edge. We were hoping to visit the Fan Bay Deep shelter – a series of tunnels used in WWII – but alas, they were closed. So instead we enjoyed beautiful views while Casey sniffed nearly every blade of grass.

After our 90 minute cliff ramble, it was time for lunch. A dog and gluten free friendly pub in St Margaret’s Bay was just the ticket. The Coast Guard sits snuggly between cliffs and the sea. We enjoyed sea bass and sea trout (seemed appropriate!) before walking along the rocks (it will be lovely sand in about 1000 years!) to see more cliffs and enjoy some local ice cream.

The final attraction for this part of the coast was the Kent Battle of Britain museum. Frank indulged me in my medieval history fetish so now he got his WWII airplane itch scratched. The place is unbelievable! Casey couldn’t join us inside but there is a shaded and enclosed area where doggies can wait for their owners. And the volunteers who were manning the desk were more than happy to “keep an eye on her” for us – it’s great to have an adorable dog!

I’ve always known that I have a very strong and orderly inner librarian but today I learned I also have an inner curator soul as well. And boy did this place need it! They probably had every scrap of metal that had been retrieved from any plane, Allied or German, during the entire battle (10 July – 31 October 1940). They had destroyed plane engines, uniforms, tank bits, photographs, donation letters, and more. Five buildings worth of stuff, meticulously laid out with documentation and personal stories – including wedding pictures of some of the airmen! But there was no rhyme or reason to the display. There were lots of individual stories but no big picture story – we were in the 3rd building before we found a display that even had the dates of the battle listed! Unfortunately, there were no photographs allowed; apparently, people had been taking pictures of the doors and locks and using that info to break in and steal stuff. {Sigh}

With the afternoon sun still high in the sky, we opted for a drive along the south coast to Rye in East Sussex which is supposedly one of the best preserved historic towns in southern England. The moniker may be apt as we were able to wander through rabbit warren streets with adorable (and old!) buildings galore. It was after 5pm so nothing was open but it was easy to get a feel for the place. Tonight’s evening repast would be provided by one of those establishments in an old building: The Standard Inn built in 1420. Yes, this is the second 604 year old pub we’ve eaten in this week! Starting with oysters and local cider, we moved on to lamb rump and short ribs. Delicious all the way around.

A drive home through the High Weald National Landscape as the sun set put the cherry on the top of a pretty perfect day.

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