Coast
Coast
Ranging in aesthetic from wide open with sweeping views out to sea, to rural and untouched, Kent lays claim
like to a whopping 350 miles of glorious coastline and more Blue Flag beaches than any other county in England.
The variety of the coastal environments you’ll find across the county is staggering. In fact, Britain’s only
officially recognised desert is located at Dungeness, the shingle beach at the southernmost point in Kent, where
natural shingle, gravel and shell landscapes play host to an intriguing range of rare bird and plant life.
W
ith a 19-mile-long coastline that wraps around
Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, Thanet is
undoubtedly the jewel in Kent’s coastal crown. To
break it down in numbers, 16 sandy beaches call those
19 miles home, six of which are Blue Flag winners and
a further four of which have won Seaside Awards.
Pretty impressive…
community vibe. Independent businesses fill once-
empty spaces and The Creative Quarter, an area of the
town transformed by independent visionary arts charity,
The Creative Foundation, is now an inclusive urban
village of designer-makers and artists where shops are
not just sales outlets, galleries are studios, bars double
as performance spaces, and cafés are bookshops too –
it’s a real hive of imagination and inspiration.
Head to Joss Bay, just a 30-minute stroll from
Broadstairs’ town centre and you’ll find chalk cliffs,
a shallow bay for swimming and a surf school for
those who like to get out amongst the waves. A go-
to destination for classic seaside fun, lively Margate
Main Sands is a huge stretch of curved beach where
you can head for high-octane excitement or a more
contemplative slice of culture – Dreamland amusement
park is now world famous for its thrills and the Turner
Contemporary modern art gallery sits beachside too.
Something of a well-kept secret and catching up with
Folkestone’s infectious trendiness is Deal, a Kentish
coastal gem recently ranked by the Sunday Times
‘Best Places to Live’ survey as one of the best places
to live in the whole of Britain. Deal has a certain raffish
charm about it: an edge that on the one hand combines
award-winning, independent high street shopping
with some great upmarket dining, but on the other
is anchored down by a truly beautiful seafront and
enough history to give it depth; neither modest,
nor above its station, it’s a brilliant all-rounder.
Another cultural hotspot, Folkestone has a creative
scene that continues to thrive under a really collective
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