IN ASSOCIATION WITH
48 Hours on
KENTSTAYCATION
KENT ’ S CREATIVE COASTLINE
Where Art is Regenerating Both Towns and Souls .
IS THERE ANYWHERE IN THE UK OFFERING THE PLETHORA OF ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE EXPERIENCE , AS WHAT IS CURRENTLY ON OFFER ALONG OUR KENTISH COASTLINE ? OUR 48 HOUR JOURNEY BEGINS IN FOLKESTONE TOWN ; THE TOWN THAT HAS GONE FROM UGLY DUCKLING TO EMERGING SWAN AND ENDS IN DICKENS ’ STORY-TELLING MEDWAY . IT ' S A JOURNEY OF FOOD CULTURE AND IMAGINATION THAT IS NOT TO BE MISSED !
Day 1
BREAKFAST Like many places along the Kentish coastline that once thrived during Victorian times but post war became bereft of life and love , a regeneration has taken place using art and culture as the vehicle to transform these once void Kentish coastline destinations . Folkestone ’ s Harbour Arm has become the spearhead of artisan-led experience and now brims with people following dreams they likely once believed they ’ d never have the money , nor opportunity to make a reality . Follow the flowerlined , disused ( but regenerated ) railway track and begin your creative coastline journey at Bobbie ’ s Bakehouse ( bobbiesbakehouse . com ), a cafe inside the old signal box , where the original railway station levers are still homed and beautifully restored , and order one of their bacon or salmon hand-made-onsite bagels . The outside tables will genuinely make you feel like you are waiting for the train to come in , but rather than a view of the train tracks , you ’ ll be looking across the White Cliffs of England and the local fishing boats coming in from their morning fish off the English Channel . Heaven .
MORNING Next , work off breakfast and follow the poignant story-telling trail of Folkestone Artworks ( www . creativefolkestone . org . uk ). Be prepared to be moved and keep your eyes peeled , for some of the artworks are huge in size and blatantly obvious , whilst others are hidden under benches ; a bit like the sad and forgotten tales of the local reality that they intend to shed light upon .
There are 4 artistic trails to follow , Walk A , B , C and D , but for the sake of staying true to our coastline journey , I am only referencing the harbour and coastline trail , Walk C . Begin at the far end of the
Harbour Arm itself , at what is probably the most photographed landmark in Folkestone , Ian Hamilton Finlay ’ s Pier Head lighthouse . The slogan , ‘ Weather is a Third to a Place and Time ’ is imprinted on the side of this very quaint lighthouse and the reference to weather notes its importance to people at sea and its equal importance to the inescapable circumstances of place and time . Weather is also used as the metaphor for expressing emotion , for without ‘ weather ’, we would live in a colourless and twodimensional world . The Brits may not like discussing emotions too much but we sure do like conversing about the weather .
Follow the 51 fascinating works of art all the way up to Marc Schmitz and Dolgor Ser-Od ’ s , Siren , a giant horn , and sing your own sweet melody out to sea . Sadly , you are unlikely to attract any handsome sailors in return but you never know , Folkestone is full of nice surprises these days .
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