A DROP OF KENT SUNSHINE
A birthday weekend by the coast offers Susan Taylor plenty of fine scenery to explore
My autumnal birthday always seems to bring the rain. For as long as I can recall (more years now than I like to remember!), it has always rained that day. This even includes the year when we treated ourselves to a holiday in Mauritius – a very heavy, very sudden downpour sent everybody scurrying away from the pool and into the bar for shelter. With this in mind, when I began planning a quick escape for my birthday weekend, at the top of our research list was the weather forecast.
Discovering that the only sunny spot in an otherwise rain-cloud covered country was likely to be the south-east corner, and with my preference for a visit to the seaside, we settled on a trip to the Kent coast. Having been brought up by the sea – albeit it much further north – I rather miss it and need regular doses of its bracing fresh air.
Following the Crab and Winkle Way
And so, leaving drizzly Buckinghamshire behind, we arrived around noon at warm and sunny Primrose Cottage Caravan Park, just outside Whitstable. Brian, the friendly site owner, greeted us and showed us a couple of spots before leaving us to take our choice on this fairly small and informal site. Wasting no time (tomorrow was the ‘big day’ and I feared the wet weather would catch up with us!), we quickly settled in and then set off to make the most of the sunshine with a stroll into town.
There are essentially two routes for walking to Whitstable from the campsite, both taking around 30 minutes: you can go on the pavement, or follow the Crab and Winkle Way, a cycling and hiking trail running along the original Crab and Winkle railway line.
Interestingly, this was the first-ever passenger steam railway route, running six miles from Whitstable to Canterbury. Opened in 1830, the line finally closed in 1952 and since 1999, has been a popular trail for cycling and hiking. The Way actually finishes (or starts) at the train station, although the pathway continues on to Whitstable Harbour.
Once you reach the harbour, there are a couple of good cafés if you need to rest weary legs – not forgetting all those oyster bars and shacks, for which Whitstable is famous. Many of these were closed for the season, but we found a great spot at The Harbour Garden Café.
Here, we enjoyed a clearly freshly caught seafood lunch, washed down with a local ale, while sitting in the sunshine watching the comings and goings at the working harbour and marina, where fishing boats rest next to pleasure boats available for hire.
Wonderful Whitstable
Appetites satisfied, we next had a wander around the stalls at the Harbour Market – little cabins (which put me in mind of Christmas markets) selling all manner of locally produced wares, everything from cast-iron ornaments to doggy bandanas. There are also a couple of food stalls here, if seafood isn’t your thing.
In the town itself, we found the usual array of quirky little shops interspersed with more familiar high street names and interesting art galleries.
The light and the fantastic sunsets in this part of the world were an inspiration to Turner, who visited Kent to paint some of his great seascapes in the early 1800s, and artists still abound in Whitstable today. During our stay, it took some willpower to resist the temptation of taking home an artwork or two!
Whitstable Community Museum & Gallery is also well worth a visit, housing such varied displays as Invicta, one of the world’s oldest steam engines (constructed in 1829 by George and Robert Stephenson, and operated on the Crab and Winkle line), early diving gear (including the world’s first diving helmet) and some personal items which once belonged to film actor and TV star Peter Cushing, who lived in Whitstable for many years.
Whitstable Castle (actually more of a manor house), in the middle of town, was built in the late 18th century and known locally as Tankerton Towers, after a nearby suburb. The building has a long and varied history, and these days, it’s an understandably popular spot to rest for a while and enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea.
Strolling on the shore
We couldn’t end our afternoon without a walk on the shore. Whitstable forms a meeting point for the Thames Estuary, the River Swale and the North Sea, and we had great fun deciding which stretch of water was which, as well as picking out (we think) the Isle of Sheppey and Southend-on-sea in the distance across the bay.
We also happened upon Mr Cushing’s charming home on the seafront – thanks to my penchant for reading blue plaques whenever I spot them – and the oldest restaurant in Whitstable: the very brightly coloured Wheelers Oyster Bar (it had to be oysters, of course).
‘The path ahead now gave us a tantalising view of Herne Bay in the distance, spurring us on’
And then it was time to head back for a quiet dinner on site. I must admit, I fell asleep with thoughts of the next day’s expected birthday rain on my mind, almost listening for the pitter-patter on the roof.
Sunshine and blue skies
So I was amazed to find a perfectly blue sky greeting me next morning. Cards opened, a tasty birthday breakfast cooked by husband Ro, and it was time to head out and explore. We considered taking the train to Canterbury, but it seemed the only direct train left at 6am, while we were still tucked up in bed.
We decided instead to walk along the coast to Herne Bay. The weather was far too good not to be outside and I hadn’t yet had my fill of that wonderful sea air.
We first followed the same cycle path to Whitstable, then turned left at the harbour and continued along the coastal path, which follows part of the Saxon Shore Way and the Oyster Bay Trail.
Colourful beach huts and great sea views were our companions and, as we neared Tankerton and looked back to Whitstable, that view of the Isle of Sheppey came even more clearly into focus.
It was also impossible to miss the Maunsell Forts, built during World War II as anti-aircraft defences and still standing out to sea. You can view them more closely on a boat trip, and they feature in many of the paintings to be found in the Harbour Market and the local shops. Tempting as it was to call into Tankerton for a spot of window shopping, we still had a fair way to go to reach Herne Bay, so we decided to leave this for a future trip. If you don’t fancy the longer walk, you can catch the bus from Tankerton and be back in Whitstable in minutes.
The path ahead now gave us a tantalising view of Herne Bay in the distance, which spurred us on. Pretty soon, we were walking in the Long Rock Nature Reserve and the view of Herne Bay temporarily disappeared. Instead, we were drawn to the sight of oyster catchers looking for their lunch in the marshes.
Dog-friendly beach
Dramatic clifftop walking this isn’t, but it is still a very pleasant, and easy, seaside stroll – I kept to the concrete path, rather than the shingle on the beach, which sounds lovely but didn’t agree with my feet after a while.
That crunch underfoot, the cry of seagulls overhead and the breeze rustling by were perfect accompaniments to a pleasant English seaside walk. Willow the pup was also happy, because this stretch of beach is dog-friendly from the end of September.
It took us around 90 minutes to reach Herne Bay, a distance of about five miles, although the trail actually carries on to Reculver, eight miles from Whitstable, where it joins the 25-mile Viking Coastal Trail.
We came across another potential distraction, in the form of The Hampton Inn, which appeared on the horizon as we neared Herne Bay. But not this time – we had a town to discover! Herne Bay actually reminded me of a quieter version of some of the more popular English seaside towns.
It boasts an amusement arcade and funfair, and a Victorian bandstand with a café, ice cream parlour and restaurant, but it seemed more relaxed – perhaps the time of year helped, with its lack of tourists.
There is also a statue here of legendary aviator Amy Johnson, looking out to sea, towards the spot where her plane disappeared in January 1941.
After a wander around town, we paused for lunch at Ala Turka – hummus and stuffed vine leaves, kebabs and a couple of glasses of Efes beer in the sunshine and we almost forgot we were in Kent for a while!
We decided against walking back to Whitstable and caught the bus instead. As the afternoon was drawing on, we took ourselves to Whitstable’s West Beach and the Old Neptune, aka the pub on the beach. The perfect spot to end the day, watching a spectacular sunset.
I’d never been able to sit on the beach in England on my normally wet autumnal birthday – a special treat.
Fabulous Faversham
Next morning, on the final day of our trip, we headed off to the market town of Faversham, just 15 minutes west of Primrose Cottage Caravan Park.
Reputedly the oldest market town in Kent, Faversham is bursting with listed buildings and heritage. It was once an important centre for the gunpowder industry, producing munitions for the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo, and the local museum commemorates this.
For some even older history, Faversham Abbey, today little more than a cluster of stone, was the final resting place of King Stephen (1097-1154) and his wife Matilda.
And if that isn’t enough heritage for you, the town is also home to the UK’S oldest brewery – Shepherd Neame. Add to the mix the artisan wares for sale in the marketplace and on the quayside, and you have
(to my mind) the perfect place for a day out.
As usual, all of that exploring left us feeling hungry, so we followed Faversham Creek, a tidal stretch of water linking the Thames, the Swale and the North Sea, to the pretty little Albion Taverna.
Sitting outside, tucking into delicious burritos – even though the tide was out and the boats looked marooned – made the perfect end to a birthday weekend in the Garden of England. With all that water surrounding us (and none of it dropping from the skies!) I would suggest that Kent is also the Tributary of England.
So thank you, Kent coast, for making rain-sodden birthdays a thing of the past – until next year at least!