The bulk of our time in England was spent catching up on life in London. However, we did have almost two weeks of time touring around the lovely countryside, visiting cities we had read about in literature or history, actually putting a “face” to the names we had heard in the past.
We landed on the ferry across the English Channel into historic Dover. As we came into the port, we could see the white cliffs in the distance.
We got a closer look later… you can see the white cliffs in the background!
Although the white cliffs were nice, the real “sight” in Dover is the castle. Dover Castle is one of England’s finest and best-preserved castles… dating back to 1160 when it was built by King Henry II. But the best thing was the diversity of history you experience by visiting. We started our visit with a interactive exhibition of the “Secret Wartime Tunnels,” which were actively used during WWII to plan “Operation Dynamo.” From there we walked up the hill to the castle keep, which included history of its role in medieval times.
A view of the keep… not particularly fancy, but very much what you would hope for in a castle!
We only got to spend an afternoon at Dover Castle, but could have easily spent a whole day. We enjoyed the rich history and the well-done exhibits. It has been one of our favorite activities that we have done in all of Europe!
From Dover we rode to Canterbury, a short 16 miles away. We only popped in for the afternoon, but we did get a glimpse of the famous cathedral where the Archbishop of Canterbury was murdered, most likely by order of King Henry II (builder of Dover Castle!).
We were short on time and cash, so we didn’t do the “proper” tour of the Cathedral… but it was great!
From Canterbury we rode down to the south coast to have a quick visit in Brighton, an old beach resort town. Although the city itself was lovely, our highlight was watching Usain Bolt run the 100-meter on the huge TV set up for live Olympic coverage.
A scenic lookout we passed just north of Brighton on our way to London.
After leaving London we rode through lovely villages and towns such as Henley-on-Thames, Oxford (home of the University, of course), and none other than Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace and home of William Shakespeare!
We were a little surprised the sign didn’t boast the true fame of the village… Shakespeare’s home!
As much as we loved the English countryside, once again, our favorite thing has been the people. It was so nice to get off the ferry from France and immediately hear everyone speaking a language we knew so well! Our first night in Dover we stayed with the Causers (on warmshowers), who made us feel as though we had been a part of their family for years. We had so much fun just sitting around over dinner, enjoying their English wit and family banter. We got taken in randomly in Brighton by a fellow touring cyclist who lives there. And we met a couple who were visiting parents out in the countryside, but they actually lived in London. Just a year and a half ago, Phil and Liz had done almost the exact same route as us in South America on their bikes! Wow! So they invited us over for a lovely dinner while we were in London.
We had SO much fun with Phil and Liz, sharing tales from the road… certainly a highlight from our time in England!
We absolutely loved our time in England–the beautiful countryside, the charming villages, the “big city,” but especially the people, the hospitality, and the culture.
