After spending the summer exploring the best beaches near London, it was time for a more autumnal day trip. With its moated castle — the childhood home of Anne Boleyn — and beautiful grounds, set around a lake, Hever Castle & Gardens fit the bill perfectly. Better still, it's only an hour from London Bridge.
It's been so hot in London this month that I'd been craving a beach day. When my planned trip to Leigh-on-Sea fell through due to rail disruptions, I had to seek an alternative. My search reminded me of all the other great beach day trips I've taken by public transport, and today, I'm sharing eight of my favourites.
On the first warm weekend of every year, I find it impossible to resist the urge to hop on a train to the Kent Coast. I love London but when the mercury rises, I crave the sea — and Margate has much more to offer than just a beach. I visit several times a year and keep coming back for the cliffside walks, quirky attractions and excellent dining and shopping.
When planning my recent day trip to the Kent Coast, I earmarked two new-to-me specialty coffee spots to visit: Forts in Margate...and its sister location in Broadstairs. Better still, I could walk from one Forts to the other along the Viking Coastal Trail. And because good things come in threes, I also paid a visit to Curve, an old favourite of mine, which had moved to a new location since I was last in Margate.
I made the most of Saturday's sunshine by heading to the coast — specifically, the Kent towns of Margate and Broadstairs. I was too late to get accommodation in Margate (Fort Road Hotel was my top choice) but the high-speed trains mean you can pack in a lot on a day trip. Read on for my one-day Margate and Broadstairs itinerary, including the Viking Coastal Trail and other things to do and places to eat, drink and shop.
Welcome to the 11th edition of my annual specialty coffee and food awards, where I am highlighting some of my favourites from the coffee shops and eateries that I visited for the first time this year.
I wrote last week about my recent long weekend trip to Canterbury, with several side trips to the Kent coast. I brought my Aeropress with me, as I wasn't sure how much the bank holiday and COVID would combine to affect coffee shop opening hours, but I found several great coffee spots in Canterbury and Whitstable, all but one of which roast their own coffee. Read on to find out more and for a handy map.
Six months after my last mini-break, in Bath, I was craving R & R, and the call of the sea was particularly strong. I wasn't the only one: a quick accommodation search in various English seaside towns for the bank holiday weekend yielded few options. But I was determined to get out of London, especially given the promising weather forecast.
Finally, I booked one of the last hotel rooms left in Canterbury, seven miles from the Kent coast. With Canterbury as my base, I was able to explore the cathedral city and visit three seaside towns. Not bad for a long weekend.
