I am definitely embracing the beautiful English countryside this summer. First, it was a week off travelling around Cornwall and Cotswolds in July and now I’m just back from a weekend away with friends in Whitstable.
There were seven of us finishing work early and catching a train from Victoria station to Whitstable (just an hour and a half long journey) and the 8th and last member of the group, my husband and our personal photographer for the weekend 😛 , arrived later on to be greeted by a merry Happy Birthday at Old Neptune (yes, it was also his birthday).
The seafront of Whitstable is full of cute bars, pubs and restaurants but not a lot of them could seat a group of eight that evening so it took us a little while to locate a pub on the high street that did. A simple pub meal satisfied us all at the Quayside. Our accommodation was a big four-bedroom holiday cottage near Old Neptune on the beach. A shingle beach, which meant no sandcastle building there, but as sandcastles were a must (demanded by Sammy), we planned a day trip to Margate the following day.
After a very lazy start filled with coffee and pancakes (thanks, Judith!) we eventually made our way to the train station. For some reason it’s become a tradition with this group of friends that catching trains involves sprinting across platforms and barely making it 🙂 . Well, we made it and after a 20-minute journey we were there. Margate had a beach. It had sand. We built sandcastles and dug a hole that kept five kids happy afterwards. And it had mini-golf. That’s it. Oh, it also had a wonderful pizza place – Great British Pizza Company. The Telegraph has even written a raving review about it. The thin pizzas really were truly delicious and I was able to enjoy a glass of prosecco from a tap. Yes! I filled it myself and it was full to the brim.
Back in Whitstable for dinner we split up, some of us enjoying fish and chips ‘at home’ and some treating themselves with fresh seafood at Pearson’s Arms. A very busy night but they were able to seat us downstairs without a reservation. Marc and I shared a massive portion of lobster, prawns, mussels, clams and smoked salmon. Seafood heaven…
On Sunday, our last day there, the weather wasn’t that kind and it was rather chilly and cloudy. Check-out was quite early so we killed some time resting on shingles and cloud bathing before heading to Windy Corner Stores & Café for brunch. Great food and big portions, definitely add this to your list of eateries if you’re visiting Whitstable.
Before you leave, make sure you’ve tasted oysters. You simply must. They’re sold from fishermen’s shacks on the seafront and on average cost 80p per oyster.
The weekend was recorded by wonderful photography by Marc Mordant Photography. Here are just a few examples:
Liv Living Her Life | Lifestyle Blog 