Eight of the Best Beaches Near London (No Car Needed)

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.

10 Things I Love About Margate — My Favourite Seaside Escape

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.

10 of the Best Day Trips from London (No Car Needed)

While the sun has been shining, I've been revisiting my favourite UK destinations; Margate was delightful yesterday! Today, I'm sharing ten of the best day trips from London, all of which you can reach by public transport in under two hours.

Five Travel Stories from 2023

In 2023, like in 2022, I travelled outside the UK less than in the beforetimes. Travel, and especially flights, have become even more expensive since COVID and Brexit, so it's been more important than ever to make each trip count. It has also meant I've continued to explore more of the UK, especially Birmingham and the West Midlands, Brighton and Sussex, Margate and Oxford, but also a first (and certainly not last!) visit to Glasgow.

Bex's Coffee and Food Awards: 2023 Edition

As the end of 2023 hurtles towards me, I am frantically typing up the 13th edition of my annual specialty coffee and food awards, in which I share my favourite coffee shops, eateries, bars and individual dishes from among those I visited for the first time in 2023 — in London and on my travels around the world.

A Caffeinated Walk from Broadstairs to Margate

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.

How To Spend a Perfect Day in Margate and Broadstairs

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.

Bex's Food and Drink Awards: 2018 Edition

It's that time again: time for my annual round-up of my coffee, food and cocktail favourites of the year. I've used the same categories as last year — coffee, brunch, street food, restaurant and cocktail. And as usual, I've included new-to-me picks from London and my travels around the world. This year, I visited seven different countries (France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Peru, Poland and the United States) and enjoyed some fantastic meals and cups of coffee.

Cliff Notes: A Perfect Day in Margate

As I walk along the Viking Coastal Trail from central Margate to Botany Bay, I can almost believe I am back in Sydney, following the Bondi to Coogee clifftop walk, rather than day-tripping on the north Kent coast. Both walks offer stark cliffs, sandy beaches and ocean pools, and sweeping sea views. It's about ten degrees cooler in Margate, of course, although still pleasant.

Curve Roasters and Other Adventures in Margate Specialty Coffee

Update: Find some of my more recent Margate specialty coffee favourites in this post.

On an off-peak day return from London, you can reach Curve Roasters' Margate Storeroom a few minutes before noon if all goes to plan. Even on the high-speed line, it takes about an hour and a half to reach the seaside town from St Pancras, but it's then just a ten-minute walk along the sea front to reach Curve's flagship coffee shop.

I first came across Curve in Paris last year, and was then very happy to meet Jon and Teresa at their pop up a little closer to home at Nape in Camberwell. I had been wanting to visit the mothership, on the north coast of Kent, ever since and a rare Friday off work in the UK represented the perfect opportunity.

The Storeroom is located in the Printworks, a Victorian building on Union Row — once home to the Thanet Gazette, and now a creative hub. I climb up the stairs and walk into the café — there are also a few seats on the patio, which are perfect for sunny days. 

The café is bright and airy with bright pops of colourful art and plenty of foliage. It's a welcoming place too — unfortunately, I manage to miss Jon and Teresa but the baristas I meet in the Storeroom are friendly, knowledgeable and efficient.

The coffee menu is so extensive that I miss the tasting flight option (split shot espresso and cortado, and a batch-brew filter coffee) until it is too late. Instead, I weigh up the filter coffee options, opting in the end for the Ethiopian Biftu Gudino, brewed through the Clever Dripper. There is another Ethiopian, the Mormora, also available as a hand-brewed filter coffee and a Guatemalan on batch-brew.

The coffee arrives promptly and is very well brewed, with subtle honeysuckle and pineapple notes coming through nicely. I contemplate the brunch menu and the sweet treats (some banana bread has just come out of the oven) but it's still a little too early and I decide to have a 'barista's lunch' and order another coffee instead. 

There are two espressos on the menu and this time, I try the Mormora as a piccolo, which tastes wonderful and which is pleasingly proportioned. I can't leave empty-handed, so I buy a bag of filter-roasted Mormora beans, which have been tasting fantastic brewed through my Kalita Wave dripper at home. All in all, the Curve Storeroom is one of my favourite UK coffee shops of the year so far.

I have other stops on my Margate specialty coffee itinerary and so after settling up, I walk ten minutes to the east to the Cliftonville neighbourhood, where I visit Cliffs, a coffee shop where you can also buy LPs, have a haircut or take a yoga class. By this point, I am in the market for brunch and order the poached eggs and avocado on toast (the kimchi grilled cheese sarnie also sounds fab).

The coffee here is from Curve too — in fact, it's roasted at the back of Cliffs — and I order a flat white with a Colombian Palmitas espresso. While I wait for my coffee and food to arrive, I browse some of the records — but let's face it, I barely have a way to play even CDs at home... 

My flat white tastes great and comes with some fine latte art. It pairs nicely with the harissa- and seed-topped avocado toast. After I've finished, I sit for a while soaking up the laid-back, family-friendly Friday afternoon atmosphere. The spacious café is a lovely place to hang out.

A few blocks along the Northdown Road, back in the direction of the city centre, Mar Mar (CLOSED) may well be the most verdant indoor coffee shop I've ever visited. Mar Mar is also a plant shop and sipping a coffee here is almost like being in the middle of a jungle — a coastal one, with excellent décor. 

The mirrored Victoria Arduino picks up even more of the foliage. I order a macchiato and a chocolate coconut flapjack, which I enjoy sitting in the window seat. I resist the temptation to buy all of the plants — not least because I'm going on holiday soon, and I don't have much success with plants even in the best of circumstances.

Curve Storeroom. Unit 1D, The Printworks, Union Row, Margate CT9 1PP. Website. Instagram. The Storeroom is closed but find Curve at 12 The Centre.
Cliffs. 172 Northdown Road Margate, CT9 2QN. Website. Instagram.
Mar Mar. 80 Northdown Rd, Margate CT9 2RE. CLOSED