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Monday 13th February 2023
One thing there seems to be plenty of in Kent is Castles. Not a surprise when you think about it. This coast was the closest to France so ever since whenever, the English needed to repell one attack or another.
We were heading further up the coast to Walmer and Deal Castles. This was the one place Callum wanted to visit as it was one of Henry VIIIs castles and part of his A Level History syllabus.
Two things we’ve noticed in Kent. Firstly, things aren’t very well signposted (and signs not pointing in the right direction when they’ve been twisted around, pointing the wrong way). Secondly, people cannot park properly. Lines are there to be straddled, not parked between. Very frustrating when parking is limited and someone’s taken up two bays! Luckily there was another large car park further up the road.
First stop, Walmer Castle. Very ornate with a rather unusual design. Central circular hub surrounded by four circles. Walmer Castle was built on the instructions of Henry VIII and it became the home of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The Duke of Wellington was one and several rooms were dedicated to him, including a pair of his boots. HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was also the Lord Warden from 1979 until her death in 2002 and often would spend time living at the castle. Whilst she was there, the castle and grounds were closed!
The post of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is currently vacant but an appointment is expected once the coronation of King Charles III has taken place.
There is also extensive gardens but February is not the time to see it at it’s best. There were some very weirdly shaped hedges though. Not quite sure what they were meant to represent!
We headed back to car park walking along the sea front path. Jon had spotted on Google Maps there was a memorial to mark the spot where Julius Caesar had landed in England. It was much further up than we thought so we moved the car and drove a little closer. Memorial found and a walk across to the Deal Lifeboat Station. It was all closed up so not much to see.
Just a little way up the road was Deal Castle – one of the finest tudor artillery castles in England. Surprisingly, slap back in the middle of town, surrounded by buildings and houses on three sides; the sea on the other. The design was similar to Walmer in shape. This one though was long past being inhabited. It was interesting down in the depths of the castle at moat level – “the rounds”. Here, the archers would defend the moat. Each bay was sectioned off from the others by a narrow tunnel circling the basement. Half was closed due to flooding, but you did get a little disoriented and certainly felt as though you’d wandered further than we had.
After Deal, we headed back down towards Dover to explore the White Cliffs. Jon was hoping that the Deep Bore Hole would be open to explore, but alas it was closed. Never the less, we parked up and headed to explore. We some how ended up on a path that wasn’t the main path the tourists follow, but a side path with steep drops over the edge. Not a path you would want to walk with kids!
As we arrived, the fog rolled in and you could only see the tops of the cranes in the port below us. Very spooky.
The further along we walked, the fog started to lift and you could see the White Cliffs ahead. We continued on until we picked up the path we should have been on and headed back to the car and back to Sibton Park.
More exploring to do – this time we found the Leisure Centre, the swimming pool and the bar billiards. Jon and Callum couldn’t resist a game … and no surprises that Jon won! I headed back to the cottage to cook team (food we picked up yesterday) whilst Jon and Callum disappeared for a game of snooker.
