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Author Topic: Dover, England
Zero
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I know there are some English lurking about on these boards, and I have a few questions. Anyone been to Dover? I'm sure someone has. Come on, out with it.

My short story is set in a future Dover--and since it's the future I feel like I can be flexible with the nature of the city--but I have a few logistical questions.

For one, the river Dour does not flow into the channel, correct? Also could someone (within a number of hours) reasonably walk along the river's edge, not all of it but part of it, and then meander to the white cliffs? Or is that too much distance.

And what is atop the White Cliffs at the moment? Is it possible for tourists and others to get on top of them and look down over the channel?

And from that viewpoint, is there a harbor below the cliffs or does the channel cut right into the cliffs?

And is Calais ever visible?

What else can you tell me about it?


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tnwilz
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Don’t know much about the river but I have walked along the top of the cliffs and there’s pretty much nothing to stop you jumping off. Below is rocky beach made of crumbled chalk, which is what the cliffs are made of. Absolutely you can see Calais, at least I could every time I was there. Obviously it depends on the weather. The harbor comes after the cliffs subside into a natural valley.

Here’s an article on the river.

http://www.dover-kent.co.uk/places/river_dour.htm

Tracy


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extrinsic
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Google Earth has a vivid view of the cliffs and the port facility at Dover. Some general information from which to source more research is available at Wikipedia. I'm sure that topo and nautical charts are available, as well as tourism information and other answers to your questions from online research sources, maps, accounts, and such, being such a popular tourist destination.
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Zero
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Thanks! It's just such a beautiful seeting that even though I haven't ever been there, I wanted to set my story there.
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Kathleen Dalton Woodbury
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Just don't forget that Dover Castle is up there as well.
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Zero
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Oh really? Is that right on top of the cliffs too? Also, any idea about how far away?

I have a character who frequently climbs up there and sits, it's his "thinking spot" and he finds the view of the channel and the brisk atlantic/north-sea wind relaxing (that I imagine/hope is there).

Is this believable? I mean, I know I have the "this is in the future anything is possible" card, but it isn't obviously the future right away, there are no flying deloreans and the like, so would someone who's been there (in the know) accept this, or find it totally ridiculous?


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Kathleen Dalton Woodbury
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You can see Dover Castle from the town and from the ferry harbor. (I've been across the channel and back on the ferry, and only saw Calais as we got closer, because of the weather.)

Anyway, there's an interesting, touristy thing on the castle here with this tantalizing bit of information:

quote:
Hidden deep inside the famous White Cliffs, and under Dover Castle, are a vast network of underground tunnels, first constructed in the Middle Ages. However, during the Napoleonic Wars, these tunnels were greatly extended to provide barracks for the great numbers of soldiers called to Dover Castle to prepare for invasion from the French. This massive underground complex also played an important role in the Second World War, and it is absolutely fascinating to 're live' these moments today.

Edited to add another link with several nice photos, and another site with even more photos, including a link to an aerial photo.

[This message has been edited by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (edited August 11, 2008).]


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Zero
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Thanks!
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Gwalchmai
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Are you still looking for responses on this? I see the topic's nearly a couple of weeks old. I don't check in here as often as I used to now so have only just seen it. I did spend a bit of time down in that area of England though so could probably help with some details.
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Zero
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Any details you could give me would be great, thanks. Would you like to read the actual story? Or would you prefer to just help paint me a better picture of what the environment is like there.
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Gwalchmai
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How long is the story? I might be able to have a look. In the meantime, here are a few answers to the questions you've already asked.

quote:
and since it's the future I feel like I can be flexible with the nature of the city

Only a relatively small town at the moment (population a little under 30,000) with not much hope of greatly increasing in the near future. There's nothing there really to attract people and no reason why it should grow. That's not to say it might not increase in size for whatever reason in a future world. Just how the real life is at the moment.

quote:
For one, the river Dour does not flow into the channel, correct?

Kind of true. It doesn't flow out directly into the open sea at the moment but instead flows into a marina on the sea front, which leads into the sea. This picture shows where this happens. If you zoom in to the left of the left-hand mast you can just make out the top of the archway through which the river enters the marina.

quote:
Also could someone (within a number of hours) reasonably walk along the river's edge, not all of it but part of it, and then meander to the white cliffs?

It is possible to walk from the marina, along the sea front and then up a pathway up the side of the cliffs (and under a by-pass) to their top. Probably about a mile and a half/two miles in distance. This picture shows a little of that route. Not me in the pictures, or anyone I know. It was just a handy web album I found with a quick search. If you check out the other pictures, you can see a little of what the cliff tops are like.

You can see a road heading into the cliffs (actually runs through a gap between them) towards the back of the shot. The pathway up the cliffs begins from about those white buildings in the background.

It's virtually impossible to walk along the side of the river once it reaches the main part of town since it tends to run behind buildings for the most part. It pops out into view again shortly before reaching the marina but again, so far as I remember, you can't follow it all the way from here to its mouth. Also, its depth is pretty unimpressive. Probably reaches around seven or eight inches at best for the most part and just a few during summer. Towards its mouth it does get a bit deeper though since it narrows a little.

quote:
And what is atop the White Cliffs at the moment? Is it possible for tourists and others to get on top of them and look down over the channel?

Grass, some Exmoor ponies, a radar station and eventually some fields of oil rape seed which lead towards a distinctive lighthouse and the small village of St Margarets.

The castle does stand on the cliffs but on the part of the cliffs the other side of the by-pass shown in a previous photograph. A walk from the more accessible clifftops to the castle would take you down a winding road that has no walkway for pedestrians. It's about half a mile until you reach the castle and then about the same distance around it until you come out on the other side above the town. Just as you first reach the castle (half a mile from the cliffs) you can cut off of the road into a small wooded area towards the Bleriot memorial. Also, the castle disappears from sight very soon after arriving at the main tourist portion of the cliffs because of the way the landscape is. It is visible from most of the town, though. It kind of overlooks the place in impressive fashion, even at night when it is lit up.

quote:
And from that viewpoint, is there a harbor below the cliffs or does the channel cut right into the cliffs?

The harbour is pretty much directly below the cliffs for a short way. It is the eastern part that houses the port facility. This can be seen in some of the photographs in this album which I also posted a link to earlier on.

quote:
And is Calais ever visible?

The part of France most often seen is, I think, technically Cape Blanc Nez, and this can be seen fairly often. On a clear day you can also see the French coast from sea level on the beach or from any part of the town with a clear view of the sea. At night you can often see lights dotted along the French coast and I think this is when you're more likely to see Calais, although I'm sure it would probably be visible on a clear day if you looked in the right direction.

quote:
What else can you tell me about it?

There isn't much in Dover beyond the Castle, cliffs and ports so most people visiting the town are just passing through. There isn't a lot else for the people who live in the town either. If you're looking for a good night out, a meal in a good restaurant (good is possibly the wrong word since there are some nice restaurants with good food around but they are kind of bar-type restaurants), a visit to the cinema or to shop for anything other than food, these things are probably best done in the larger towns of Ashford, Folkestone and Canterbury, which aren't that far away.

Random piece of information: the sun rises over the channel.

Forgot to mention the Napoleonic fort on the Western Heights (the cliffs facing the castle on the opposite side of the valley in which the town is situated). I can't find a better picture of the Heights than this unfortunately, since the way the fort is dug into the ground gives the hilltop quite a distinctive shape (see the bottom of the top third of the picture, just right of the centre).

quote:
It's just such a beautiful seeting that even though I haven't ever been there, I wanted to set my story there.

The surrounds are quite beautiful, yes.

quote:
I have a character who frequently climbs up there and sits, it's his "thinking spot" and he finds the view of the channel and the brisk atlantic/north-sea wind relaxing (that I imagine/hope is there).

Perhaps wind blowing off the straits or channel. There are a number of spots where he could do this. The odd tourist/walker would wander past but it is generally peaceful (when the gulls aren't too loud!).

I hope some of that helps. Feel free to send me an email if there's anything more specific you want to know and I'll see if I can help.

[This message has been edited by Gwalchmai (edited August 22, 2008).]


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Kathleen Dalton Woodbury
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Gwalchmai, those are wonderful links. Thanks from me, too.

Couple of notes:

Rapeseed is what they make canola oil from.

Gulls can "hover" in a strong wind, and in fact, they sort of make a game of it. I have stood on the south end of the Isle of Man and watched gulls fly up and face into the strong winds there, just to "hover" in place for as long as they could.

If you make it clear that they are playing that particular game and that the wind is strong enough for them to do it, you can have your gulls "hover" with no problem at all.


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Zero
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Yes thank you all very much, and those links are awesome!
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Gwalchmai
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You're both welcome.
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