点评:This is an absolute hidden gem of the National Trust - and very much under-publicised.
About a 30 minute walk along the cliffs from the NT White cliffs car park is the entrance to the Deep Shelter.
Once given hard hats and a safety talk, we proceeded down 125 steps into the underground tunnels for a tour lasting around 1h 15 minutes, lead by the fantastic Janine (or "JB"). There was just four of us in total in the group.
The tunnels are fascinating, but in terms of their original development by the Royal Engineers and their subsequent decommissioning and rediscovery. Janine brought the tour to life, explaining the conditions of those based in the tunnels - and showing various sections of graffiti, each of which acted as a time capsule, and many of which the National Trust have researched.
We then went out onto the side of the cliffs (this section is actually tiered - not a straight cliff face!) to see the two WWI concrete sonar mirrors which are built into the cliff face (which had been buried in rubble but since excavated by the trust).
Apart of the 125 steps down (all of which are concrete and safe, albeit damp), the experience is easy to walk around, with concrete flooring and just one short section needing me to duck down.
Overall, an absolutely fascinating tour and one of the best we've ever done with the National Trust. Our 11 year old daughter loved it as well. And you're a NT member, the tour is free!
Thanks to Janine and the team for a great experience.
翻译:这绝对是国家信托基金会旗下的一处隐藏瑰宝——只是宣传力度远远不够。
从国家信托基金会的白崖停车场出发,沿着悬崖步行约30分钟便能到达“深层避难所”的入口。
戴上安全帽并听取完安全须知后,我们在出色的讲解员珍妮(或“JB”)的带领下,沿着125级台阶下行,进入地下隧道进行参观。整个游览过程大约持续1小时15分钟,而我们一行人总共只有四个人。
那些隧道真是引人入胜啊。不过,关于它们最初由皇家工兵部队建造的过程,以及后来的废弃与重新发现,则是另一个话题了。珍妮生动地带领我们参观,详细介绍了曾驻守在隧道中的士兵们的生活环境;她还展示了各种涂鸦——这些涂鸦宛如一个个时光胶囊,其中很多都经过了国家信托基金的深入研究。
随后我们来到了悬崖边缘(这一区域实际上是呈阶梯状的——并非笔直的峭壁啊!可以看到嵌入悬崖壁中的两个一战时期的水声反射镜(它们原本被碎石掩埋,后来由信托基金会挖掘出来)。
沿着125级台阶向下走(这些台阶均为混凝土制成且十分安全,虽然有些潮湿),整个游览过程轻松便捷:地面也是混凝土铺成,只有一小段路程需要我低头弯腰才能通过。
总的来说,这是一次极其精彩的游览,也是我们随国家信托基金会参与过的最佳活动之一。我们11岁的女儿也格外喜欢。您是NT会员,所以可以免费参观哦!
感谢Janine和团队带来了如此棒的体验。