I spent the first seven years of my life in the United Kingdom and still have some British terms and phrases in my vocabulary.
20.07.2023 - 13:21 / wanderlust.co.uk
Visitors have been flocking to the Kent coast since the early 1700s, recognising the health benefits of bathing in sea water. Margate led the way, introducing mobile bathing machines with modesty hoods in 1753 – a canvas canopy attached to a horse and cart that let bathers discreetly immerse themselves in the water without anyone judging whether or not they were ‘beach ready’.
Lockdown has encouraged UK travellers to reconsider the classic coastal resorts, which partly explains why I found myself on Kent’s north-eastern corner. As I walked between Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, a four-hour, 11km route that’s part of the longer Viking Coastal Trail, I could chart how the area had pivoted from key maritime port to the 18th Century Londoner’s seaside getaway of choice.
Starting at the tidal pool on Margate Beach, I passed the town’s 1889 clock tower. Low tide had exposed rockpools in front of the Turner Contemporary gallery and I was mesmerised by an oscillating jelly fish. The beachside promenade stretches all the way to Foreness Point, from where it transforms into a clifftop track. The path’s dotted with attractions, from chalk stacks in Botany Bay and the ruins of Neptune’s Tower to a sea arch in Kingsgate Bay, which was named after King Charles II landed on the beach in 1683.
From the clifftop, I had a perfect view of a fort that wasn’t labelled on Google maps: Kingsgate Castle was built for a lord in the 1760s and turned into private apartments in the 1990s. At low tide, you can rejoin a promenade that wriggles around to Joss Bay, where you can see caves once used by smugglers. Alternatively, you can cut inland to see North Foreland lighthouse, then return to the beach at Stone Bay, which is lined with huts as colourful as a row of pick-and-mix sweet jars.
After a short jaunt to Viking Bay in Broadstairs, I picked blackberries along the cliffs on the way to Dumpton Gap. From there, it was a quick skip to Ramsgate’s Blue Flag beach, where I had a dip in the sea. No modesty hood required.
If Dreamland’s rides and roller disco aren’t your scene, then stick to Margate Beach. The beach is crowned by the Turner Contemporary [free entry], which opened in 2011.
Next, explore the Old Town, a tangle of streets that feels like Soho-on-Sea. It’s lined with tearooms, vegan cafes and boutiques stuffed with antiques, vintage clothes and neon signs.
After lunch at The Greedy Cow, tour Tudor House nearby, which was built in 1525. The house is en route to The Shell Grotto, a 21m-long tunnel embossed with 4.6 million shells. Discovered in 1838, the passage is Grade I-listed – but its origin purpose and creator remain a mystery. For dinner, share seafood tapas such as blow-torched crab tart at Buoy and Oyster.
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I spent the first seven years of my life in the United Kingdom and still have some British terms and phrases in my vocabulary.
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