Operation Fuller

Operation Fuller is one of those wartime sites that doesn't shout about itself, which is precisely why it's worth seeking out near Dover. It's a Second World War command post - the kind of place where real decisions got made while bombs fell outside. You're looking at concrete bunkers and underground operations rooms where staff coordinated coastal defences against the threat of German invasion. The claustrophobia hits you the moment you descend. Dark corridors, original equipment still bolted to the walls, maps with pencil marks from 1940. It's properly sobering.

History buffs will spend a couple of hours here easily. Families with older kids do well too, though younger ones might find it a bit heavy-going after thirty minutes - there's not much interactive about it, just rooms and stories. Admission details are hard to pin down from this end, so ring ahead before you drive over.

It's a natural fit if you're based at one of the nearby holiday parks - Parkdean's St Margaret's Bay location is barely three miles away. Combine it with Dover Castle and the white cliffs for a proper day out, or use it as a thoughtful break between beach time. The Kent coast wasn't exactly a holiday destination in 1940, and standing in these bunkers reminds you why. Worth the detour if wartime sites grab you.