A Wintery Wander in Whitstable
The period between Christmas and New Year’s is always a bit of a funny one – Betwixtmas as it’s sometimes called. Since my parents were here this year, we decided to take them on a little adventure! I’ve been to Whitstable once before, many years ago when I still had red hair and occasionally wore black… but that was summer! It’s fairly easy to get down to Whitstable and I’d say it’s well worth the visit. If you’re into seafood at all, a trip to Whitstable should absolutely on the cards! My parents sure enjoyed it!
Driving down to Whitstable
Since my vaguely elderly parents (sorry mom!) were with us, we rented a car to drive down to Whitstable. It took about an hour and 15 minutes from where we live in South East London, though there are trains from Central London that get you there in about the same amount of time! It’s close to Canterbury and further along the coast you’ll find Margate and Broadstairs too! It’s a lovely part of the country to visit, no matter the season!
Coffee at Garage
Whenever I visit a new place, I always like to find a local coffee shop. It feels like a nice way to settle into a place. When we decided to take my parents down to Whitstable, I had a quick google and discovered Garage Coffee! We stopped for a drink to unwind from the drive and ease ourselves into a day of wandering. The coffee was really nice and my dad (who doesn’t drink a lot of coffee) opted for a chai latte which he said was delicious! A winner all round… I was also pretty intrigued by Blueprint Coffee & Books and Grain & Hearth if you need some other options!
Window shopping on Harbour Street
The nice thing about Whitstable is that everything is within a 5-10 minute walk. After visiting the coffee shop, we wandered first along the High Street, then along Harbour Street where there are lots of cute independent, vintage and charity shops. My mom and I had lots of fun popping in to see what we could find. I fell in love with Frank, and there were some cute bits in Anchors Aweigh Vintage that I nearly went home with! I’m a sucker for a bookstore as well and Harbour Books had a lovely vibe. Some places were still closed for the holidays but there were plenty of windows to peek into!
A harbourside stroll
You can’t go to Whitstable and not go for stroll along the seaside. We walked along Whitstable Harbour first of all and then meandered along the beachfront. It’s a pebble beach and you can see Essex across the estuary which is lovely. We lucked out with the sunshine but it was still pretty windy, so we walked as much as we could before turning back to find a place to thaw out. The light was really something, especially later in the day. That’s one thing about winter… the light is really something else!
Lunch at Quayside
When it was time to tuck into lunch, I will admit we fumbled the bag a bit. I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so busy, so we didn’t make a booking for lunch, and we definitely should have. The original aim was to try and have some seafood (when in Rome!) so we popped into Wheeler’s Oyster Bar but you’ll definitely need a booking if you want to eat there! We looked at The Pearson’s Arms as well for a nice cozy pub lunch, but in the end lucked out with a table at The Quayside. The food was okay (my veggie burger didn’t taste like much to be honest) but we were just happy to be able to grab a table. It was Betwixtmas after all, so all the restaurants were booked up! If you’re planning a trip, I’d definitely recommend making a booking, no matter the season!
Fresh Oysters at The Forge
After lunch, despite being full, a trip to The Forge for some fresh oysters. I don’t really like them very much (I did try them the last time we were in Whitstable) but my dad and husband are big seafood people so they indulged. Whitstable is known for its oysters and apparently they’ve been harvested there since the Romans were around! It’s definitely a big part of the industry, so if you’re a fan, get yourself to The Forge to get some. My dad kept going on about how delicious they were, and he’s a big foodie guy who’s eaten oysters his whole life. If that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is!
A final beach walk & back to London
The sun was starting to set, so we took one final walk along the seafront, just to take it all in. We really lucked out with the weather, considering the day before it was basically torrential! Still, it was lovely to be able to see a bit of those beautiful dusky colours before we hopped back in the car. Who said going to the seaside was just for the summertime? I am a firm believer that it’s for all seasons (swimming optional, of course!)! The drive back was over in a flash and thus our little adventure was over. It was a really lovely day and one I’d absolutely recommend!
