Dover Private tour, Rye

Starting your journey from Dover, you will see the famous White Cliffs including Shakespeare's Cliff, named after the famous poet and author, before driving across the edge of the North Downs, a range of hills that runs along the north of Kent. From there you will pass the entrance to the Channel Tunnel which opened in 1994, before travelling through the delightful countryside of Kent, the Garden of England and will hear how the county was given that name. Passing through the edge of Ashford, ideally located for transport links by motorway and a hub of the rail network, the route continues into the Weald of Kent. You will go through picturesque villages and see many oast houses, formerly drying kilns for Kent's famous hops, many of which have now been converted into private houses.

En route you will pass through towns and villages with interesting place names, most of them with a particular meaning, and will have some of these names explained. One such place is the delightful Wealden town of Tenterden which has been home to a number of famous residents.

After arriving there will be time to explore Rye with your guide and have the possibility of seeing a visual presentation of the town's history (at extra cost). Walk up the famous Mermaid Street and see the hotel of the same name, the church dedicated to St Mary the Virgin with its distinctive clock pendulum, and the Ypres Tower (pronounced 'wipers') as well as other interesting places.

Consider having a cup of tea or coffee, or maybe a sumptuous cream tea in one of the town's delightful cafes.

You will hear about the creation of the Cinque Ports and be told stories of smuggling on the coast of Kent and Sussex as you head back across the famous Romney Marsh, noted for the sheep of the same name, and the building of the Royal Military Canal. You will see the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway which claims to be the smallest railway in the world. It was the brainchild of former army officer Captain J. E. P. Howey and model railway enthusiast Count Louis Zborowski who built and owned the car Chitty Bang Bang, later made famous in the book and film by James Bond author Ian Fleming who added a second "Chitty" to the name.

You will then return to your ship with memories of a delightful day.