Excursión a Dover, Canterbury y Whitstable

Your route will start through the edge of the town of Dover where you will see the world's busiest ferry port before passing between the famous White Cliffs and up into the North Downs, a range of hills that runs along the north of Kent. Your journey takes you along the historic A2 road, built by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago, to the historic city of Canterbury. The first known visitor to the area was Julius Caesar who visited four times, firstly in the year 55 BC. The city itself was founded by the Romans, and it is home to the oldest parish church in England. Later the capital of the Kingdom of Kent, it was here in 597 AD that the first cathedral in the English-speaking world was built and St Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

As well as being known for the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket which took place in 1170, the world famous Murder in the Cathedral, one of the main locations of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 and the destination of the world's first railway to carry a scheduled passenger service, the Crab & Winkle Line which opened in 1830. The city has many literary links too, including Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens and James Bond author Ian Fleming.

The walking tour will cover the main points of interest in the city, with its combination of architecture from the Middle Ages, the late 17th century and post World War II, you will hear stories about the buildings and some of the people who lived in or visited the city. Your tour of the city will finish outside the cathedral (entrance to the precincts to be paid at the time) and can include the outside of the building and the King's School, probably the oldest school in the world. You will then have time to explore the building with the option of taking an audio tour or joining one of the cathedral's scheduled tours: further details at
www.canterbury-cathedral.org
Note: The cathedral's rules do not permit your guide to show you round inside the building.

The city offers a wide range of excellent cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy a leisurely lunch, or you can try fish & chips at one of the country's best fish & chip shops.

From Canterbury, a 10-minute journey takes you to the popular seaside town of Whitstable, famous since Roman times for its oysters. Located at the south-easternmost corner of the North Sea and the south side of the estuary of the River Thames, it has been home to many famous people including author William Somerset Maugham and actor Peter Cushing; Queen Mary of Teck, grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II also had a house in the town. Some of the town is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Your walk will include the small fishing port which was also the northern end of the Crab & Winkle Line as well as the famous Harbour Street. You will see the waters where, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries the oyster "yawls" dredged the world-famous Whitstable oysters, the Maunsell Forts built for defence during World War II (subject to visibility) and look at the second largest English island completely surrounded by the sea, Sheppey. There will also be the option to walk along the famous Squeeze Gut Alley. You may get to see the renowned Whitstable Street, a spit of shingle at right-angles to the coast which is uncovered at low tide.

From there you will return to Dover by-passing Canterbury and then travelling through some of the delightful scenery of the North Downs, optionally passing locations linked to the James Bond series of books.