the white cliffs of dover
They have been one of the best known locations in England for hundreds of years, the white cliffs of Dover were a sign of home for tens of thousands of travellers long before airlines eliminated any joy at all from travelling. Overlooking the Straits of Dover and with views to France (on a clear day) the cliffs form part of the North Downs formation and reach up to 350 feet (106 metres) in height. They are an excellent place to visit when the weather plays along, which I'm glad to say it did for me and my friend Cecil in April 2017 when we made the hike.
To make a nice day trip you can hike an excellent 4 mile (6.4 km) stretch along the cliff tops from St Margarets Bay back to Dover. We began with a fast train from London St Pancras station which reaches the coastal town of Dover in about an hour. From there we took a taxi the short distance to St Margarets Bay. Our first hour or so was spent poking around the bay and taking photos before finally starting out along the well marked trail to Dover. We stopped almost immediately in the 'Pines Garden Tea Room' on beach road to refuel then got underway. After a mile or so we reached South Foreland Lighthouse (and cafe) where a small detour was made for images and toilet facilities. We then continued along the cliffs back to Dover and caught the train back to London. It really does make a very simple day trip from London and no doubt from many other locations. The gallery below shows the trip from St Pancras onward so captions are provided to identify the location.
To make a nice day trip you can hike an excellent 4 mile (6.4 km) stretch along the cliff tops from St Margarets Bay back to Dover. We began with a fast train from London St Pancras station which reaches the coastal town of Dover in about an hour. From there we took a taxi the short distance to St Margarets Bay. Our first hour or so was spent poking around the bay and taking photos before finally starting out along the well marked trail to Dover. We stopped almost immediately in the 'Pines Garden Tea Room' on beach road to refuel then got underway. After a mile or so we reached South Foreland Lighthouse (and cafe) where a small detour was made for images and toilet facilities. We then continued along the cliffs back to Dover and caught the train back to London. It really does make a very simple day trip from London and no doubt from many other locations. The gallery below shows the trip from St Pancras onward so captions are provided to identify the location.