Two days in Dover

[merryecho]

We disembark in Dover on August 13, and fly out of London early on the 16th. We will be with a couple who have never been to England. Any ideas for a couple of days that would give them a taste of old fashioned English charm?

We plan to head into London on the afternoon of the 15th, doing a quick 'must see' tour there, so have about 2 1/2 days. The Cotsworlds looks lovely, but is it too far? We've done Canterbury, and prefer a smaller, less tourist crammed spot if possible, not necessarily a tourist destination. I guess we are looking for something out of a Miss Marple mystery, with a charming pub overlooking a river and a friendly barman...

Thinking about renting a car in Dover, then taking a train from wherever we end up to London. Thanks much for any advice.

[shoshona2]

Hi merryecho,

 

Did you post your question on the "Ports of Call" section of Cruise Critic? Just go to the main page for Boards and scroll down to Ports of Call. Hit on "Britain".

 

We were in Dover several years ago and toured the underground tunnels of the Dover Castle which has history going back to Napoleon's time and were used during WWII. The tour was most interesting with sound effects.

 

Sheila

[merryecho]

Thanks Shoshana- I did read the England threads on ports of call, but didn't really see what I was looking for. We don't want to see any tourist attractions or museums, just a lovely little English village with a nice pub. As there seem to be several Brits who post here, I thought they might have a suggestion or two.

[shoshona2]

Hi again,

 

Rick Steves England 2008 book has sections on each section of England. He lists for the South: Canterbury, Dover, Brighton, Portsmouth, Cornwall and Dartmoor. You could pick up his book and get some info there as to each town he mentions and also go to Frommers.com or Fodors.com to check them out.

 

Sheila

[merryecho]

I was reading it tonite! Don't you find though, that the problem with Rick Steve's books is that the great little spots he talks about end up being filled with other Americans who read the same book- kind of defeats the purpose of trying to meet locals.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

If it were me, I would be searching the web for travel sites on the county of Kent and the surrounding counties. The Cotswolds is a little far (although England is pretty small), and although those towns are very pretty, they are usually teeming with tourists. Kent is kind of off the beaten track, so if you poke around, you might find some nice place to go. For example, this site:

http://www.picturesofengland.com/England/towns/Picturesque_Villages

I don't see many listings in Kent or surrounds, but poking around, who knows what you will find.

Cambridge is fairly close too, not a little village, but very nice.

[merryecho]

Thanks Wendy, that is a very helpful website. Yes, the Cotswolds are probably too far for such a short stay, I keep forgetting that driving 100 village to village British miles takes longer than 100 US hiway miles.

[shoshona2]

Wendy,

 

Loved the website you posted!

 

Merryecho,

 

We stayed over at a B&B in Dover before our cruise and had lovely chats with the people who owned the B&B. They suggested some places for lunch where we met lots of locals.

 

Sheila

[phillipahain]

Quite honestly theres not a lot to do around Dover and the surrounding countryside is not that great

 

The Cotswolds is way too far being at least 40 miles in the other direction out of London and with traffic the way it is 40 miles in the UK = 200 in the USA

 

I would suggest your time would be far better spent going directly into London and doing things like Hampton Court , Tower of London and getting on the Big Red Bus tour where you can hop on and off all day seeing the sights

 

The last thing you will need in London is a Rental Car and theres also a London Congestion Charge which must be paid ahead of travel or get a $240 fine

[shoshona2]

Hi again,

 

I'm in total agreement with phillipahain. I would go right to London and do the sightseeing there. If you had a week or ten days, you could take the train or drive to some of these little towns you want to see. We can never get enough of London and the surrounding towns. Every chance we get to London, we see another sight we missed on our previous trips. We spent two weeks in England and Scotland years ago and it is still one of the highlights of all our travels.

 

Sheila

[merryecho]

While I love London, and have spent a lot of time there, my best times in England have been in the countryside, when I stumble across unexpected charming little towns. And, while London would be the simplest choice, I am not fond of big cities in August. Thought we would spend the afternoon before we leave in London and do the big bus tour then, so our freinds can say they've been there, done that.

I may have found an answer to what to do though- I asked my sister, the family genealogist, if we had any roots there, and it turns out we had an ancestor from Leybourne castle, Kent, 15 generations ago. Fun to go look at the ruins and give her another picture for her family scrapbook.

[phillipahain]

In which case do Dover Castle Too

 

I bet when you have been to London you have not done Hampton Court or Kew Gardens

 

They are on the edge of London but well worth a visit

 

All our USA friends adored Hampton Court

[SteveS]

We cruised from Dover a few years ago. We took a National Coach bus from London to Dover, very cheap and scenic, and stayed at the East Lee B&B for a night. It was delightful. There is a lot to see in Dover, the Roman painted house, bronze age boats and Dover Castle. You can take the hop on hop off bus. Just remember to bring an umbrella, it is England! On our return we took the bus to Heathrow. Very convenient.

[merryecho]

Phillipa- I had a friend who lived near Hampton court, and have been there twice- you're right, I loved it, especially the historic connections.

Steve- not looking for tourist attractions, just a freindly country pub in a pretty spot.