Guest 697- Registered: 13 Apr 2010
- Posts: 622
Summer is here, its half term, and tourists are in Dover. Surprising then, that the Prince of Wales Pier doesn't open until 8am. Took a stroll along the seafront this morning to watch the cruise ship arrivals and hey presto "CLOSED". I wasn't the only one as there was also a family who looked disappointed that they couldn't walk down the pier. Seeing the cruise ships close up is one of the harbour's benefits and the Prince of Wales pier is a great place to see the sun rise at this time of year. Along with the crazy opening times at the Castle (not open until 10am!), it really makes me wonder if anyone actually has a grip on a tourism strategy for the town.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Early in the season as it is, we are starting to notice more port-of-call cruise passengers electing to stay in Dover this year, rather than paying through the nose for organised shore excursions to Canterbury/London/Leeds Castle etc.
Also a greater number of embarking cruise passengers are staying two nights rather than one, using the extra day to see Dover and surrounding areas. An encouraging sign I believe.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
I still think we are just all baffled by the early start to the summer season and things aren't up to speed yet - expecting to much perhaps ?!
Previously they had 24 hr opening of PoW pier but not sure if that will happen again this year ?
Been nice knowing you :)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
must have been a long time ago that the primce of wales pier was open all the time.
in my memory it has always been 10 p.m. closing in summer and 7 p.m. at other times.
the town was flooded with cruise ship passengers earlier.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Was 31st August 2008 that I went down it at 4pm !!
Been nice knowing you :)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i assume you mean 4 a.m. paul.
anyway here are the times, 8 a.m opening in winter seems reasonable, i would have thought that 6 a.m. would be appropriate for summer months.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
yes of course
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
I love walking down the pier, we are very lucky to have it
I personally wouldn't be taking the air before 8am, heaven forbid
but I think it would certainly be a good idea to at least have an earlier opening time during the Summer months
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
of course the walks along there are even more pleasurable when the cruise liners are in residence.
Karlos- Location: Dover
- Registered: 1 Oct 2012
- Posts: 2,475
PatrickS
- Location: Marine Parade, Dover
- Registered: 19 Sep 2015
- Posts: 448
Can’t recall any warning of this piling work other than DHB’s Notice to Mariners on 18 November stating overside working, diving & piling was to be carried out from 19 November at the entrance to the new marina lasting up until 18 December.
Presumably work to rectify the unacceptable sea swell within the new marina.
Reginald Barrington likes this
Reginald Barrington
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,227
Certainly nothing in the schedule of works, so hopefully it is remedial work. They have previously been challenged over the tidal modelling and were adamant it had been comprehensive I guess not as fully as they thought!
Arte et Marte
PatrickS- Location: Marine Parade, Dover
- Registered: 19 Sep 2015
- Posts: 448
Piling work at the entrance to the new marina
The pier remains closed weekdays while work continues.
Guest 649 likes this
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
My old job
Then cut round the tops to take off if they were to high
alexiatrade- Registered: 10 Oct 2018
- Posts: 89
Dover Harbour Board have been granted a three year extension to their marine construction licence in order to allow them to install a Wave Screen at the entrance to the marina.
For some reason, renowned experts H R Wallingford failed to predict that strong SW winds and high tides would cause an unacceptably high swell around the new pontoons.
This of course is none of our business, except these same experts are those who concluded that dredging the Goodwins would have no adverse impact on coastal erosion or flood risk.
Perhaps we should also mention that the data used by HRW goes back as far as 1986. No explanation is being given by either DHB or the licensing authority on why more up to date data was not used. Perhaps they didn't like the answer?
PatrickS- Location: Marine Parade, Dover
- Registered: 19 Sep 2015
- Posts: 448
Karlos- Location: Dover
- Registered: 1 Oct 2012
- Posts: 2,475
Last couple of Saturday's have walked past the pier and it's been closed.
Weather? Maintenance?
