3 Pubs and a castle – a few hours in Dover

Everyone has been there at some point en route to France on the ferry and left with a few hours to kill in Dover.

On my recent road trip avec my Dad we stopped overnight there and despite wanting to write a proper guide to Dover when we looked back all we had done in our few hours was go to 3 pubs and for a wander up to the castle so here you go …

Our first stop was a really cute micro-pub called The Mash Tun that was essentially one fella serving a great range of local beers and ciders in a bar that’s just like being in someone’s living room. Quiet but cosy and according to the boss himself he never charges more than £3 for a pint!

I wanted to get my fill of good British grub before 6 months of beef bourgignon in the French Alps so we chose the TripAdvisor recommended Blakes of Dover for some dinner. The food turned out to be nothing special but it’s a homely and welcoming basement bar with great staff and my dad assures me that the beer was great too!

So to walk off our dinner we decided to wander up the hill toward the impressive Dover Castle that is perched on the cliffs overlooking the town. As it was night time we only got a glimpse of the massive and frankly a little daunting gates and the silhouette of the keep against the sky but I checked it out on Google and it looks freaking amazing in the daylight!

Our final tipple before bed was at The White Horse Inn which was another TripAdvisor find. It is famed as the watering hole for all those hardy or mental enough to complete the feat of swimming the channel. Marker pen scribbles of names and notes from the swimmers fill every inch of the walls inside and make it a great place to while away the evening  with a pint or two.