We bid a fond farewell to Toft Hall, to stone walls, to the Tyne bridges, to the Angel, and to Northumberland in general; and boarded our train to London, which was embossed with “Battle of Britain” livery.

Fast train to London; note Battle of Britain insignia on engine

We whizzed past Durham with its cathedral, then through York, Doncaster and Peterborough, with smooth efficiency.  It’s remarkable to traverse the whole country in a little over three hours, and National Rail ran on time, despite its reputation.  Once in London, we navigated the maze that is Kings Cross-St Pancras, hunting down our next train to Dover.

Durham’s Cathedral flashed by

We duly boarded our high speed train for the southeast, sitting on the right hand side so we could see the coast between Folkestone and Dover.  We caught glimpses of the unmistakeable white cliffs, before plunging into a tunnel and emerging at Dover Priory station.

Our first view of the White Cliffs (last seen by us  in 1992)

Our apartment is on Priory Hill.  Dragging the suitcases up there was quite the challenge.  On arrival we were confronted with two flights of narrow stairs.  Our studio flat at the top of the house is small but adequate for 2 nights.  The views are worth it. Castle from one window, the Channel and France from the other.

Dover Castle and town from our window

Good night.