KENTSTAYCATION
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THE PINK HOUSE
BEAUTIFUL BROADSTAIRS
Another famous British poet inspired by Kent ’ s coast was T . S , Elliot , who in Margate penned The Waste Land . Visitors to Margate can now stay in the very rooms in which he resided at The Pink House ( www . dogfriendlycottages . co . uk ), a five-storey boutique bed and breakfast with gorgeous rooms and farreaching sea views . As well as poets and painters , spy novelists have also had their eureka moments upon Kent ’ s beaches . On a family stay at Cliff Promenade , Broadstairs , author of The 39 Steps , John Buchan experienced a moment that would change his career . Buchan ’ s son would write in 1990 : “ My sister , who was about six , had just learnt to count properly , went down a nearby flight which cut through the rock to the beach - she gleefully announced ; there are 39 steps .” Broadstairs is full of wonderful places to stay , including the self-catering cottages of Beautiful Broadstairs ( www . beautifulbroadstairs . com ). Harbour Haven is a three-bedroom , two-bathroom Grade II listed Georgian house and Nickleby Nook is a threebedroom second-floor apartment with sea views on Dickens Walk , both just seconds from the sandy golden beach . Spy novels do not stop there in Kent either , with the most famous spy of them all , James Bond , being created right here in the county too . Today a blue plaque can be seen upon The Duck Inn at Pett Bottom confirming that Ian Fleming wrote You Only Live Twice there in 1964 . Stop by for divine high-end dining experiences , or simply a drink in the garden in which Fleming had a favourite seat .
Fast forward to today and plenty of 21st-century authors have taken their own inspiration from Kent to craft their characters and set them off against
surreal scenes that can only be found in this county . Hollow Shores by Gary Budden is a collection of intriguing short stories , which find horror and ecstasy in the mundane . Following characters on the cusp of change in broken down environments and the landscapes of the mind , Budden uses the strange surreality of Faversham Creek as a setting for one such tale . When looked at in an opposing light to Budden , this area can be seen as a thriving , trendy spot full of bobbing houseboats . Take a visit to Papà Bianco ( www . papabianco . com ) to taste some of Kent ’ s finest wood-fired pizzas , with live music every Wednesday and Friday .
Budden is not the only author of today to depict some of Kent ’ s most enthralling , yet strange landscapes in eerie tales . In her book Wide Open , Nicola Barker uses the Isle of Sheppey to provide a suitably unsettling backdrop for her odd cast and storyline . Describing it as " a strange place , flat and empty like the moon ," upon which main character Sarah tends her smallholding while dealing with some troublesome men as boyfriends , neighbours and intruders . Although depicted as strange in Barker ’ s story , the ethereal beauty of Sheppey can not be denied . One of the best places to witness this is at The Ferry House Inn ( www . theferryhouse . co . uk ) which sits looking out over a tranquil and marshy estuary . Here guests can enjoy divine meals made from The Ferry House ’ s own garden , stay in opulent rooms and even indulge in a relaxing spa treatment .
Another place full of estuaries and surreal beauty , where the extraordinary can be found in the ordinary is Gravesend . It was here that David Mitchell set
PAPÀ BIANCO
The Bone Clocks , which was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize 2014 and called one of the best novels of the year by Stephen King , winning the World Fantasy Award in 2015 . Main character Holly Sykes , a young woman from Gravesend , is gifted with an “ invisible eye " and semi-psychic abilities , running away from her parent ’ s pub in the town at the beginning of the story . Pubs there are plentiful in the town , but those looking for something quirky will find it at The Mole Hole ( www . moleholepub . co . uk ), ‘ Kent ’ s friendliest micropub ,’ serving cask ales , ciders and gins .
In nearby Dartford , a much lighter tale was inspired . Considered a modern children ’ s classic and a favourite with younger readers since its publication 1963 , Clive King ’ s Stig of the Dump , was based on the local finding of a Stone Age man in a chalk pit during his time in the area . Today , these same chalk pits are now home to the brilliant Bluewater Shopping Centre ( www . bluewater . co . uk ), Kent ’ s best-loved spot for destination shopping and dining .
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