Wonderful Daytrip in Whitstable
Forever in search of great beaches, regardless of country or climate, we found a fantastic pebble beach on the eastern coast of England in Kent. Not only does Whitstable have a great beach, it also is a charming seaside village and well worth a trip!
Logistics
From London, there are a few different ways. Preferably, if one has a car, that would be the simplest method because a car allows more freedom and less reliance on the public transport system. Instead, we relied on trains and buses - and managed just fine!
Leaving from London Victoria every x:40, the hour and a half long journey will go by very quickly and we noticed most people were on the train for Whitstable! Using the great Trainline website, we were able to search for discounted fares and preferred train times.
Activities
In terms of what to do, see, eat, and drink in Whitstable, the plan is rather simple as there are so many independent fish and chip shops, restaurants, pubs, and cafes! Normally, in July, Whitstable celebrates a massive Oyster Festival but with COVID, it was cancelled but we still found a ton of people both selling and eating oysters! There are plenty of sights in town to see!
- Whitstable is extremely famous for Oyster Festival in July!
- Classic Fish and Chips on the beach
- Harbour Market
- Enjoy Beach Life
- Visit the colorful Beach huts
- Drink at Old Neptune pub that rests on the beach
- Stroll through vintage High Street
The Journey
Surprisingly, the train journey from London to Whitstable was extremely easy. On the train, it became apparent quite quickly that most people were onboard for the seaside village. Most people had prepared either train or beach picnic baskets which made us look like fools! From the station, the walk to the village high street is extremely easy and there are well-marked signs to both the high street and beaches.
Strolling Down High Street
In typical English design, Whitstable's high street was bustling with boutiques down a very narrow one-way lane. Known for vintage and beach attire, each shop sold its own vintage style, but we preferred the beach shops! Because we did not know what else to do and failed to bring beach attire, we walked up and down this beautiful high street. Whilst we mostly window shopped, we definitely enjoyed the unique vintage styles being advertised...
More importantly, I thought the narrow lane leading down the entire street was incredibly charming. Whilst I would have HATED it as a driver, the streets really helped with Whitstable's classy beachside charm.
Harbour Style
Because of Whitstable's fame lies in its oyster festival and seaside village, we obviously had to visit the great harbour. Built for both commercial fishing use and pedestrian outdoor market, the harbour is a great place to begin your seafood tour! With individuals selling oysters right by their boats to fresh fish being advertised, it is a perfect place to find great deals. Plus, the boats were clearly family run or small business like and we really enjoyed it - even though you could not convince us to try the oysters.
After strolling through the harbour, we found a spot to both people watch and gaze out into the deep blue ocean and small Whitstable harbour. Dotted throughout the harbour are tiny little fisherman huts which looked like tiny houses that people could rent for a holiday home. We debated if we would do that... We saw pasty white Brits attempt to swim whilst enjoying our prime view!
Classic Fish and Chips
Located on the high street, Ossies Fish Bar is bustling with a flurry of fresh fried fish and always had a line. We opted to share a large portion of fish and chips and boy, I should have brought my own oil drum! Whilst the fish was really tasty and had a great fry, the giant portion oily chips were overwhelming - especially as we tried to be on the beach!
To top off our lovely fish and chips, I had a takeaway beer from the Old Neptune pub. One positive from COVID is the takeaway beer business as I doubt this would have been an option a few months ago! The pub had a great outdoor setup so we could have eaten there as it was the only pub on the beach.
After our tasty meal, we had the best life - beach life!
Tankerton Slopes
One of the main highlights of Whitstable are the famous beach huts located on the Tankerton slopes. Spread throughout the hills and painted in bright colours, the beach huts are picturesque! We wondered if people actually live in the huts, but these huts appear to be just "day huts" to store your picnic and beach gear. Not a bad idea! In hindsight, most of these huts are throughout beach villages in England so I am not sure how special they really are...
The UnChartered Summary
Full of sunshine, beaches, and seafood, Whitstable makes a great daytrip or a fantastic beach holiday. Whilst the beach is mostly pebbles, there are fantastic accommodation options in the fisherman huts and tasty restaurants to really enjoy yourself!
- For a daytrip, make sure to pack your beach bag! Because of the unpredictable English weather, we opted to bring our bathing suit and towels and regretted it! We wore those farmer's tans for weeks...
- Whilst we enjoyed our fish and chips, there are so many options either in the harbour, high street, or on the beach itself (Old Neptune!).
- Similar to most great English beach towns, book early for a great time in Whitstable!