Places Archives - The London Ginger

Dover, rocky beach and the castle known as the “Key to England”

Posted on 25th January 201712th March 2017 by The London Ginger

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This is a trip that is possible to do on a single day if you’re travelling from London, or even to enjoy a nice weekend. A sandy beach town located on the southeast coast of England, and one of it’s main attractions is Dover Castle, also known as the “Key to England”.

The journey to Dover takes about 1h30 and can be done straight from London Charing Cross station – Dover Priory is the last stop (visit the Southeastern website to learn more about prices and time tables). When I went, part of the track was going through repairs, so I had to get down at Folkestone and took a bus replacement arranged by Southeastern to Dover.

Once in Dover, the first stop was at Dover Castle. We walked for 30mins to get to the Castle from the train station. There are signs to show the way, which is very helpful, and once you are there the view is breathtaking.

Dover Castle is a medieval construction from the 12th century and was where Henry II lived. It is known as the “Key to England” due to its importance as a fort to defend the country, and it is also considered the biggest castle in England.

The Castle went through a series of improvements, the most important being the one done by Henry II, which shaped the Castle to how we know it today. It’s possible to visit the Great Tower with replicas of the King and Queen’s room, as well as the secret war tunnels.

Inside the outer walls of the Castle it’s possible to visit the old Roman lighthouse, which is dated from the year 43 AD, as well as the observatory deck that was once used as a military base. There is also a war museum located inside the cliffs that is worth a visit.

Dover is known by it’s White Cliffs, a characteristic caused by all the limestone on the rocks.

It’s a port town, with a huge movement of ships everyday, including cargo ships, but is still a small and calm town. These cities on the east cost of England that i’ve had the opportunity to visit have something very peculiar – while they are located by the beach, they maintain the English country charm.

After a walk through the Castle, we went for a walk on the beach, the day was chilly, but the Sun made an appearance which made the weather perfect. There are a few restaurants, pubs and hotels on the edge of the beach, and on one end we found a charming marina and a place to practice water sports.

I will certainly return to Dover, the view is beautiful and the trip was very pleasantly surprising.

Want to see a bit more of the day and the beautiful scenery of Dover? Watch the video below and join us on this beautiful walk through a sunny day in Dover.

Margate, Botany Bay and Broadstairs

Posted on 1st November 20164th March 2017 by admin

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Short weekend trips have become one of my favourite activities. Without spending much time and money, I have the opportunity not only to discover London, but cities nearby.

During a warm weekend, I really wanted to go to the beach, and I remembered that once, while on the way to another destination, and due to a problem on the train tracks, we had to make a 40 minutes stop at Margate to wait for the next train. Margate is a sand beach, which is not very common here in England, and it is neighbour to two other sand beaches that have the white cliffs as landscape.

There. Having decided the destination, all that is left is to find out the best way there.

Leaving by train from the centre of London (Charing Cross / London Bridge) the trip to Margate takes two hours, and since the days are longer during the summer, this is a smooth travel.

The idea was to just walk and discover Margate and the neighbouring beaches (Botany Bay and Broadstairs), I didn’t have a set itinerary, I wanted to have the opportunity to enjoy the beach, the weather, the walk.

Between Margate and Botany Bay we decided to walk by the beachfront, which was amazing, and allowed us to see different landscapes on the same path (the whole walk lasted around 45-50 minutes).

The second part of the way, between Botany Bay and Broadstairs, we decided to walk over the cliffs instead of the beachfront. This path is known as Cliff Promenade.

These beaches, besides the characteristic of being sand beaches, they are also known for its white cliffs. It is not only a beautiful landscape, this geological characteristic contributes to compose a diverse ecosystem, because the cliffs are a natural habitat for many animals. The area is known as The Thanet Coast, and is considered one of the most valuable marine life regions in England.

On these three beaches we can find the emblematic “beach huts”, those small coloured wooden houses, that you can rent/buy to keep your belongings during the summer or all year long. A few people use it as storage space and keep their surf equipments and beach chairs, while others transform the space into a small kitchen, making parties/reunions on the beach.

Since I have a huge passion for the artes, I couldn’t miss the chance to visit the Turner Contemporary (contemporary museum located in Margate), that is named after the painter William Turner. The museum has housed great expositions with big names such as Marcel Duchamp, Marina Abramovic, Joseph Beuys, Leonardo Da Vinci, among others. In another post we will explain a little more about the museum’s history, but we couldn’t go through this post without mentioning it.

Do not miss the video to see how the day went and the wonderful landscapes we saw.

Mayfield Lavender Farm: an unexpected surprise in London

Posted on 11th September 20164th March 2017 by admin

Posted by The London Ginger (Para ler esse post em português, clique aqui)

An activity outside of the more typical and well-known in London, but is worth doing between July and August, is visiting a lavender field. In London there is more than one, but in this post I will talk about one that I visited.

The choice was the Mayfield Lavender Farm, which is located in the south of London. With a trip of about 40 minutes from the centre of London, you arrive at this beautiful field of English lavender. It doesn’t even look like London anymore with this bucolic view, colourful and scented, but rather a countryside town in rural England.

To get there you have have a few options, depending on the time and day, trains depart from station in the centre of London (Waterloo, London Bridge, Victoria) to stations close to the field (Purley, Epson, Surrey), and there all you have to do is get a bus that leaves you at the main gate. The field is located in London Zone 6, so it is possible to make all the trip using your Oyster Card.

The Mayfield Lavender Farm has free parking for those who prefer to drive there and the price to get in the fields is £1 (one pound) per person. Besides the lavender fields, there is also a café/sandwich shop, as well as a small store where you can buy bouquets and lavender seedlings.

Don’t forget to try the lavender ice cream!Until then, I’ve never had the opportunity to visit a lavender field, the sensation of being there was wonderful, it is an experience that pleases the eyes because the fields are beautiful e colourful, as well as the sense of smell, because the scent is strong and pure.

The fields blossom in specific times – in June they start to grow, but it is in July and August that they are full. In certain years it is possible to see some of the lavender still in September, but it all depends on that year’s crop.

This is a trip that I recommend to everyone who comes to London. A chance to discover a unique and colourful view, inside this amazing city.

Watch the vídeo we did there in the fields, and get to know a little more of this enchanting and fragrant place inside London.

Kenwood House, a charming gem in Hampstead

Posted on 17th September 201518th January 2016 by The London Ginger

Kenwood House and Gardens is located in the heart of Hampstead Heath, one of London’s most precious gems, and part of English Heritage.

Its majestic interior was remodelled by the famous Scottish architect Robert Adam in the mid XVI century, and a new room was added to the house as well – the library. This is just one of the reasons to visit Kenwood House.

Surrounded by gardens that are nurtured to show its beauty and charm all year long, it doesn’t matter what time of year you visit this property, there will always be something to be seen.

In 1999 the movie Notting Hill was released and a few scenes where shot in Kenwood Gardens (remember that scene where Hugh Grant’s character visits Julia Robert’s character at the film set).

For the art lovers, there is not only the exquisite architecture, but you can find Rembrandt to Turner hanging within its walls.

A place that is worth seeing for its beauty, for a rendezvous in one of the most charming London neighbourhoods’. There is also a space reserved for kids (in case you are wondering if this is an adult activity).

The pictures shown in this post where made by the photographer Fernando BA – a Brazilian who lives in London for over 4 years, and works not only with landscape photography, but with people as well. To see more of his work, access his website and delight yourself with the images.

The entrance to Kenwood House is free. For more information read here.