Due to an inefficient, shambolic car rental agency Mike and I were off to a late start this morning. Our days are planned for maximum touring with little allowance for delays. So finally off at eleven we headed for Leeds Castle.
The approach to the castle is a walk through woodlands and meadows, crossings streams, and viewing hundreds of assorted birds. Pausing to photograph the exterior before entering was one of our best ideas of the day. This castle changed hands innumerable times. Four wives of monarchs, beginning with Catherine of Aragon, possessed the property. The castle was built on a series of islands in the River Len which created the most memorable feature of viewing water and greenery from every window in every room. Exiting the castle the rain had begun, the fog clouds had descended, and the feel was midwinter. With no plans to return we slogged out to the falconry and the maze. Birds being sensible creatures were hunkered down with no notion of strutting their stuff for two wet and cold humans.
The last private owner of Leeds Castle was Lady Baillie. With help from her daughters she converted her home to a hospital during the Second World War. Shades of Downton Abbey. More recently the castle hosted the pre-Camp David Accord discussions and the Northern Ireland Peace Treaty.
Back in the rental car we headed for the southern coast and Dover Castle. Apparently heading south does not necessarily mean an improvement in weather. The rain was sheeting and the wind blowing when we arrived. Assured that we could make the last tunnel tour we parked, secured tickets, and sprinted back down the hill to the shelter of the tunnel entrance. This was a castle tour like no other. We spent fifty minutes underground without a single piece of period gilded furniture, a fancy crystal chandelier, or ancestral portrait. The tunnels under the castle were dug as a defense during the Napoleonic Wars but their true value came during the Second World War. Creative and dedicated military planned the evacuation of the soldiers trapped at Dunkirk. The pre- operation estimate was saving 40,000 lives but over 370,000 were returned safely to Britain. Our guided tour was augmented with accurately recreated underground offices and video projections of strafing planes, rescue ships, and actual footage from Dunkirk and from London as the soldiers returned. As we drove away the weather was so foul that it was impossible to see that we were leaving a coastal town. Therefore, no photos.
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