December 26th: Walking off the Christmas dinner (down memory lane)

I decided to walk off some of the Christmas dinner by looking around the centre of Dover. After a long absence from any place, it's interesting to see which shops and buildings have survived, and which have disappeared. In Dover, it was nice to see that some of the smaller businesses (Vane's the bakers, Rooks the butchers, Paynes the greengrocers) have survived, but strange that things like the main post office have gone.

I wandered down the High Street towards the Market Square and then to the seafront. It was still cold and foggy, obscuring the view of the castle somewhat. I walked down to the end of the Prince of Wales Pier, overlooking the disused Hoverport, but I was pleased to see that the lighthouse cafe (where I whiled away many an afternoon in my teens) was still there.

I then headed back into town, up Castle Street and up towards the castle, which was closed, naturally, then back down into town via Connaught Park.

A very invigorating and refreshign walk.