The Invisible White Cliffs of Dover

First of all, Happy Belated Easter to all of our family and friends around the globe!

We had such a great plan for our long holiday weekend as Jeff had off Friday, the weekend (obviously), Monday, AND Tuesday off.  So, we were able to plan a pretty amazing road trip.  Although, this post is just about our trip to The White Cliffs of Dover. 

We left on schedule, and headed south from Nottingham to the coast of England.  We were making great time, until hitting a large amount of traffic who were waiting to board the ferry (another option to get to France).  Most of the traffic was large lorries (trucks) waiting in a very long line to get to France.  That didn't seem to be in the real issue for this trip, as we were driving the fog was getting progressively worse.  Not a big deal when we were driving, but we knew that we were not going to be able to see a single thing at our destination.  Now, mind you, we have a very skewed vision of cliffs as our trip to Ireland to see the Cliffs of Moher was one of our most beautiful experiences abroad. 

Once arriving, we decided to throw on our my wellies and take a quick stroll on the trails to see if we could see anything.   Well, we didn't see much of anything.  Supposedly you can even see France which is 22 miles away on a clear and sunny day.  I'd suggest taking a look at the link above if you want to see what the cliffs look like on a non-normal English day (aka a clear & sunny). 

 This is supposed to be one of the most beautiful spots....not so much. #sillyfog

We walked along the muddy paths, while avoiding horse poop.  We just enjoyed the quick walk and the stretch of our legs, since we had been in the car for 3.5 hours and still had another 3.5 to go.  We honestly, didn't see any of the cliffs since the fog was so bad.  It was kind of funny, and we definitely wished we could have seen something or a little bit of the cliffs.  Oh well.  It makes for an interesting story, and attempt!  We won't be traveling back to see the cliffs again, so we will enjoy our hilarious pictures of fog and look online to see the beautiful views. 

 Another beautiful view of the cliffs fog

 Thank goodness for wellies!

 These pictures make me laugh.  Not sure why we even took any. I'm guessing just to document the attempt.

Quick post, as there wasn't much to write about.  We couldn't stay long, as the traffic slowed us down and we had to get to the Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) for our next destination. 

 This is the traffic we were stuck in on the way to the cliffs

On to (a more exciting) adventure...

A Walk Through Sherwood Forest

We traveled about 45 minutes to walk the trails of Sherwood Forest. Jeff and I were able to see the Major Oak tree. In their attempts to try to preserve the tree, they held it up with metal rods and cables. The tree has stood there for over 1,150 years. That's a long time! We walked a short mile route to see the tree, then headed on a longer adventure for a few more miles. As always, it was muddy and we had to make our own trails at a few points so we wouldn't walk through muddy waters. It was a beautiful day out and we enjoyed our time with nature.

 The one mile loop to the Major Oak Tree. 

 Robin Hood's meeting spot: The Major Oak Tree

 Being a little silly in the exhibit.

 The trees were massive!

Beautiful landscape on the last leg of the outer loop trail.

Impromptu Visit to Salisbury

Our plan for the day was to see Stonehenge, grab lunch, and see Windsor Castle on our way back to Nottingham. We ended up heading to Old Sarum. There used to be a castle and cathedral that stood within the fort. All that is left is some of the remains. Jeff and I were in awe to see not only 1, but 2 drop offs where they kept invaders out of their land. The views were beautiful, as you could see the entire town of Salisbury. 

We decided to go to the town to grab lunch, and we ended up seeing one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen in my life. We were about ready to drive out of town, and made a quick turn-around so we could tour the cathedral. 

Now, pictures do not do the fort justice as we were inside the fort, but consider clicking the link above to see what it looks like from a bird's eye view. 

We're inside the grounds of the fort, but where the church once stood. The "hill" is where the castle stood. 

 The remains of the buildings. This might have been part of the chapel.

 More of the remains. If you looked closely you would be able to see arches, windows, steps, etc.

 Salisbury Cathedral. Beautiful.

 The last picture, if you look closely, you can see the depth of the building. It was huge!

 

They are renovating due to receiving a huge grant.

Overall, it was a really fun day. It wasn't what we expected, but we knew we needed to make the most of our time in that area. We can always visit Windsor Castle another weekend.