Gunfire is what you could hear at St Margaret’s at Cliffe back in World War 2 when the area was left for soldiers to defend England from the Germans on the French coast.
Still you can see a statue of Winston Churchill in the Pines Garden.
But now all you hear is the sound of nature; the birds, the waves crashing into the cliff wall, and the sound of the wind moving through the trees.
We stayed in St Margaret’s at Cliffe, a little village next to Dover, with a quiet and laid back atmosphere.
From our hotel, we walked to the Pines Garden Tea Room and Museum. Sitting in that white wood house, where everyone around you seems happy and relaxed, listening only to the singing of the birds, you can feel your mind slowing down.
Then we walked to the South Foreland Lighthouse, a white victorian lighthouse, 142 years old that you can visit and from where you can enjoy the views of the channel.
But you don’t need to go up to the lighthouse to enjoy the view. Just sitting on a bench we looked at the horizon, a picture with different tones of blue. Light blue from the sunny sky above the dark blue of the ocean and in the middle a line of shining white, where you can even see the French coast on a clear day.
From there on, all you see is the water on your side and the green in front of you. During our walk we took every chance to go to the border and look at the white cliffs. With just a little bit of sand where the waves end, the cliffs are a vast white wall where you can see the time of the past. Different kinds of white, from shining parts to darkest one depending on the sunlight, and places where the vegetation have found their home.
During the almost two hours walk, we enjoyed the views, the fresh air and freed our minds from all worries and stress from the city.
Along the way, we came across different people; families with kids, old couples enjoying the walk, and also a young couple with a camera in hand, that looks like two professionals adventurers.
In the end we arrived at the National Trust Visitor Centre and Cafe, closer to Dover where most people start their journey. Either way, here you have a coffee house and shop, where you can eat a delicious cake or in our case, have a beer.
Back to St Margaret’s, there are some pubs where you can delight yourself with the local charm. The White Cliff Hotel, that has a beautiful pub with a fireplace and a charming garden, The Smugglers and the pub in St Margarets at Cliffe Bay holiday park. They have a hotel, caravans, bungalows and a little spa.
St Margaret’s Bay is the perfect place to escape the busy life and discover a part of England History, all in a very little village.
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