National Trust South Foreland Lighthouse — Attraction in Dover

We absolutely loved our visit here. We walked to the lighthouse along the trail that start at the National trust parking area for the "White cliffs of Dover". The visit to the lighthouse was a highlight. Doing the lifhthouse tour was so insightful and gave depth of appreciation to an already amazing area. We were blessed to visit on a magnificently clear day and seeing far and wide made the day even more special. Once again, as I have mentioned previously, the National Trust volunteers enriched the site with their warmth and care and interesting information - thank you! My daughter, 4 years old, was able to enjoy the lighthouse tour and I was so surprised at the information she shared with her brother the next day ( he and my husband went to the WW2 tunnels while we did the lighthouse tour). We did not have tea and scones, but I have put that on my wish list if we have the privilege of visiting again. This is a great spot to visit and combined with the walk and the nature around you a fantastic, memorable day out. The trail along the cliffs is relatively tricky, not for elderly people and challenging with very little kids, but the great thing is that you can do a bit of the trail and then take an easy walk along a narrow tarred road. Guests who cannot manage the walk can be driver to the lighthouse whilst others in the party follows the trail. This will also be a fantastic outing with dogs, as they are basically allowed in all the outside areas and definately a lovely trail for them to share in (just note that there are areas where they absolutely have to be on leash, due to birds nesting on the ground!) This is a favourite of ours to share with...

Another really well-maintained National Trust property. It has been split into two halves, one of which offers up guided tours showing the history of the lighthouse, with the other half being turned into a beautiful traditional English tea room. The tours are very interesting and show the whole of the lighthouse from basement to upper gantry. They allow children of all ages to have a go at the equipment and they explain all the workings of a light itself through the different eras (from oil lamp, through carbon arc to fully automated). Definitely worth a booking, especially considering the number of "first in the world"s that were mentioned! The tea rooms are really quaint. They serve real leaf tea with a strainer (no tea bags here!) as well as scones, sandiches and cakes that all looked absolutely delicious. I was hoping for a lunchtime meal, but soon began to realise that there wasn't room for a full catering kitchen, so I went for the soup which was excellent and served with a huge chunk of tasty, very fresh bread. Lovely! The only problem was that on a bank holiday weekend there was a lack of space for enough toilets, but knowing this NT had put in place two solutions: temporary toilets in the short term and plans for a whole new toilet block in the medium term. You could not...

Despite a rainy day, my wife and I had an incredible experience visiting South Foreland Lighthouse. We parked at St. Margaret's Bay and enjoyed a scenic 20-minute walk to the lighthouse, taking in the stunning views of the white cliffs along the way.

We arrived right at opening time (11 am) and started our visit with an amazing cream tea at Mrs Knott's tea room on the ground floor. The scones were, hands down, the best I've ever had in my two years of living in the UK.

Afterward, we decided to take the lighthouse tour to wait out the rain, and it was a great decision! The tour, priced at just £6 per person, was informative and engaging. Our guide, David, was very passionate about the history and workings of the lighthouse. He encouraged us to ask questions and provided detailed explanations, which greatly enhanced our experience.

I can only imagine how much more unique this experience would be on a sunny day. On the other hand, we enjoyed the calm atmosphere of being the only customers in the tea room and felt like VIPs being the only two people on the tour.

Initially, we weren't sure what to expect, but we were thoroughly impressed by the tour and gained a new appreciation for lighthouse keeping and the impact of technological progress on the lighthouse over the years. It's a...