By the Sea
In October of this year my wife and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary.
We were married in the lighthouse at Nash Point in the Vale of Glamorgan all those years ago so it was fitting that we returned once more to a lighthouse keeper's cottage for the anniversary of that occasion. This time we were in Kent, the Garden of England.
 |
| North Foreland Lighthouse, Kent |
This was our fourth stay in a lighthouse on the UK mainland this year and we knew there would be peace and seclusion waiting for us in the Lodesman Cottage in it's beautiful setting at North Foreland Lighthouse. The lighthouse sits just outside the seaside town of Broadstairs on the Isle of Thanet in deepest Kent.
 |
| Broadstairs, Kent |
Broadstairs is a rather charming English seaside town surrounded by miles of beaches and coves. The main beach with it's beach huts, ice cream parlours, solid pubs and Victorian façade appears pegged in time to a more genteel era. It's almost unchanged since Charles Dickens holidayed here and
knocked out a few tales in the mid-1800's. And it's no bad thing. Despite the October gloom, it is a place that urges you to relax and enjoy the simpler things in life.
It also helps that Broadstairs is spoilt with great restaurants and independent boozers making it a great base from which to explore Kent.
 |
| The Clock Tower, Broadstairs, Kent |
If you head east from Broadstairs past the striking Clock Tower you'll enjoy a fabulous bracing walk along the cliff tops to Ramsgate, entering the seaside town on the East Cliff promenade. Depending on the tide you can also do this walk on the beach below and both are great fun.
This was my first visit to Ramsgate and it impressed. The town has enjoyed a glorious past as a seaside icon of the South -East coast and whilst some of the art deco reminders of that time have seen better days, it benefits from those past reminders of the halcyon days and they complement the recent renaissance of the area.
The aroma of fish and chips is never far away, but the cluster of new restaurants and workshops in the arches under the Royal Parade offers a pleasant alternative from the traditional. The arches sit on the doorstep of the Yacht Marina which is one of the largest in the South-East and it's a great way to spend a couple of hours exploring the piers including the small but beautiful West Pier Lighthouse.
 |
| West Pier Lighthouse, Ramsgate, Kent |
Away from the seafront in Ramsgate is the Petticoat Lane Emporium, which is a superb indoor collection of retro and antiques from local independent traders. We came away with a diving helmet and a nautical floor lamp which was very in keeping with our holiday theme so far.
 | |
|
Either side of Broadstairs you'll find famous seaside towns. After an enjoyable trip to Ramsgate we headed north to the more well known Margate. Walking from North Foreland Lighthouse to Margate you'll first encounter into the imposing Kingsgate Castle that overlooks the beach of the same name and the equally dramatic Kingsgate sea arch, cut from the limestone cliffs that dominate the shoreline of the Isle of Thanet.
 |
| Margate Lido, Kent |
The coastal walk to Margate takes in several beaches including Stone Bay, Joss Bay and finally Botany Bay before you hit the Eastern Esplanade of Margate. First impressions can be a little deceiving. Margate is certainly rough around the edges but as with many neglected seaside towns it is enjoying something of a revival.
 |
| Margate cafe |
The Turner Contemporary has been in place for over ten years now, and enjoys a prime spot adjacent to the Margate lighthouse. The harbour arm on which the lighthouse sits at the end is home to numerous independent galleries and coffee shops.
 |
| Margate Lighthouse, Kent |
Across from the lighthouse is the Old Kent Market, an old cinema now converted into a gallery of clothes shops and food stalls. And beyond the Market is an area very akin to the Lanes in Brighton. Streets peppered with cute antique shops offering curios and great named cafes and pubs that just call out for further look.
 |
| Margate Lighthouse, Kent |
Adding street cred and symptomatic of the cool London scene heading to the coast to get a bit of sea air, the Albion Rooms is a hotel opened by the Libertine boys that apparently took over the worst rated B&B in the country. Singer Carl Barratt has also recently opened LOVE Café in Margate offering good honest cockney fare. A probable draw for the London crowd of a different era, the bizarre Shell Grotto appeared from nowhere in Margate the 1800s and is well worth checking out if only for how crazy the concept is.
 |
| Shell Grotto, Margate, Kent |
We found an excellent value lunch at the Egyptian Alexandria Café on the sea front before plonking ourselves down outside the Turner Contemporary and watching Antony Gormley's ANOTHER TIME statue slowly disappear under the rising tide.
 |
| ANOTHER TIME, opposite The Turner Contemporary. Margate |
I felt a lot of love and local pride for the coastal towns on the Isle of Thanet. I can imagine it's taken a lot of hard work to slowly steer these behemoths of a past generation towards a brighter future following years of neglect. It's certainly delivering rewards.
Next time exploring Kent we head further afield to Dungeness, Dover, Folkstone and pop in to Whitstable on the way home. But for now it's goodnight from North Foreland Lighthouse.
 | |
|
Comments
Post a Comment