Last weekend

Last Thursday was Mrs DeeJay's birthday and I was away in Berlin not returning until Friday.
So, I arranged a surprise weekend away for her at a fairly local hotel near Dover that has a fantastic gastronomic reputation and a spa.
So on Saturday morning we set off after I had made it obvious to her that I had been looking for her passport so as to throw her off the scent, otherwise she would probably have been wise to our final destination as we have often discussed spending a night there. After approaching Dover with the ferries clearly in her sight, I turned off the main route to the docks and took the road around the castle.


We arrived at the hotel where I had previously booked in for an aromatherapy massage in the afternoon, followed by afternoon tea, a leisurely preparation for pre-dinner drinks in the bar and a splendid dinner followed by coffee and brandy.

On Sunday morning we awoke to an incredibly crisp morning with the frost looking almost like a thin layer of snow. It was at that point we quickly disposed of my suggestion that we take a day trip to Calais for some Christmas market shopping and some lunch and replaced it with a decision to take a walk along the cliffs into Dover. No competition really, the crowds in Calais versus a bracing walk that took us almost 3 hours for the return trip.
Here are some of the photos I took en route.

Exmoor ponies brought in to help graze the clifftops and encourage the wild flora


I just had to take this as I am currently reading a book entitled Sun Road after just such a scene

The South Foreland Lighthouse. There is a North Foreland Lighthouse several miles away near Ramsgate / Broadstairs



Cliff view