Dover Castle

As the largest castle in England, Dover Castle is really a must-see.  But its size isn't the only thing that distinguishes it.  The history of the castle is second to none (with the possible exception of the Tower of London), having seen action from the 13th century to the 20th.  And because it has been in active use for all these centuries (and it was not destroyed during the English Civil War), it is relatively well-preserved.  Dress warmly, though, since it can get quite windy up at the top of the castle.

Few castles can boast of being able to withstand a nuclear attack, but Dover Castle was designated to be the regional seat of government in the case of a nuclear war.  For 900 years, Dover Castle has stood watch for England, repulsing waves of invaders over the centuries, from the French invasion in the 13th century to the German bombs of World War II.  Display cases at Dover Castle display weapons of war spanning its entire history, from medieval axe heads to Napoleonic cannons, to fragments of German bombs that were dropped on it.

The location of Dover Castle itself had been fortified for some 1,100 years before Henry II laid out his great castle there in the 12th century.  When you arrive, you will have to drive up some narrow, winding roads to get to the car park.  (You really should join English Heritage to get both free parking and free admission.)  From the parking lot, you are already within the Dover Castle military complex, and as you look up at one of the outer rings of defenses, you will see both Napoleonic cannons and WWII anti-aircraft guns on display.  From there, you can either climb up to the medieval castle, or down to the WWII bunkers.

The castle is large, and contains an interactive display about Henry II and the Angevin kings.  (You may not have heard of Henry II, but you have almost certainly heard of his sons, Richard the Lionheart and John I, both of "Robin Hood" fame.)  The main keep is massive, and many of the rooms have been decked out to give you some idea of what they were used for and how they looked.  There is no audio tour, so you will be able to proceed at your own pace and in whatever order suits you, but certainly make your way to the very top of the keep, where you will be rewarded with a bird's eye view of the entire area.

The underground bunkers and tunnels are less imposing to look at, but a couple of tours are offered through them to give you an idea of how they were used.  On your way down, you will pass the World War I defensive headquarters and the top of the famous double-helix staircase built during the Napoleonic era to get troops down to the beaches as quickly as possible in the case of a French invasion.  We took the shorter of two WWII tours, through the hospital tunnels.  The tour took about 20 minutes and was very good.  They simulated air raids knocking out the power, which I thought was a neat touch.  And it was a treat at the end to get to ascend back to the surface through the double-helix staircase I just mentioned.

We were staying in Kent, so Dover was just an hour away for us.  Dover is in the far southeast of England, so it's a pretty good drive from London, but certainly doable in a day trip even from there.  I do think Dover Castle is a good visit for the children because (1) it is a terrific castle as far as castles go, and (2) the history will excite any young boy of the age where he is infatuated with war (like our son, age 10).