The English Channel and the south-east coast of England have always been pivotal to the defence of our island.

Dover Castle, site of a Roman pharos that dates back to the 1st century AD, was long known as “the key to England”, and both Napoleon and Hitler earmarked these southern shores for sea-borne invasion. Where they failed, William the Conqueror succeeded, and our sweep through the turbulent history of the defence of the realm will begin at the spot where Harold met his end in 1066.

The Western Heights, rising to the west of Dover and surrounded by chalk meadows, form the largest Napoleonic defences ever constructed in Britain. The most substantial fortifications were erected in the early years of the 19th century as a bulwark against French attack, and the redoubt later sheltered a squad of commandos during World War II.

The castles at Rye, Bodiam, Walmer and Deal each have their own tale to tell, but it is Dover Castle, fortified by Henry II, that takes pride of place. It was from the castle’s secret tunnels, originally hewn to counter the threat of Napoleonic France, that Churchill and vice-admiral Ramsay masterminded the evacuation from Dunkirk. By the end of the war, this labyrinthine complex had been developed into a veritable underground city, housing not just a military headquarters but also a hospital and substantial barracks.

Our base will be the luxurious Flackley Ash Hotel, a family-run hotel deep in the Sussex countryside on the outskirts of the historic town of Rye.