Advertisement
Published: October 14th 2012
Edit Blog Post
Yes, you read that right. But it was an accident. I checked out of my guesthouse s little early so that I could make the trek to the White Cliffs before my train to Edinburgh. My breakfast this morning was this delightful little spread of fruit, toast with marmalade, pastries, and some Frosted Flakes 😊 So, full bellied I started out, trying to remember the directions that the guesthouse manager had given me. "Go out the door and to your left, then when you get to a fence, go left again, continue on for about a 5 minute walk, then you'll come to a roundabout. Continue on past a pink hotel up a steep ramp and continue on for about 10mins. You will then be directly on the cliffs." Sounds easy right? About a 20minute walk? So I made it to the round about and then realized that I could "continue on past the pink hotel" in about 4 different directions. I was pretty certain that two of the directions were not correct, but the other two both seemed to head in the same direction and both led up separate ramps, so I had to choose. I remembered also hearing something
about a police station and saw one on the lower path, so I went that way. Plus, the upper pathway was partially blocked by a lamppost and stop sign-- I couldn't even fit through there with my pack on. Lower pathway it was. I make my way up the ramp and soon the sidewalk ends. There was a bus station/ferry station on the way but I was certain I was going the right direction because I could see the cliffs in the distance. I hike up over an overpass, through some construction site, and then see a border check station. Something didn't really feel right at that point. A border check station? Which border?
I keep walking.
I come to the first window and ask the frowning security guard if I'm headed the right way to see the cliffs. He says something quickly in French.
Me: "Huh? Does anyone here speak English?"
Security Guard: "You don't speak English??"
Me: "Oh you do speak English! I'm trying to get to the cliffs."
Security Guard: "Ze Cleefs? What cleefs?? No pedestrians on zis pathway."
Me: "I was given directions by the man at my guesthouse
and he said to come this way, is there another path to the cliffs?"
Security Guard waves his friend over and says something in French..
Other security guard: "You must go back up ze road to ze bus station, you cannot cross to France as pedestrian."
Me: "I don't want to go to France I just want to see the cliffs."
Security guard: *looks at me*
Me: "So...go back up that huge hill?..."
Security guard: "It is good for ze legs."
Me: *staring at him in disbelief*
Security guard: *pats me on the back* "Better begin, no pedestrians."
So, I hiked back up the crazy overpass where I met a team of security guards running up the ramp. They looked at me, slowed down, and probably wondered if this lone girl with a huge backpack was, in fact, the security threat that they had just been notified of. Yep. It was me. Luckily one of these guys recognized that I was not actually a threat and just simply lost, because he walked me to a car park nearby where I could get my own private view of the cliffs. I sat
at the top of the car park and took a few pics, then paid 2pounds for a bus back to the train station.
Dover is a huge port town that ferry's cars/goods/people to France, which is right across the channel. Turns out I should have taken the upper pathway (the one that I couldn't fit through with my backpack) that went up and over the port/border check station to the cliffs.
And that's the story of how I almost snuck into France as a pedestrian.
I would call this blog "An Idiot Abroad" but the name has already been taken. Thanks Karl and Ricki. "Lost" is also appropriate but pretty overused... any suggestions for a blog title??
Advertisement
Tot: 0.085s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 10; qc: 52; dbt: 0.0562s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb