England 20/05 - Broadstairs to Brighton

We used to live at Walmer NSW, so when we saw Walmer Castle we just had to visit... Whilst there we paid for English Heritage membership - this will give us free entry (and parking) at all English Heritage properties (eg Stonehenge, Dover Castle etc). The castle was originally a tudor fortress and was then converted into a stately home for Lords Warden. The duke of Wellington resided here - it was funny to see the link (Walmer is near Wellington in NSW).

Dover Castle is huge, and you could spend all day exploring the different parts of the property. We wandered around the castle, up and down the towers and checked out the halls and rooms.

The White Cliffs of Dover was a bit disappointing. I guess if you took the long walk (2-3 hours) you might see more, but the short walk only provided a little glimpse of the cliff...

We arrived in Brighton (actually just out of Brighton, at Hove) late afternoon and had issues with parking (only a few spaces provided by the hotel and they were all full). We finally got a spot and checked into the hotel, then walked around to check out the local area (seaside and town) and find somewhere for dinner. The next morning we drove into town (found a multi-story car park) leaving early to get breakfast and walk around the city. We found that cafe's don't generally open till 8am, and the city is very dirty and crowded. After a couple of hours we decided to get back into the countryside so headed off earlier than expected (didn't wait for the rock shop to open).

Overnight at Imperial Hotel, Hove.

Walmer Castle:

Dover - White Cliffs:

Dover Castle:

Brighton: