DAYSOUT
Life on the Cobbles cont...
CANTERBURY
Canterbury is a place that draws on curiosity. Step away from the main streets and the city quickly shifts pace. Hours can be lost in the narrow, cobbled lanes where bookshops sit beside bakeries, coffee queues spill onto the pavement and where the cathedral catches your breath each time it appears between rooftops.
Morning Start early at Garage Coffee on Sun Street. It is small, lively and always smells incredible, with locals stopping in for flat whites and pastries before the day gets going. Coffee in hand, wander towards the cathedral through quieter back streets, letting the city wake up around you.
From here, drift into The King’ s Mile, where independent shops and galleries line the cobbles and encourage you to dip in and out. Make time for Catching Lives Bookshop, set inside Canterbury’ s famously crooked house. Shelves are packed with secondhand finds and every purchase supports a local charity.
CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
Continue to Palace Street, one of the city’ s prettiest stretches, where glimpses of the river change the pace of the busy streets. Lily’ s Social Kitchen is a lovely stop for a fresh coffee or a relaxed brunch-style bite, while Café Chambers is a favourite for pancake lovers. If the weather is kind, stroll towards Westgate and along the river path, watching boat tours glide past as conversations bounce across the water.
Afternoon Head to The Goods Shed for lunch, a Canterbury favourite for good reason. Whether you choose the restaurant or browse the market stalls, it is vibrant, seasonal and proudly rooted in Kent. There’ s a wonderful, rustic buzz about the space with each vendor proud of their produce. We also highly recommend grabbing a fresh sourdough loaf from Dockers.
CORKK
After lunch, wander back towards the cathedral precincts. Even if you have visited before, the scale and detail always impress. Take Mercery Lane slowly, then peel off into the smaller streets nearby, where independent shops reward a little aimless wandering.
iK’ s unmissable hotspot! Finish the day at Corkk, just moments from the cathedral. Specialising in English and local wines, it is a relaxed, welcoming place to pause and watch Canterbury settle into the evening.
THE GOODS SHED
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