Dover/Canterbury/Margate/Ramsgate

[BoxheadTim]

And another Kent resident...

Canterbury town centre is quite nice, but it's going to be very crowded on a weekend. But even being based in Canterbury, I would make the trip over to Rye. It's a seriously nice town (again, a little busy on the weekends but not as full of tourists as Canterbury).

[Justayellowbadge]

SlimJ said:

From a local resident... Dover and Margate are both holes, Canterbury is a lovely city worth spending a day at.

If your down this neck of the woods this weekend it's Folk Week in Broadstairs, it's not an amazing event but the atmosphere is excellent with lots of bars having bands or singers in. It's the best week of the year down here! Always try to go down in the evenings as theres always something going on. Avoid Margate and Ramsgate though, no redeeming features AT ALL! (Well, Ramsgate Marina is almost ok for a quick look and a drink or to).

So it's at it's best when overrun with bearded arran jumper wearing inadequates sticking their fingers in their ears and warbliing about saying goodbye to their sweetheart from the deck of a ship leaving Liverpool?

Good God. What the hell is it like the rest of the year?

[Dover Nige]

Ok, so I live in a hole?

Well, in it's defence, not ALL of Dover is a "hole". There are some bad parts and some nice parts, same as any other town.

Admittedly, Dover town centre is not great to say the least. I wouldn't bother with that part at all.

Dover
Dover Castle however, is excellent and well worth a visit and a tour of the wartime tunnels is superb. There is also a great view of the port/ferries from the castle on the viewing platform. Dover seafront isn't a bad stroll, I can often be found down there myself. I've not tried it myself, but I've been told that the White Cliffs boat tours that leave from somewhere by the clock tower, adjacent to what used to be the Hoverport is a good trip. I must investigate it myself someday.

Deal has a small, but good castle, one of Henry VIII's I believe.
Canterbury is quite a nice place to visit, but again, apart from having a nosey at the Cathedral and doing a spot of shopping, not a great deal to do.

Rye is a nice place to have a walk around, great fish and chips there too.
Sandwich is quite a nice, historic place to have a wander around too.

Regarding Planet Thanet, apart from quaint Broadstairs and a swift stroll around Ramsgate Harbour, it smells of cabbages and has some strange inhabitants. Whitstable is quite nice for a visit, though expect to find lots of London folks there for the seaside.

If you do decide to head down here, hope you have a good visit.

[escargot]

Dover Nige said:

Dover

That site is brilliant.

that site said:

Things to see and do in Dover

1 Wander along the top of the White Cliffs of Dover, looking out over the English Channel at the sailing boats, fishing vessels and huge ferries as they float by.
2 Visit Dover Museum to see the Dover Bronze Age Boat - one of the few Bronze Age boats to be found in Britain.
3 Indulge yourself at with a bit of shopping at De Bradelei Wharf.
4 Take a leisurely stroll beside the sea at Samphire Hoe – a piece of reclaimed land made from the chalk marl dug up when building the Channel Tunnel.
5 Look out to sea from nearby South Foreland Lighthouse - used by Guglielmo Marconi during his successful wireless experiments over a hundred years ago.
6 Take a ride onboard a steam train on the East Kent Railway – a four mile heritage railway running through some of Kent’s most beautiful countryside.

Or without the tourist board clap trap:

1. Look at some rusty car ferries
2. Look at an old boat
3. Go shopping in the same shops that you'll see in your own town
4. Walk up the sea equivalent of a slag heap
5. Look at the Sea
6. Go on a train

Sounds great.

[thebullettrain]

Thanks guys but I am slightly more confused now than before.

I think I had a plan. It was to drive to Dover, visit the castle, possibly walk along the White Cliffs and then check the port out. I think we will then drive to Canterbury (or some other place) and spend the night there. I am not sure what to do there yet but we could visit Howlett wildlife park. Any thoughts?

I can’t attend any of the meets as the other half won’t be best impressed!

[Dover Nige]

escargot said:

Or without the tourist board clap trap:

1. Look at some rusty car ferries
2. Look at an old boat
3. Go shopping in the same worse shops that you'll see in your own town
4. Walk up the sea equivalent of a slag heap
5. Look at the Sea
6. Go on a train

Sounds great.

Nicely surmised!!
EFA and have a

[Dover Nige]

thebullettrain said:

Thanks guys but I am slightly more confused now than before.

I think I had a plan. It was to drive to Dover, visit the castle, possibly walk along the White Cliffs and then check the port out. I think we will then drive to Canterbury (or some other place) and spend the night there. I am not sure what to do there yet but we could visit Howlett wildlife park. Any thoughts?

I can’t attend any of the meets as the other half won’t be best impressed!

Dover Castle is enjoyable and make sure you do a tour of the tunnels but check the Castle admission prices before you turn up on the door.

If you want to have a walk up on the Cliffs, have a look at this place : National Trust - White Cliffs

[havoc]

As a Kentish Man (or is it Man of Kent...never can remember) I can say that not all of the place is a hole...just certain parts.

- Canterbury very nice to visit, but agreed will be crowded at a weekend.
- Anywhere on the south coast (once comfortably past Dover and Folkstone) will be pretty nice.
- Anywhere south of the M20 has a good chance of being quite nice.
- Margate, Broadstairs and the area are pure seaside cheese...

But if you're in that area:-
- I'd look at E.Sussex as well
- OR I'd look at a day-trip over to France...

[mrs giggles]

Canterbury shouldn't be so busy if the weather is nice, most people head to the beach.
Whitstable is always busy, never anywhere to park, worse than Canterbury so we always have to take bikes and cycle to our beach hut at the harbour. Bearing in mind it's also the regatta it will be exceptionally bad.
Herne Bay is nice,not alot to do but having the carnival Saturday.
Dover Castle is brilliant, went 14 times last year, also Walmer and Deal castles are close.

[BoxheadTim]

I'd forgotten about Deal, that's definitely worth a visit.

[RobboC]

Justayellowbadge said:

snowen250 said:

Tenterden is also then close which is nice.

Tenterden is the epicentre of tiny minded parochial medieval inbred throwbacks. Hateful. Hateful. Hateful.

Superficially pretty, but with a dark, evil, underbelly of curtain twitching stranger-fearing bigotry.

With such deep researched and well thought out comments, you must then surely be aware that a lot of the population of the area are now from London?

[Justayellowbadge]

RobboC said:

Justayellowbadge said:

snowen250 said:

Tenterden is also then close which is nice.

Tenterden is the epicentre of tiny minded parochial medieval inbred throwbacks. Hateful. Hateful. Hateful.

Superficially pretty, but with a dark, evil, underbelly of curtain twitching stranger-fearing bigotry.

With such deep researched and well thought out comments, you must then surely be aware that a lot of the population of the area are now from London?

I fail to see your point.

Choosing to live there is a far worse crime than merely being so unfortunate as to have been spawned there.