Whitstable & the Coast

Whitstable has been an oyster-fishing town for centuries — its native oysters were being shipped to London and beyond long before "farm to table" was a phrase anyone needed — and the harbour that made that trade possible is still a working one today.

Fishing boats still land their catch alongside the harbour's fish market and seafood stalls, and the town's oyster tradition is celebrated each summer at the Whitstable Oyster Festival. Beyond the harbour, a shingle beach lined with brightly painted wooden beach huts runs along Tankerton Slopes, and at low tide a natural shingle spit known as the Street becomes walkable out into the sea. The Old Neptune, a pub standing directly on the beach, is a well-known local landmark.

The town has long attracted an arty, slightly bohemian crowd alongside its fishing community — actor Peter Cushing lived here for decades — and it makes an easy, low-key alternative base to Canterbury, which is about a twenty-minute drive or train ride inland.

Where to Stay in Whitstable

• 
  Hotel Continental — an Art Deco hotel on the seafront, with sea-view rooms and its own beach huts to rent.
• The Marine Hotel — a seafront hotel close to the harbour and the fish market.
• 
  The Pearl — a boutique hotel a short walk from the harbour and the high street.
• 
  Premier Inn Whitstable — a straightforward base within reach of the seafront and the town centre.

Getting there

Whitstable sits on the North Kent coast, with a direct rail line to London Victoria/St Pancras (via Faversham or Canterbury connections) taking around ninety minutes, and is a short hop along the coast from Herne Bay and Margate.