DAYSOUT
DA YS OUT IN KENT
CONT.
The Shell Grotto // www.shellgrotto.co.uk
In Margate, there are lots of things to do and you
might easily spend a w hole day there and still not
be done. Something that you shouldn’t miss out on
seeing though is the completely unique and ra ther
bizarre (in a beautiful way) Shell Grotto.
The Shell Gr otto is a w onderful subter ranean
passageway which measures in at about 21-metres
long by six-metres wide. This in itself is not unusual,
but the fact that every single piece of wall is covered
by shells is what makes this absolutely unique. They
are placed in a mosaic pattern and consists of mussels,
cockles, limpets , o ysters, w helks and scallops .
Although no one knows for sure where they come
from, they are all thought to be from the surrounding
areas such as Sandwich, Shellness and Whitstable.
THE SHELL GROTTO
Alpaca Annie // www.alpacaannie.com
Alpacas are smaller, cuter, less ‘spitty’ v ersions of
llamas and they live in Peru, definitely absolutely
not in Kent. Certainly not in Romney Marsh.
Actually, that statement, as you may have guessed,
is not entir ely accurate. Alpacas ar e completely
different creatures to llamas (although they are related
and it’s true tha t they do spit less) and the y can
certainly be found on the Romney Marsh. They can
be found at Alpaca Annie.
Here you can tr ek with trained, gentle alpacas ,
enjoying some fresh air and a good walk with excellent
company. Not only will you get to know your new
friend, but you’ll get to e xperience what Romney
Marsh is really like too. The trek will last for about
an hour through the beautiful countryside and during
the trek you’ll get to feed the alpacas, learn how to
care for them and of course take as many photos as
you want.
Teapot Island // www.teapotisland.co.uk
Teapot Island is just as m uch fun and just as
peculiar as it sounds – which is to say a lot! Something
we Brits ar e particularly good a t is being ra ther
eccentric, so perhaps the real question that should
be asked about Teapot Island is not w hy, but why
not? It is a wonderful place, and as far as a day out
goes, it’s somewhere that is interesting, peaceful, and
enjoyable – what more could you ask for? Even if
you are not a teapot aficionado y ou will still find
plenty to do here.
Teapot Island was set up in 2003 in Yalding on the
banks of the Riv er Medway and is a true family
business. There are 7,600 teapots on displa y here
making it the biggest collection of teapots in England.
Plus, there is an onsite shop that has over 2,000 more
for sale – add to y our own collection or start one
after being inspired by everything you see.
As well as teapots there is a potter – Gary Seymour
of Seymour Designs – a café, the af orementioned
shop and even a paint a pot studio so you can take
home a w onderful memento of y our da y out.
40
ALPACA ANNIE
TEAPOT ISLAND