Folkestone has brushed aside its tumbleweed to reveal an ideal buket-and-spade get-away
28 July 2007
As traditional UK bucket and spade destinations go, Folkestone may be the ideal short-break destinations for families on the look-out for seaside frolic.
The problem is Folkestone’s once fashionable status faded in the post war slump and today’s generation of holiday-makers are oblivious to its charms. Sadly, this elegant coastal town turned from gorgeous get-away, to a gangly gateway via Eurotunnel to France. Once handsome buildings were left to disintegrate and shops closed down and people moved away. You could almost hear the tumbleweed.
Yet just 100 years ago Folkestone was the most fashionable hotspot in England. King Edward VII would spend long weekends in this trendy coastal town with his royal posse staying at Grand Hotel overlooking the Lees and the beach. Holiday makers would promenade on the Lees just to peer into the hotel’s glass fronted restaurant to catch sight of their king. He and his entourage were so heavily bearded they looked like a group of monkies and so the venue won the moniker ‘Monkey House’. When the king brought Alice Keppel here for his secret trysts, locals referred to it as ‘monkey business’ – a phrase that has been in use ever since.
Things are once again on the up and regeneration is the buzz word. Hotels are being upgraded, the architecture is getting a face lift and the Lees and the sandy beaches are so pristinely manicured that a walk along the promenade to catch a glimpse of Boulogne on the other side of the Channel is once more a pleasure.
Further along the Lees is the famous Folkestone bandstand. Throughout spring, summer and much of autumn, concerts and shows are held here, and often new talent is spotted. Michael Cain made his debut here – not a lot of people know that.
At the Lower Lees there is the traditional beach side funfair at the foot of a fabulously landscaped, verdant, flowery coastal park that hugs the length of the beach. You can spend the morning sunning on the sand and after the sandcastles have been built enjoy a picnic in the park while the kids play in the adventure areas. But for gastronomy of a more local nature the historic harbour area is still home to kiosks selling freshly fished cockles or jellied eels, so rarely available elsewhere. Or nip across to the burgeoning local market and pick up a jar of pickled eggs! For an undeniably Kentish meal, go for a fish supper at any one of Folkestone’s fish and chip restaurants. Later as the day fades the park’s open-air amphitheatre offers a place to chill and take in the entertainment in the warming evening air.
Hythe, in sharp contrast, has an eccentric mix of attractions that really capture the imagination. Perched almost eerily on its hillside is St Leonards’ Church where an osery located in its crypt harbours a bizarre collection of 2000 Medieval thighbones and skulls. Visit if you dare. But probably more suited to the kids is The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway noted as the world’s smallest steam railway. It has just thirteen and a half miles of track and looks almost miniature in a Thomas the Tank Engine sort of way. During WWII it did its bit by transporting troops and pipes, and still manages to transport kids to their local schools. Use it to get to Dymchurch for an old fashioned candy floss and kiss-me-quick beach experience or to Dungeness to see its lighthouses and the nature reserve where film-maker Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage can still be seen nestling in the rugged unkempt beachside wilderness.
For a spot of animal magic, venture a further two miles away, to the Port Lympne Mansion and its Wild Animal Park for a really great day out. This mansion must be one of England’s most beautiful, and the zoo perhaps one of Europe’s finest. The arc shaped zoo path is a staggering three miles long and weaves its way through sometimes dense woodland, open grassland and sometimes through gorgeous ornamental gardens. At home here are some of the rarest and most endangered species on earth such as the Barbary lion, the African golden cat and Siberian tigers and black rhinos.
With so many ways to frolic in Folkestone, it is worth taking a closer look at this quintessentially British resort.