Some insider tips on Dover Castle:

 * Wear comfortable shoes and layers of clothing - this is a huge, hilly site, and you'll want to be comfortable as you walk around the battlements, tunnels, Keep Yard...the weather can change quickly on this exposed hilltop site

* Take a camera - the views from the top looking over the harbour are fabulous, and on a clear day it's easy to make out France on the other side of the Channel, only 22 miles away

* Arrive early - the guided tours of the Secret Wartime Tunnels, an unmissable part of the visit, sell out quickly, especially in holiday time

* From now (winter '08) to next August ('09), there are some fantastic free guided tours of parts of the site normally missed by visitors, such as the Medieval Underground works, Hudson's Passage and a walk along the Battlements.

* Buy a guidebook - there are no audio tours of the site, but the guidebook is well worth the £3.99 cost with full colour images and written by an expert historian who knows the site inside out. Updated only last year

* Take a look at Western Heights on the other side of the valley. Free to enter, there are a massive series of Napoleonic fortifications semi-hidden in the grass.

* Finally, don't miss the lovely walk also from Dover Harbour along the White Cliffs path to St Margaret's Bay, where the Coastguard restaurant has great food and an even better view. Walk takes about 1.30mins - 2 hours along the North Downs way - stunning scenery.