Near By

We are situated opposite the beach in view of the fishing pier where sometimes seals swim around, also the deep sea shipping routes with some ships on route to Dover and the Channel on a clear day you can see France. We are a short drive from Dover ferry and an easy crossing to Calais by ship or Euro Tunnel.

There is very good beach and boat fishing charters can be arranged, Top golf courses Royal St Georges Royal Cinque Port and Princes and many more. There are some beautiful walks over the White cliffs to Dover, Sandwich, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate. Walks to be remembered.

There`s a nice drive through the countryside and villages to Canterbury with its marvelous old buildings and Canterbury Cathedral.

Coach and railway stations are in easy walking distance. The town center and the shops are a short walk away.

Deal, Walmer Dover Castles are full of history Walmer castle has really beautiful gardens around it (King Henry the Eight and the Queen Mother former Lord Warden of Walmer Castle).

Deal Castle

Deal Castle is one of the finest Tudor artillery works in England. It was built as part of a chain of coastal fortresses at great speed between 1539 and 1540, by order of King Henry VIII, who feared an invasion by the Catholic powers of Europe. Its squat, rounded turrets were designed to deflect incoming cannon fire and act as platforms from which to launch barrages from increasingly sophisticated artillery pieces.

Along with Walmer Castle and the largely vanished Sandown Castle, Deal guarded the sheltered anchorage of the Downs – the stretch of water between the shore and the infamous Goodwin Sands, a graveyard of ships. Today, you can explore the whole of the castle from the storerooms to the first-floor captain’s residence.

Dover Castle

At 18:57 hours on 26 May 1940, the signal was received to start Operation Dynamo – the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and French troops from Dunkirk’s beaches on the northern coast of France. The network of underground tunnels beneath Dover Castle became the nerve centre of the whole operation.

The best estimate was that only 45,000 of the troops could be brought back, yet Winston Churchill announced to the House of Commons on 4 June that 338,000 troops had been saved, despite the operation itself coming under attack.Today, you can experience life as it was lived by the 700 personnel based here in the worst days of the World War II. Relive the drama as a wounded pilot is taken into the underground hospital to fight for his life and see the Command Centre that Churchill visited to see the plans that helped lead to Allied victory.

The Pier

The seafront at Deal has been adorned with three separate piers in the town's history. The first, built in 1838, was designed by Sir John Rennie. After its wooden structure was destroyed in an 1857 gale, it was replaced by an iron pier in 1864. A popular pleasure pier, it survived until the Second World War, when it was struck and severely damaged by a torpedoed Dutch ship, the Nora, in January 1940. This was not the first time the pier had been hit by shipping, with previous impacts in 1873 and 1884 necessitating extensive repairs.

The present pier was opened in 1954 by Prince Phillip. Constructed predominantly from concrete-clad steel, it is 1026ft (311m) in length (the same length, as a notice announces, as the RMS Titanic!), and ends in a three-tiered pier-head, featuring a cafe, bar, lounge, and fishing decks. The lowest of the three tiers is underwater at all but the lowest part of the tidal range, and has become disused. The pier is a popular sport fishing venue.

Deal's current pier is the last remaining fully-intact leisure pier in Kent. Its structure was extensively refurbished and repaired in 1997, with work including the replacement of much of the concrete cladding on the pier's main piles.

There are currently plans on display to redevelp the end of the pier with a glass structure.

Swimming
Dover Leisure Centre is a multi sports leisure centre with swimming pools, sports hall, squash courts, health and fitness club and sauna/steam suite. There are a range of membership packages available, however, you do not have to be a member to use the centre.

The centre programme provides a wide range of activities and facilities for hire suitable for everyone. The price policy offers substantial savings for regular users and an excellent Access concessionary scheme for disadvantaged people in the community.

Ice rink
www.folkestoneharbour.com

Animal park
www.wildwoodtrust.org
www.rarespeciesconservationcentre.org
www.druidstone.net

Zoo Howletts
www.totallywild.net

With more to come.