Holiday: Margate (Day 3)

Reading time: 4 minutes...

Morning all 😁 After last night’s celebrations, I’m feeling just a little frayed around the edges! 🥱. I think it’s a combination of too much food, too much drink and too much fun! I know… ‘poor love!’ 🤔

9.40am: Consequently, it was an agreed later start for us all this morning and by the time we all met for breakfast, I was almost human again! 👍. The promise to myself of ‘no more food ever’ after last night’s stuffing was a faded memory, as I tucked into a Full English courtesy of our hosts, Premier Inn. C’mon, you can’t fault the food here in terms of variety and quality!

Wow! Whitstable!

11.31am: After breakfast, we took the train (a Javelin), as planned, heading West to Whitstable. The town is an affluent area with trains direct to/from London.

It’s therefore no surprise that many people from the capital have second homes in Whitstable. The population is around 32000, and it’s expanding! 🤔

It was only a 15-minute journey, and so it was over in a flash. At £13.40 Return in total for both of us (using a RailCard), it was great value too. Better still, we had the pick of the seats as it wasn’t very busy. We weren’t sure that was usual for Saturday, but it was good not to have to wrestle any crowds.

We weren’t 100% sure of which direction to head once we left Whitstable Station, but the signage helped! It was about a fifteen-minute brisk walk, but the weather today was even better than the forecast. When the Sun came out, so did the locals and we almost didn’t need top coats.

Whitstable Market

There were about a dozen stalls here selling food, art and oysters! In fact, it’s maybe no surprise that in these parts, oysters for sale are pretty much everywhere.

Looking out from the Harbour made for a dramatic photo where the good weather helped! In the distance? The Isle of Sheppey.

Today was turning into a gorgeous day, and we could feel the Sun beating down on us – although when it went in, we were glad to have coats as the breeze off the water made it a contrasting experience.

12.10pm: We continued our walk along the Harbour and then towards the Town itself via the ‘old part’. Judging by the number of people – and dogs! – it was a popular pastime for a Saturday afternoon! Did I mention ‘oysters’?

12.55pm: Pitstop! or ‘coffee o’clock’ as we Nutettes like to call it!

We grabbed a seat in the very popular Revival – the town’s ‘Family-Friendly Cafe and Mental Health Hub’. An unlikely combination, but it was certainly popular. Ann and I recommend the Jaffa Cake, inspired by a traditional Jaffa Cake biscuit but super-sized into a full-blown gateaux-like creation 😋😋. Free wifi too, together with probably the most vibrant and interesting wall decoration you’ll ever see.

1.25pm: With the variety of wall decorations still burned into our retinas, but with our tummies full, we said goodbye to Revival and decided to explore the High Street. I don’t think we were prepared for the sheer number of shops – and the variety!

Well-known chains nestled in amongst lesser-known independents, together with Pubs (plural!), a Theatre and at least a dozen or more Eateries. It took us about 20 minutes to cover the length of the High Street and then, of course, another 20 on the other side of the road. It was busy too! Yes, it was a Saturday, but there was a real buzz about Whitstable. We loved it!!

The type of independent shop suggested there was money here – and that was confirmed by the sheer number of posh cars and the obligatory personalised number plates. Looking back, I don’t recall seeing any Vape Shops at all! Surely a good sign in itself! 👏👏

Heading back…

We left Paul & Sue to continue exploring whilst we four headed for the Station. It had been a great day looking around and I’m sure we’ll be back sometime in the future.

2.57pm: We were soon back at the Premier Inn and with plenty of time to recharge our batteries (both personally and our phones too!). We were out on the Town tonight.

The George and Heart, Margate

Tonight consisted of a twenty-minute walk to a local Pub for a meal in their Restaurant.

It was a very pleasant walk to our destination – even the occasional biting breeze that had greeted us a few days ago, when we first arrived, had taken the evening off. The Pub was quite old judging by the lowish ceilings and its general dimensions and layout, but we were given a warm greeting and were soon perusing the menu.

Menu-wise, unlike many Pubs these days, the choices were limited, and that was probably a good thing given the size of the kitchen opposite where we were seated. Happily, the service was beyond excellent! and I feel a TripAdvisor Review coming on for all the right reasons! Top marks for the food too, that went down a treat – so much so, that I forgot to take any photos of the Mains! Doh! 😋🤔😯

It was good to see the Pub so busy, and it had a really good ‘Saturday Night vibe’ about it. But to confirm that I AM definitely getting old (older?) it was noisy… really noisy! Mostly from the table of 20 just along from where we were sitting. Still, they were having a good time and so were we – and it didn’t stop us enjoying our evening!

8.50pm: We settled up, and took a slow wander back to the Premier Inn.

Saturday night in Margate! Like most towns and cities, it was one of contrasts. In places, it was eerily quiet with not a soul in sight, whilst elsewhere, music (and people!) were spilling out onto the streets enjoying the local food and drink. As we passed the town’s Wetherspoons, opposite the seafront, it was almost deserted inside. Once we passed the Clock Tower, the sight of any Saturday night revellers became a very rare sight indeed. That whole ‘Saturday Night vibe’ that we’d experienced earlier, had now sadly disappeared, replaced by a quiet, more tranquil opportunity for an evening stroll. Suited me! 👍👏

Once back at the Premier Inn, we grabbed a nightcap and reflected on the day. It had been another good one, but we concluded that if you are staying in Margate and looking for a vibrant night scene, it WASN’T in the area that we were! 🤔

9.50pm: Just one drink later and we were all done!

Tomorrow

We travel home tomorrow, but as it’s a later Train, we’re going to make the most of the morning by visiting the Turner Contemporary and if we have time, the famous Shell Grotto.