A weekend in… Thanet

A new upbeat mood is lifting east Kent’s coastal resorts. Faded seaside attractions are making room for artist’s studios, smart cafés and the upcoming Turner gallery

  Photo: Visit BritainOn the far eastern tip of the Kent coast, the Isle of Thanet is steeped in the traditions of the English seaside holiday, credited as it is with being the birthplace of the donkey ride way back in 1790. The area, which includes Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate, has stacks of historic charm, though it has also been modernising of late. So now is a good time to witness this mix of the old and the new, with amusement arcades and kiss-me-quick hat sellers trading alongside high-class restaurants and café bars.

Thanet’s lengthy stretches of sandy beach are among the best in the country, as well as being great for rockpooling and even surfing, such as at Joss Bay near Broadstairs. This is a recent introduction, with lessons and board hire available in season. Similarly, jet-skis and kite boarding are growing in popularity, with different bays designated for each water sport.

Margate’s renaissance is largely dependent on arts regeneration, with the arrival of the Turner Contemporary gallery due in 2010. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the £17.4 million landmark is intended to be a destination in its own right. The old town area, adjacent to where the gallery will stand, is already showing signs of this arty influx, with galleries and gift shops along with the upmarket Harbour Café. There are also plans for restaurants and artists’ studios to extend onto the harbour arm.

The seafront still has a rough-and-ready feel, but history lies behind the stretch of Georgian façades, with the country’s first listed amusement park ride, the 1920 Scenic Railway rollercoaster, in the old Dreamland funfair site. The Scenic Railway is not operating at present, but plans are afoot for a heritage theme park to be built around it from 2008.

Travelling around the coast to Broadstairs, you will find a more genteel resort, which has long served the needs of the middle classes of London and Kent. Charles Dickens was a fan, which means much of the tourist industry revolves around buildings he frequented when he holidayed and wrote in the area, and a Dickens Festival takes place each June.

Bleak House, where Dickens wrote David Copperfield, is the main literary attraction, though you can get a better lowdown on the town by booking a Thanet Greeter (www.thanet-greeters.org.uk, as featured in coast, September 2007). The scheme is the first of its kind in the UK, providing a guide who tailors a tour to your tastes and can imbue a stroll with history, pub tips and local legends.

Around the tip of the isle to Ramsgate you’ll notice an increase in traffic on the water, as the town has a busy marina that is growing in popularity. This is bringing in those well off enough to mess about in yachts and cruisers, with an attendant rise in high-class restaurants and bars around the marina.

This boom has also attracted a more modern brand of hotel, the best
of which is the Royal Harbour. The Georgian terrace overlooks the comings and goings on the water and has a laid-back lounge with an honesty bar. There’s even a 20-seater cinema in the basement for when winter weather makes sailing a no-go.

The Royal Harbour Hotel, Nelson Crescent, Ramsgate (01843 591514, www.royalharbourhotel.co.uk). Double B&B from £90. Joss Bay Surf School, Joss Bay, Broadstairs (07812 991195, www.jossbay.co.uk); Dickens House Museum, 2 Victoria Parade, Broadstairs
(01843 861232, www.dickenshouse.co.uk); Harbour Café, 15 The Parade, Margate (01843 290110).
 

The first 24 hours

• Take a cruise: Get a feel for how the other half lives and take a trip from the marina at Ramsgate along the coast to see Thanet’s bays, or head out towards its famously treacherous sandbanks, where a large population of seals can be seen. Galleon Cruises has 90-minute cruiser trips starting at £25 per head, with a glass of bubbly on arrival (www.galleoncruises.com).

• Explore the backstreets: Head to Union Square in Broadstairs and you are in an oasis of 17th-century peace and quiet, with Dickens’s old home, Bleak House, around the corner on Fort Road. Look out for the huge shells embedded in its perimeter wall before wandering through York Gate and down to Viking Bay. See www.visitbroadstairs.co.uk.

• Go back in time: No trip to Margate is complete without visiting the wonderful Walpole Bay Hotel. A favourite of local girl Tracey Emin, it is famed for its cream teas and also has a cosy bar with a gentleman’s club feel. The whole of the 1914 building is a living museum, with lots of historical photographs, paintings, mannequins and souvenirs on every floor. Walpole Bay Hotel, Fifth Avenue, Margate (01843 221703, www.walpolebayhotel.co.uk).
   

Lazy Sunday

• Watch the sun go down: Artist JMW Turner called the skies over Thanet ‘the loveliest in all Europe’ and there is nowhere better to judge for yourself than overlooking Margate’s harbour. Grab some fish and chips from Peter’s Fish Factory across the road and eat them in paper as the sun disappears into the sea. Peter’s Fish Factory, 12 The Parade, Margate (01843 292485).

• Walk or freewheel: Take a coastal walk from Botany Bay (at the start of Broadstairs) to Joss Bay and see evidence of the area’s smuggling past (visit www.thanet.co.uk for maps and check the tides). You can cycle along the Viking Coastal Trail (www.vikingcoastaltrail.co.uk). Hire bikes from Ken’s Bikes in Margate (01843 221422).

• See a wonder: Tucked away on Grotto Hill, Margate’s Shell Grotto (www.shellgrotto.co.uk) is either an ancient Eighth Wonder of the World or Victorian folly – no one can really decide.
  But the series of caverns encrusted with millions of shells are a must-see on any Thanet visit.
   

Where to eat

• Morelli’s, 14 Victoria Parade, Broadstairs (01843 862500). Wonderful ice-cream parlour straight out of the 1950s. The gelati are worth a try whatever the weather.

• The Bangkok Thai Restaurant, 1 Northdown Parade, Prices Avenue, Cliftonville, Margate (01843 224777). Tiny, family-run Thai establishment with local fish specials.

• The Minnis, The Parade, Birchington (01843 841844, www.theminnis.co.uk). Modern bar/restaurant with great views overlooking Minnis Bay in Birchington, which is a short drive west of Margate. Fresh local fish and Sunday roasts.

• Tartar Frigate, Harbour Street, Broadstairs (01843 862013, www.tartarfrigate.co.uk). Traditional pub with stunning local seafood restaurant and views over Viking Bay.

• Atlantis Seafood Restaurant and Bar, Harbour Parade, Ramsgate (01843 581582). Modern seafood restaurant overlooking Ramsgate marina.
   

Getting there

From the M2, follow the A299 Thanet Way, from where turnings to Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate are signposted. Trains run from London Victoria and London Waterloo East to Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate – see www.southeasternrailway.co.uk for times.

 

 

Subscribe - SAVE over 43%