Celebrated in wartime song and starring in thousands of holiday postcards, the white cliffs of Dover are the iconic reference-point for travellers arriving at or returning to England. Not just a feature of the town of Dover, the chalk cliffs extend majestically across a whole swathe of the south coast, covering such other landmark locations as the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head.

The white cliffs have in recent times become a focus of environmental concerns, as coastal erosion threatens the communities perched near their edges. Hotels and lighthouses have had to move warily back from the brink as the rockface crumbles. Despite that, the chalk they are made from has proved a valuable resource over the years, even playing a part in the resurgence of English winemaking.