East Kent

East Kent Cool: Down on the Channel coast shabby chic is the in thing

Daniel Allen

Ten years ago it was hard to imagine the words "cool" and "East Kent" appearing on the same page. Yet times are changing.

Over the past decade, thanks to growing investment, better transport links to London, and the establishment of headline attractions such as Dreamland and the Turner Contemporary Gallery, the East Kent coast has become a hotbed of art projects, chic B&Bs, surprisingly sophisticated culinary havens and idiosyncratic entertainment. For those looking to escape London - just for the day or a little longer - the list of reasons to visit is long and growing longer.

East Kent, UK — Walmer Beach, Kent Coast

Dungeness

One of Britain's strangest and most unique landscapes, the starkly beautiful area of Dungeness has a number of attractions to keep visitors entertained. Situated on the border between Kent and East Sussex, this is Europe's largest expanse of shingle. With the horizon dominated by a working nuclear power station, this is apparently the UK's only "desert". The RSPB nature reserve here is well known for its eclectic range of year-round and temporary avian residents.

While the Dungeness landscape is famously dry and harsh, many of the area's quaint wooden cottages boast gardens. Hunkered down from high winds, these are typically vivid, ephemeral affairs, enlivening the shingle with a short-lived splash of colour during the summer months. The garden of late artist Derek Jarman is particularly worth a visit. The lighthouse and pint-sized Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway - which terminates in Dungeness - are perennially popular with the kids. Wrap up well in the winter months!

Dungeness, East Kent, UK — Dungeness, Kent Coast

Deal & Walmer

Farther round the coast from Dungeness, past the more mainstream towns of Folkestone and Dover, lie Deal and Walmer. With their salty-seadog fisherman's cottages, Bohemian charm and picturesque (contiguous) seafront, not to mention two Tudor castles right on the beach, these two little gems are proving increasingly popular with the London crowd.

This area was the preferred landing spot for every potential foreign invader from Julius Caesar, who arrived in 55BC, to Napoleon (who never arrived). Its significance in the sixteenth century as the busiest port in England resulted in the building of three castles, of which Walmer is the most impressive.

Deal Castle, Deal, East Kent, UK — Deal Castle, Deal, Kent Coast

Deal's Georgian conservation area of fisherman's cottages is particularly appealing, with a slew of hip cafes, restaurants, antique shops and wine bars close at hand. Borough Wines is a quirky shop-cum-bar with very friendly arty crowd, while Victuals & Co offers high-end cuisine at London prices. Deal even boasts one of the world's Top 10 B&Bs in Number One, according to Tripadvisor, while the town's Astor Theatre hosts arthouse cinema, live music and quirky seaside variety shows.

This area is also a great place for a coastal walk: starting off from the iconic Deal Pier head south past Deal and Walmer castles to the Zetland Arms (one of Kent's finest pubs) and then up over the white chalk cliffs to Kingsdown, where The Coastguard also offers a range of food and fine Kentish ales.

Ramsgate

Much has been made of Margate's regeneration but, just a few miles along the coast, Ramsgate has been quietly reinventing itself without hogging the headlines.

With its stunning harbour, lively shopping area and regular traditional market, not to mention some spectacular Victorian architecture, Ramsgate is an excellent place for food and eating, with friendly pubs and a thriving harbour side cafe culture.

Ramsgate pub scene, East Kent, UK — The Ramsgate pub scene in the summer is lively

Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business. — Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business

Ramsgate's Spitfire Memorial and Ramsgate Maritime Museum are well worth checking out, as are the Ramsgate Tunnels. For a different kind of cuisine try the Russian-themed CCCP Restaurant, while the Corner House in nearby Minster won Restaurant of the Year at this year's Taste of Kent Awards. The Royal Harbour Brasserie, situated at the end of the harbour wall, has stunning views of the harbour and a working coastguard station on its roof.

With its estuary just south of Ramsgate, the River Stour is now home to a thriving colony of seals. A number of companies offer trips to see these beautiful creatures, with excursions taking between 1 to 2 hours. For those of a more active persuasion, Canoe Wild also offers guided trips on the Stour and to see the seal colony.

Margate

For years symptomatic of the sad demise and general seediness of the English seaside resort, today Margate is increasingly being talked of as a sandy "Shoreditch-on-Sea". Some of it might be hype, but change is definitely in the air in this north Kent coast town.

Given impetus by the opening of its Turner Contemporary Gallery in 2011, a wave of new investment in Margate has seen shops, cafes and hotels cropping up like mushrooms. The town's array of stately Victorian and Georgian town houses, once divided into rented flats, are now being restored to their former glory by private investors.

For accommodation in Margate it's hard to look beyond the Reading Rooms B&B. This sprawling Georgian house is light, airy and furnished with French antiques, with each of the three en-suite rooms housed on its own floor.

Margate's culinary options are on the up too. Award-winning restaurant The Ambrette offers fine dining, Indian-style, while the Greedy Cow Deli & Eatery serves up legendary burgers. A little out of town in Cliftonville, Fort's Cafe serves "proper, home-cooked breakfasts, lunches and dinners" in a relaxed seafront setting (think English comfort food, gourmet-style).

Situated on Margate seafront, the cultural highlight of Margate is undoubtedly the Turner Contemporary Gallery. Hosting exhibitions by the likes of Grayson Perry and Tracey Emin, it has attracted bumper crowds and picked up numerous awards. For the kids, it's hard to look beyond the newly re-opened Dreamland; this heritage amusement park boasts vintage fairground attractions from around Britain, offering a charming and stylishly retro vision of seaside fun.

Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, Kent, UK — Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

Access - Getting to East Kent

The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway runs to Dungeness but has a limited timetable geared to tourists. The best way to get here is by road on the A2070 south west from Ashford or the A259 from Folkstone.

Deal can be reached by infrequent Southeastern trains to Ramsgate and Charing Cross via Folkestone Central and Sevenoaks. There are also services to St Pancras via Dover.

Walmer has one train per hour to Ramsgate and one per hour to London Charing Cross via Folkestone Central and Sevenoaks

Ramsgate, reached by road on the A299, has trains to London Charing Cross, London Victoria and London St Pancras. Some trains go to the capital via Canterbury West, Ashford and Tonbridge, others via Deal, Dover Priory, Ashford and Tonbridge. Other services connect north to Margate then west to Faversham and then up to London Victoria.

Margate is on the A28 from Canterbury. Margate has train connections from London Victoria, via Chatham, or to London St Pancras via Ramsgate, Canterbury West and Ashford International.

National Express has coach services from London Victoria coach station to Canterbury and other towns in Kent.

By car from London follow either the M2 or M20 motorway to get to Canterbury.

A hire car is the best way to tour the sights of the East Kent coast.