DOVER: 2 out of this 3

[tikruizer]

Will be in Dover from 7:30 til 17:00.  Planning on doing 2 out of this 3:  Canterbury, Leeds Castle and Dover Castle.  Suggestions are welcomed and thanks in advance.

[LHT28]

Dover Castle  you could spend the better part of the day there 

we got there at 10 am when they opened & left at 3 pm  by then we were tired 

Have not been to your  other options

I guess choose what is important to you to see

 

[John Bull]

Dover Castle and Canterbury.

 

Dover Castle has enough to occupy  you for more than a full day.

It has been in continuous use for two thousand years - Saxon tunnels, Roman lighthouse, the impressive main Keep from the early Norman years, it was the first (one of the first?) castles started by William the Conqueror with improvements and further buildings and fortifications by Henry 1 and 11. Besieged in the Civil War, more action against the French,  including more improvements and tunnels.

Finally more improvements and particularly tunnels during WW2, when it was the command centre for Operation Dynamo (the "little ships" evacuation from Dunkirk), and was known as "Hellfire Corner" during the Battle of Britain.

Almost all of the castle is open to the public, including the preserved keep (and its roof) and some of the tunnels

So a lot of slices of English / British history in one castle, making it a very interesting and varied day.

Prominent clifftop position only a short drive (too steep for most to walk) from the cruise terminal, panoramic views and almost-always very clear views of the French coast.

 

Canterbury is only a 30 minute train ride from Dover. Half-hourly service, return fare about £12

The centre of the city and its Cathedral also date from the 12th century or before. The Cathedral was England's most important - now second only to Westminster, and the mazy streets and buildings give a real taste of "Old England".

 

Leeds Castle is more difficult to access without a car - take a train to Maidstone, then 5 miles by taxi or arranged shuttle. 

It's very attractive, the sort of castle that a child would draw, surrounded by a lake and moat.

But although it started life as a simple castle, over the years it was re-styled a number of times and in the 19th Century almost-entirely demolished & re-built as a fortified country house in the Tudor style .

The site has an interesting history, and the current building has history too, but it doesn't compare to either Dover Castle or Canterbury.  IMHO those two will give you far richer and more varied days than Leeds.

 

JB 

Edited March 1, 2019 by John Bull

[PhilbeachTraveller]

As mentioned, you can spend most of the day at Dover Castle, but if you want to do two things, then Dover and Canterbury work best. As well as the train, you can take the No. 15 bus to Canterbury, which takes just over 30 minutes.  From the bus station (which is right outside the shopping mall), you can wander down the main street to the Cathedral and spend a couple of hours there. Canterbury gets very busy during the summer and at weekends, but it is very beautiful and worth visiting. Dover Castle gets busy as well, but it might be safer to visit Canterbury first, then Dover Castle so it's easy to get back to the terminal quickly.