Crossing the English Channel: The White Cliffs of Dover

We met our official Tour Director and regular tour mates at the hotel lobby that morning. Majority were from Australia, two couples were from New Zealand, a family from the United States, and a solo traveler from Canada.

Aboard the bus, our Tour Director told us that it was just our temporary transportation. It would take us from London to Dover, but after we cross the English Channel to France, we would transfer to our regular tour bus - a more luxurious model with a nicer washroom and more leg room for all passengers, as described on the tour company's website.

We were given a short tour around London's famous sights and neighbourhoods (which was good, because some of our tour mates arrived just the night before and didn't get the chance to see London yet) and then we headed southeast to the coast.

It was a non-descript drive to the coastal town of Dover but we passed by an imposing castle perched on top of a hill overlooking the English Channel. Dover Castle, founded in the 12th century, has been described as the “Key to England” for it has guarded the English shores from invaders for twenty centuries. It is the largest castle in England and is a very popular film location for movies and television series set in the Middle Ages.

Our guide refreshed our memories, in case we had seen the most recent films and shows shot on this castle - Lady Jane (1986 movie), The Lady and the Highwayman (a 1988 TV movie), History of Britain (2000 documentary), The Six Wives of Henry VIII (2001 documentary), To Kill a King (2003 movie), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008 movie), and episodes from the series, Wolf Hall, The Hollow Crown, and Poirot. Ah, that was why it looked familiar. I love watching period films and coincidentally that time, I had just seen The Other Boleyn Girl.

(Update: More productions had since used this location - Into the Woods in 2014, Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015, and The Crown in 2016).

As we drove closer, it was clear that Dover Castle and its fortifications command the string of cliffs overlooking the Strait of Dover. The massive towers and thick walls had surely intimidated invaders. Built by Henry II in the 1100s, it had evolved overtime to suit the defensive needs of the British people, from the Roman conquest of Britannia to the Second World War. It's too bad that a castle tour was not part of our itinerary. We were there for a more nature-inspired visit.

Dover is best known for its white cliffs that tower up to 350 feet. The color is mainly from chalk accentuated by streaks of black flint. Its geologic history was most interesting to my husband. The soft, white chalk that covers the cliffs are finely grained limestones that resulted from the remains of coccoliths, which were tiny green algae that once floated in the sea. When they died, they sank to the bottom of the ocean and formed layers of chalk that gradually crept up the cliffs. This, of course, took millions of years, considering it takes a full year for the layer to rise half a millimeter! It was like Mother Nature painting a canvas with white paint from the bottom up, but taking her sweet time.

We heard that there is a circular trail on top of the cliffs and that it is dotted by interesting wildflowers, such as exotic orchids and snapdragons, as well as beautiful butterflies, including the elusive Adonis Blue. The Exmoor ponies, a very rare breed found only in this area, graze among its grasslands and munch on hawthorn berries and thistle buds. There is also a Victorian lighthouse and a fan bay deep shelter used during the war that could be visited on a guided tour.

However, we were there to cross the English Channel. After taking pictures of the white cliffs, we boarded our ferry and temporarily said good bye to the British Isles. Dover faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel. The channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France and links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end.

In the olden days, when people traveled to and from Continental Europe primarily by boats, the first or last sight they see of England were the port of Dover and these cliffs. Thus, for centuries, the cliffs were said to have been a sign of either hope or freedom, depending on whether one was departing or arriving. I couldn’t help but feel dramatic as our ferry slowly sailed away.

We spent most of the ferry ride standing on the deck. It was windy, but we did not mind because the further we sailed away, the more we saw the white cliffs in their full stretch, displaying their sharp edges and the layers of lush, green, grass on its surface. They stood tall and proud, and from afar, they appeared like white vanguards of the land.

These cliffs, like the castle, have witnessed many wars and invasions. In fact, there was even a World War II song composed in 1941 that paid homage to these cliffs. It was called, "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" sung by Vera Lynn. Its uplifting lyrics resonated with the British troops as they faced the onslaught of the German forces, giving them hope that one day, "There'll be bluebirds over the White cliffs of Dover tomorrow, just you wait and see."