How To Have The Perfect Day Trip to Ramsgate

I’m a firm believer that seaside towns aren’t just for visiting in the summer. Yeah, sure you probably won’t want to go for a swim, but there’s something kind of nice about being by the sea even when it’s cold out. I’ve made a point of visiting Margate and Whitsable in the winter and it’s actually really nice. I’d also argue that a lot of them could do with some more out-of-season foot traffic. A couple of weeks ago, we decided to head down to Ramsgate for a little wintertime wander and had such a lovely day! Planning a trip? Here are a few things you’ll want to see:

Staple Store

Whenever I visit a new place, my first order of business is to find a local coffee shop. It really sets me up for exploring! This time it was Staple Store, down by the water. We grabbed ourselves some chai lattes, oogled the tasty looking pastries and made our way. We also stopped at The Modern Boulangerie later in the day for a hot chocolate which was a delight. There’s plenty of other coffee shops dotted around Ramsgate as well so you’re sure to find something that catches your fancy!

Addington Street

You know I’m always gonna be a ‘shop small’ girlie, so you’ll be not at all surprised to see I found some very cute shops over on Addington Street. First was a stop at Positive Retail, where my pal Emma was hosting a pop up shop full of some delightful wares. We also popped into Albie & Pearl, who had some lovely vintage homewares on display. Vinylhead was a big hit and we left with some new records (Mr. Actually was very happy with this particular find!). Right next door was Seabird, where we grabbed a drink later on with Emma! Plus there were lots of colourful houses on this street, which is always a bonus!

Peter’s Fish Factory

Can you be by the sea and have anything other than fish and chips for lunch? Okay, of course you can, but it feels scandalous somehow! We dropped by Peter’s for lunch and our fish and chips really hit the spot. Decent portions, crispy batter and salty chips, mmmmmmmm. I did look up a few other options on the off chance that we weren’t in the mood – Lone Star Barbecue looked interesting and if we were feeling fancy, Little Ships would have been a good choice. But fish and chips it was

Ramsgate Tunnels

Whether or not you’re a history buff, a visit to the Ramsgate Tunnels is definitely worth it. I had no idea what they were when we walked up but it appeared in all my searches for things to do in Ramsgate. With good reason too! The tunnels were built to shelter people during World War II, but the scale of it is really impressive! The tunnels themselves were dug out by hand and you can take a tour to walk through a portion of them and see where people slept and some even lived after their homes were destroyed during air raids. We ended up on a tour by ourselves and the guid really went through a lot of the history of the place. It was really fascinating! They’re open all year too and I imagine are much busier in the warmer months!

Book Bodega

I was aware of Book Bodega ever since they tweeted in February of last year how much business slows down in the winter and that they were struggling. Well, I was excited to pop into the store in person! It’s such a cute little store and I was tempted by several books. We poked around for quite a while, looking at all the books. They had a very cute tote bag that I’m still thinking about to be honest.

Royal Ramsgate Marina

Is it the UK or the French Riviera? I mean, we know the answer, but the Marina is cool to look at either way. There’s lots of boats to see, and if you walk down along the water, you can find some more shops and even walk out to the lighthouse. There’s places to eat on the marina as well. Had it been a clearer day, this would have been the perfect spot to sit and watch the sunset. I wonder if you could see to France on a clear day?

Ramsgate was a lovely little adventure. I’d be well up for going back because I know there’s plenty I didn’t make it to. The train journey isn’t too bad and I do love a train journey. In the summer you can even walk all the way along to Broadstairs and Margate, so that may very well be in order! I’d definitely like to explore some more (and head back to Vinylhead for a few more records) so maybe we’ll head back soon!