According to Shepway County Council, Folkestone averages over 2000 hours of sunshine a year making it one of the sunniest places in Britain; not bad for a little seaside town just an hour fast train from London.
I didn’t know the sunshine fact before booking, I just knew it needed a reasonably priced and timed train from London to the sea, where I could get a few good walks in and Folkestone seemed to tick all the boxes.
After hunting across the various accommodation sites we hit upon the Grand Burstin Hotel. It offered a great location and was reasonably priced, so we decided to overlook the slightly shaky reviews and risk it for the one night.
Sat just across from the Harbour Arm the hotel was hmmmm, interesting. Other than being shaped like a grand ship there was not much else grand about it. Imagine a comedy sketch written about a small town seaside hotel and you’ve nailed it. The location was great but the staff’s customer service skills seemed to have been washed away with the tide. We arrived early and were told we weren’t allowed to store our bags before checking in as there wasn’t an inch of space (despite us only having a small holdall.) There was also no way the rooms would be available before 2pm, unless of course we wanted to pay to go in early, funny that.
We declined, through gritted teeth and changed our plans to walk to Dover instead deciding to head into town. Before going we decided to check out the pool (which was advertised on our booking as free, but was actually £4 to use) and also discovered it was a fraction of the size in the photo. When we mentioned this to the pool attendant, interrupting his facebook browse, he raised his hands in the air and exclaimed ‘Guilty! I’ve got this special lens thing on my phone that makes everything look bigger than it is!’ before pointing out that although it was much smaller it was however very clean. We nodded in agreement, it was indeed a very clean pool.
Trying not to LOL too hard at the increasingly comedic situation we were finding ourselves in we decided to hit the cobbled streets of Folkestone with our bags in tow and soon found ourselves in the Creative Quarter.
Comprising of two windy lanes that link the Harbour to the town, the Old High Street and Tontine Street make up the hub of the creative community offering art galleries, holistic therapies, vintage stores and a great selection of restaurants and bars for visitors to explore their way around.
The shopkeepers were definitely a step up from the hotel staff and whilst indulging in some free fudge and chatting to a local shopkeeper we were enthusiastically directed towards Sandgate, a little village along the beachfront that could offer us a nice walk to make up for our change of plans.
We ditched the dead weights and checked in dead on the 2pm mark before making our way towards Sandgate via The Leas, Folkestone’s ‘unique clifftop promenade’. It is lovely and offers beautiful views across the Channel to France, especially at dusk as the sky changes colour across the waters.
We headed towards the Leas lift, which was shut.
I was quite gutted, it reminded me of childhood holidays in Devon on the Lynton and Lynmouth tram chugging up and down the cliff face.
Instead we made our way down the lower Leas path and onto the esplanade where we took a leisurely stroll, enjoying the sea air and colourful beachfront cabins along the way.
Sandgate is the span of coastline between Folkestone and Hythe and offers 2 ½ KM of pebbly beach to sit and enjoy views of the Channel from. The town is small but well stocked and there was a nice selection of little pubs and eateries on offer. We found ourselves in the Royal Norfolk beer garden and enjoyed views of Sandgate Castle before strolling back along the front once more.
Some might suggest walking the same route again would be boring, but there was no fear of this as our stroll was casually interrupted by a naked man striding across the beach. Actually I exaggerate, he wasn’t fully naked. Keen to protect his delicate feet and shoulders (but not his modesty) he was wearing walking sandals and a short T-shirt. We gawped, wondered if he was okay and should we intervene? before watching him bend over to fix something on his bike and realised we had seen quite enough thank you and headed back into Folkestone for a well deserved drink.
Who knew a sleepy seaside town could offer quite so much drama!
In the evening we headed out to enjoy dinner in the town. There were actually quite a few places to enjoy a decent meal, unfortunately our lack of planning left us having to roam the streets of Folkestone perusing the various menus. We tried El Cortador both over the phone and popping in but they were fully booked and having none of our attempts. We then made our way towards The Cliffe Restaurant as they offered a great cocktail menu, but they were fully booked and could only offer us a bowl of chips.
Hungry but also pretty thirsty from the walk we indulged in an incredible Espresso Martini before our growling stomachs led us back on the hunt. Before long we found ourselves back in town and at the lovely looking Pullman which served me a tasteless homemade fish burger and a massive dollop of disappointment.
Determined not to end the day on a bland note we decided on a evening stroll towards the Harbour Arm after earwigging on conversations and I would recommend it on for sure.
Lined along the harbour arm are a collection of independent businesses offering cocktails and other boozy delights, along with DJ’s playing while everyone met and mingled outside and soaked up the summer air.
Right at the end is the lighthouse which offers another spot to relax whilst you look out to sea. It had a great mixture of young and old, high heels and shabby T’s that all seemed to be along just great. If you’re looking for a cool spot, especially in the summer then I would make here your first choice.
You mustn’t forget about it in the day time either, you can watch the tide make its way in and out while you grab some catch of the day from the fish stalls and a swift half from the little food cabins. It’s a lovely little spot.
We didn’t stay out late and what a good thing that was, as it meant we were lucky enough to catch the end of the ‘Superstars of Country weekender’ at the hotel. Finding a sneaky spot by the merchandise stall we watched from afar as the country hits were belted out again and again and the crowd lined danced their way across the dancefloor in approval. Dolly Parton/Patsy Cline/Tammy Wynettee (same person, different wig) had quite the voice and attracted quite the crowd, I never knew the over 60’s could move that way but it was a joyful sight to be seen. We left the old time ravers to it and headed to bed for an early one ready for our day of walking ahead, such crazy cats.
On the second morning we ate our porridge sachets in the room (I opted to spend my money on a reward pint instead that afternoon) and set out for our hike to Dover. Google maps said about 2 ½ hours the man in the shop said about 2 ½ hours and so we were well prepared for a good long walk….and for it to be 2 ½ hours.
We left the hotel via a slightly backward route through the town, thanks google maps. Apparently, if the tide is on your side you can walk the beach route but we wanted cliff tops views and so headed towards the first of the Martello towers (you can spot this from the beach front) before heading further and more steeply up through a beautifully tree lined and thankfully shady pathway.
The walk so far had given us glimpses of the sea but wasn’t quite the cliff top walk we had thought it might be and there is a real lack of easy to read signage. In our quest for the sea views we would find ourselves being led down the cliff before having to turn back. It obviously gave us some excellent vantage points, but also added quite a bit of extra leg work.
Once we got on board with just following our noses (with the odd google map check in) the walk became much more enjoyable. Further up on our climb we passed the Battle of Britain Memorial, which offered a quiet moment of reflection as we gathered our breath and took a moment to enjoy the sea views.
This marked about the ⅓ point and as the walk continued on we stumbled upon fields of baby lambs and wind swept ponies, dodged the cyclist on their bikes tours and exchanged many ‘Good morning, lovely day for a walk!’ pleasantries as we strolled past our fellow walkers.
The day felt like the deep breath of fresh air we needed before heading back to the city and real life.
Almost four hours later we reached Dover. Unfortunately this didn’t give us enough time to do any exploring of the town or cliffs, but there was enough to spot the Banksy, rest our sore feet and enjoy a quick half in the sunshine before jumping back on the train to Folkestone.
Folkestone seems to be the cheaper of the coastal towns from London, but with the development of the Harbour Arm and the Creative Quarter I reckon it won’t be long before it is giving Margate a run for its money. Overall a lovely weekend, the sea air, blue skies and long walks were the tonic for a frazzled and weary city soul.
Get in there before everyone else arrives, along with the Margate prices.
