Dover

Dover sits at the narrowest point of the English Channel, 21 miles from France. The White Cliffs are the landmark, a wall of chalk that rises above the harbour and the town. Walking the cliff-top trail from the port takes about 30 minutes and gives views across to Calais on clear days. Dover Castle, begun by the Normans in the 1060s and expanded through two world wars, sits above the cliffs with medieval tunnels and a network of secret wartime passages used for planning the Dunkirk evacuation. The town centre is small but has a few good pubs and cafés along the high street. The Dover Museum holds the Bronze Age Boat, one of the oldest seagoing vessels ever found. Canterbury, with its famous cathedral and medieval streets, is a 20-minute train ride away and makes an easy half-day trip. London is reachable in about an hour by high-speed rail from nearby Ashford. The local dish is plain: fish and chips from one of the harbour-front chippies, eaten with salt and vinegar while watching the ferries cross.