Your route will start through the edge of the town of Dover where you will see the world's busiest ferry port before passing between the famous White Cliffs and up into the North Downs, a range of hills that runs along the north of Kent. Your journey takes you along the historic A2 road, built by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago, to the historic city of Canterbury. The first known visitor to the area was Julius Caesar who visited four times, firstly in the year 55 BC. The city itself was founded by the Romans, and it is home to the oldest parish church in England. Later the capital of the Kingdom of Kent, it was here in 597 AD that the first cathedral in the English-speaking world was built and St Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

As well as being known for the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket which took place in 1170, the world famous Murder in the Cathedral, one of the main locations of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 and the destination of the world's first railway to carry a scheduled passenger service, the Crab & Winkle Line which opened in 1830. The city has many literary links too, including Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens and James Bond author Ian Fleming.

The walking tour will cover the main points of interest in the city, with its combination of architecture from the Middle Ages, the late 17th century and post World War II, you will hear stories about the buildings and some of the people who lived in or visited the city. Your tour of the city will finish outside the cathedral (entrance to the precincts to be paid at the time) and can include the outside of the building and the King's School, probably the oldest school in the world. You will then have time to explore the building with the option of taking an audio tour or joining one of the cathedral's scheduled tours: further details at
www.canterbury-cathedral.org
Note: The cathedral's rules do not permit your guide to show you round inside the building.


You will then return to Dover by-passing Canterbury and then travelling through some of the delightful scenery of the North Downs, optionally passing locations linked to the James Bond series of books.