Saturday 6th February 2010; Dover Flickrmeet and Beer Festival.

My first day off in eight days, and we were awake at half five in the morning. Oh well. Jools fed the cats and put the coffee machine on, and we laid in bed with the smell of brewing coffee coming up the stairs and the sound of the dawn chorus coming in through the window.
The cats came back and joined us, life can be good.

We headed out to Tesco, and did the shop before the crowds of the odder Dover locals turned up. Back home and I put some croissants in the oven and we had more coffee.



Jools dropped me off at the railway station just before ten, and I waited for potential attendees for the Flickrmeet come in from Folkestone or further. In the end none did, but as I was at the station I thought I may as well take the chance and snap a few trains.



The time to brave the walk up Military Road, a steep climb to Western Heights. At least I didn't have to pretend to stop to look at the view, just pausing for breath and for my knees to stop screaming.



A group of about 20 people were waiting, not a bad turnout; any more and it becomes less than friendly, or I have trouble remembering peoples names. Well, the truth is I have trouble remembering one persons name, so I was stumped, and with everyone having a 'real' name and a Flickr name, I was lost.



Anyway, Paul, who runs Western Heights made a speech about the history, before taking us down to the top of the Grand Shaft; a triple spiral staircase leading from the top of the cliffs to the harbour. We walked down, took pictures of the staircase and each other, and then walked back up. And then on to the Drop Redoubt fort, built at the same time, but much less known that the castle on the other side of the town. It is a wonderful place, all moats, high walls and buildings, and five forts in total. We took more pictures and and then climbed the dimly lit stair to the parapets with view high over dover and the English Channel. Non-locals were stunned by it all, as few people know about Western Heights, and it is marvellous.



And then it was all over, we all said farewells, and i was dropped down by a couple of friends at the town hall to go to the beer festival. The town hall is a grand building with wonderful stained glass windows, and underneath dozens of barrels of dark winter ales. I had three pints, and after not having lunch, that was enough, and so Jools picked me up and I went home and fell asleep on the sofa listening to the football.