Dover is a small coastal UK town with a big reputation — famous for its cliffs, castle, and the sense that history and weather both hang thick in the air. I had always wanted to travel to Dover, and I got a short window to hop a train from Victoria Station, London to Dover on a recent Saturday.
I had landed in London at 7am Saturday morning on an overnight flight from Washington, DC to find that all my business meetings for the day had been cancelled. After checking into the hotel, I walked over to Victoria station and found the next train for Dover was leaving in less than 15 min.
My first order of business after arriving in Dover was a quick walk up to the castle. Unfortunately, I did not have the recommended 3 hours to tour the grounds and didn’t feel the need to spend approximately $40 USD to take a few pictures of the grounds, so I headed back down the hill and walked over to the Cliff top trail. From the trail, the fortress looks like it still guards the coastal waters from invasion. Atop the cliffs, perched over the Channel, watching the horizon the way it has for centuries.
From there, I followed the trail out to the White Cliffs. The contrast between the deep greens of the grass and the pale chalk face makes this spot one of the most photogenic stretches of coastline in England. I followed the trail, almost 3 miles, to the lighthouse and Tea Room at the end of the Cliffs trail. Stopping for a cuppa and a scone with clotted cream and jam, while gazing across the Channel toward France, was the first moment I had to take a deep breath since leaving Cleveland almost 4 days before. The experience was everything I would have imagined if I had known there was an afternoon tea at the lighthouse: A beautiful day, warm with a slight breeze, properly made tea served in proper British dining ware.
As I walked back to the trailhead, I noticed a group of people sitting at the quietly near the end of the cliffs. I didn’t get close enough to hear if they were speaking to each other, but the scene summed up Dover perfectly for me: quiet, raw, and endlessly open.
Gear Notes
I shot most of the day with a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Lydith 30mm f/3.5 lens. It is currently my favorite 30mm prime vintage lens, which helped soften the edges and pull more atmosphere from the overcast light. A couple of the castle shots were done with a modern 50mm Sony autofocus prime.