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Kent’s coast is dotted with charming beach towns, with places like Margate, Whitstable, Ramsgate and Deal firmly on seaside-seekers and art lovers’ weekend itineraries. Now, Folkestone, a formerly under-the-radar spot known for being the place to get your 35-minute Eurotunnel ‘LeShuttle’ ride to France, is having its moment.
It’s easy to see the appeal. The Kentish town has had a splashy revamp in recent years, with arts charity Creative Folkestone a big driving force behind the town’s regeneration. As well as a thriving new creative quarter taking over the old town with independent galleries, shops and cafés, a harbour and sea-facing former train terminal that’s now been transformed into bars, restaurants, live music venues and vintage markets, it also includes the Folkestone Triennial, a three-month-long open-air exhibition running from July to October. The free art trail features contemporary art from 18 artists from 15 countries, all of whom specially created new commissions now scattered along the waterfront and around the town.
Then there are the dramatic walks, sandy and pebbled beaches, Green Flag-awarded coastal parks and the Leas, a picturesque clifftop promenade overlooking the sea. It was designed in the mid-1800s by Decimus Burton, who also worked on buildings and landscapes at London Zoo and Kew Gardens.
Coming from London? Catch the fast train from St Pancras and you’ll be snacking on fresh lobster from family-run Chummy’s seafood stall in less than an hour. Here’s one way to lap up a weekend by the Folkestone seaside.
Getting here around dinner time, we check into Shoreline Beach House – a comfortable, amenity-packed rental house which, as the name suggests, couldn't be closer to the beach, with the boardwalk a hop away from your doorstep. We meander our way to the Harbour Arm, a former ferry port and railway terminal along the water with shipping containers that have been repurposed into some of the town’s best bars and restaurants for dinner. well as a champagne bar at the lighthouse at the end of the pier.
Coming here with a dog means morning starts with a walk along the lush Lower Leas Coastal Park, a Green Flag-award-winning space right along the seafront. The linear park between Folkestone and Sandgate is home to the largest free adventure play area in the south east, an amphitheatre which hosts live music, opera and children’s workshops, formal gardens and a ‘wild zone’ with a unique microclimate attracting wildlife rarely found in the UK. It’s also home to some excellent iced coffee from the Hathats Coffee kiosk and is a great place to spot sculptures and artworks that are part of Folkestone Artworks. Download an art trail map for an easy guide.
Breakfast is back at the Harbour Arm at the sea-facing Sail Box, which has a lovely, simple brunch menu using very fresh ingredients. Make time to walk around the harbour and pier afterwards, where you’ll also find more outdoor art like Anthony Gormley’s cast-iron human statue, which stands resolutely staring out to sea under the Harbour Arm’s arches and is revealed at low tide, as well as live music stalls.
Post brunch, we wander around the charming, colourful lanes of the Creative Quarter. The old town - just a short walk from the harbour - is now painted in candy colours and is filled with independent galleries, studios, design shops, bookshops and cafés along the cobbled lanes. A few highlights we loved include Steep Street - a literary cafe and bakery, Rennies Seaside Modern, a small antiques store which specialises in 20th-century British art, furniture and design and vintage Hermes scarves and The Potting Shed, a wine and cheese bar with a cocktail speakeasy in the back ran by mixologist David Holden and his interior design partner Sophie Rowell of Cote de Folk.
Looking for more independent shops? You’ll also find 35 fisherman huts flogging everything from homeware, crafts and pet products to vintage clothing at The Marketplace by the harbour. Look out for Chummy’s seafood stall on your walk over, a family-run favourite which is the place to go for a cold beer with fresh prawns, dressed lobster or fish and chips. Next door, The Pilot Bar – set out on the beach – is an idyllic spot for a mid-afternoon cocktail or a coffee.
For fresh local seafood, Rocksalt or The London & Paris, led by chef James Pearce, formerly of Rocksalt, are the places to book for dinner. The London & Paris is also a boutique hotel with 11 rooms upstairs, should you wish to stay right there. Or for something different entirely, make your way to Annapurna Nepalese Restaurant back in the main town centre for excellent momos (Nepalese dumplings), Nepali Thalis and noodle soups.
If the weather is on your side, make it a beach day. Sunny Sands is a small, sandy beach sheltered by cliffs and harbour walls - ideal for lounging and swimming. Be prepared to share the sand, if you're here later in the day, it can get particularly crowded on hot summer days, thanks to its central location. Head up a little further north (a few minutes drive or about a half hour walk) to reach the more rugged and wild The Warren and East Cliff pebble and sand beaches. The much quieter beaches lie by dramatic cliffs, which are part of the East Cliff and Warren Country Park. It's not the ideal beach for sunbathing or swimming, but nature lovers will love the area for seal-spotting, fossil-hunting and a coastal walk with views of the white cliffs of Dover. If you have a car, try Sandgate Beach just outside Folkestone. This pebble beach has a charming village high street behind it for pubs, cafes and antique shops to visit before making your way home.
