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, 15 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,
Creative Folkestone, 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. And that’s
not forgetting the reimagined and rejuvenated Harbour
Arm, the new place to be for outdoor events and
independent, artisan food and drink outlets
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 –
the world famous Dreamland amusement park, with its
Grade II listed roller coaster which celebrates its 100th
anniversary this year, and the Turner Contemporary
modern art gallery sits beachside too. As if the beach
wasn’t enough Thanet now boasts its own Michelin
starred restaurant too, with Broadstairs-based Stark, run
by Ben and Sophie Crittenden a must visit.
Something of a well-kept secret and catching up with
Folkestone’s infectious trendiness is Deal, a Kentish
coastal gem previously 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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