Dover Castle's New Year visitors 'match August levels'
Dover Castle is celebrating a bumper weekend, with visitor numbers on Sunday as high as typical August levels.
The attraction attributed the unusual footfall to an increased interest in Britain's heritage together with an upturn in the weather.
English Heritage, which runs the castle, said more than 2,200 people visited on Sunday.
A spokesman said with takings were 30% up on the corresponding Sunday in 2011.
Marketing manager Nik Barrie said: "The last weekend before the new year always proves popular - it's hard for people to know what to do and to find places that are open.
"But it was exceptionally busy yesterday. The numbers are fairly comparable with a typical week day in August."
Many of the extra visitors took advantage of a free voucher campaign that ran locally, but Mr Barrie said a sudden improvement in the weather also played a big role.
He said: "It had been pretty miserable, but suddenly the sun came out yesterday."
Mr Barrie added: "There is a tendency that you don't always visit the things right on your doorstep whereas if you are on holiday, you often try to cram in as much as you can.
"So it is nice to try to reach out locally [through the voucher campaign] and encourage people to see what history and attractions are on your doorstep."