4th JAN. FOLKESTONE to DOVER ( and back)

We were slow to get going,  I had been up late watching a film,  novelty value and J had dozed off about 11. It was such a contrast from our tent. We still could not get over that this place was cheaper than a Travelodge and a hostel plus it had breaky.
We had packed up our gear before going down to the high ceiling Victoria Restaurant,  a reminant from 1850 s when the hotel had more class. The bulk of the building was 1980 s and looked a little worn,  catering for coach package holidays. The Victoria part was worth the stay for that room alone.
The breaky was a buffet style affair,  full english with cereals or fruit,  yoghurt.... a bargain and excellent breakfast which would sustain us until this eve. After numerous coffees we decided to rebook at the same £23 as we would be returning this way after starting at Dover the North Downs Way. It meant we could leave our packs and travel light.Also as our packs and gear was packed it meant less to do tomorrow morn....it was novelty and wanting luxury that was sustained.
We ended up leaving the hotel around 10 with views over the muddy harbour. We msde our way along to the Warren asking a dog walker if it was possible to take the under cliff route to Dover...after abit of uncertainty we decided to take the route anyway as it seemed to depend on tides. We descended via track betweencoast and railway.  The train traveling east and west cut through chalk cliff and another chap stated that it was probably the railway which saved the cliff due to the amount of coastal protection in the form of concrete aprons. It was an excellent walk,  we dug nuggets of pyrites and fossils out of landslip clay rock. We gained Samphire Hoe , a nature reserve that is part funded by the Eurotunnel as there are massive vent works at the far end of the Hoe. We went through a 100 metre tunnel coming out on the A20 main road to Dover. A little way on we crossed the road to Aycliff council estate , following the cycle route 2 as before. We weaved our way into Dover trying to find the offical start of the ND way. Having wondered around for 20 mins we found the tourist info centre where we discovered the start was on the seafront. I got a guide book,  the official Aurum edition because I like the map detail.
I had left the J in the library while I ran around getting book and directions to the official start. He gathered info on fossiling around Folkestone.
Once I had recovered J we made our way to the start if our 9th national trail. At least there was an official start!
The route ,now started ,took us back into town and up near the Immigration Removal Centre... a sinister place like so many buildings around Dover. We again crossed the A20 on a different route than coming to onto Shakespeare Cliff with its Victorian air shaft chimneys that serve the railway tunnel below our feet. We were also on the spot where the channel tunnel comes onto or into English land.
We attempted to fossil hunt again but the tide was against us being high,  so climbed Round Down following the cliff top for a few miles with views of France on oursouthern horizon. Ferries were coming and going and so eas the light. This time we were above looking down toward Folkestone.As light was failing we walked road via Chapel le Ferne, we had unestimated the return journey time especially as we had be distracted by fossiling.
We made it back to the hotel by street light,  but the building was visible for much of the way,  one of the tallest in Folkestone.
It was good to get back,  we got some cheap xmas cake and brandy butter plus a drink to relax with. We had oat cakes and cheese with mackeral as well as a cheap frozen choc gateau....and watched the film Victoria. Josh was shattered and dozed off fairly early, we had done in excess of 17 miles due to our aborted fossiling trip. It was a good day,  relaxed except for the dark walking. It eas gone midnight when I finally put the light out.