Dover, Canterbury, Leeds

[nzdisneymom]

We are staying two nights pre-cruise next summer in Dover, and we are taking private transportation back from Dover to Gatwick post-cruise with the opportunity to do a side sightseeing stop on the way back. For those of you who have visited Dover, Canterbury, or Leeds, either for a full day or a quick stop, please share your experiences and what you might recommend to see / do.

Background - we are a family of four - me, DH, DS20 and DS18 at the time we go. We will arrive in Dover after an overnight flight and have two nights, so really one whole day to sightsee in Dover.

Our return trip has us spending a night at a hotel by Gatwick airport, so we are not in a rush to get from Dover to Gatwick as we won't be able to check into our hotel until mid-afternoon. The car company has recommended either Leeds or Canterbury or both as options for our return trip sight seeing (which would be on our own - they do a drop and wait). To Canterbury, it's 150-GBP plus 20-per-hr to wait... we want to keep the cost to around $300/US which means one-to-two hours in either Canterbury or Leeds. What could we see/do in either location for about that much time, or is it worth even trying to do something?

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[adamki]

I've never been to Canterbury, but Leeds Castle is very nice. There are many activities (hedge maze, Segway tours, falconry shows, castle, etc.) ... to be honest, you won't have time to see much of anything in an hour or two. I'm not sure it's worth £24 per person for such a short visit.

FYI, Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, so be careful when asking for advice about visiting Leeds Castle, which is in Kent... someone might send you 4 hours north of where you want to be.

 

[dcassetta]

Leeds castle is beautiful. I can also recommend a visit to Canterbury. The cathedral and the ruins of Saint Augustine's Abbey are both amazing. We also enjoyed the little Museum of the Canterbury tales. They have actors re-create some of the stories, it turned out to be much better than I anticipated. It's been several years but I think you can visit the cathedral for about £10 and the Abbey for about £5. If you're planning a visit to the cathedral, do check their calendar. Obviously visiting is limited on Sundays, and they are closed sometimes for various religious events.

 

[lynseymoll]

I've never been to Canterbury, but Leeds Castle is very nice. There are many activities (hedge maze, Segway tours, falconry shows, castle, etc.) ... to be honest, you won't have time to see much of anything in an hour or two. I'm not sure it's worth £24 per person for such a short visit.

FYI, Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, so be careful when asking for advice about visiting Leeds Castle, which is in Kent... someone might send you 4 hours north of where you want to be.

I was just about to say about Leeds too! Was wondering how it could be ' on the way' lol! It's a nice city tho!

Xx

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Dover isn't large it's a small port town really, the shops are open 9 am to 5 pm, there is the impressive castle and cliff walk but not a lot there. We went to Sandwich to eat ( no pun) and you have Canterbuty and Leeds close.

Operation " stack" comes into force now and again where continental trucks are stacked and queue up, this causes a lot of noise to hotels on the esplanade such as the premier inn. We stayed at the Ramada just out of town nice, new and an easy taxi ride.

The train station is Dover priory and you get there from Victoria or St Pancras in London, the later is faster, a rental car is best Enterprise is near the port.

Look at my trip report it has many photos and videos of Dover.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Thank you for the replies. We have decided we'll make a detour to Canterbury on our return from Dover to Gatwick (we fly home the following day).