Folkestone, Kent, is a town on the up – so YOU heads down to experience the sea change: Seaside superstar

• You Magazine travels from London to Folkestone, Kent, to explore the area 
• READ MORE:  Folkestone residents battling potholes, litter and graffiti 

Just 55 minutes from London’s St Pancras International, the thriving seaside town of Folkestone, jutting out from the Kent coastline, is Britain’s most impressive artistic reinvention since The Quarrymen became The Beatles. 

‘Move over Brighton’, said The Spectator in July, recognising the town’s explosion in cultural heft. 

Brightly painted galleries and studios have replaced boarded-up shopfronts on the cobbled Old High Street.

 Folkestone Harbour Arm is now home to the glossy Lighthouse Champagne Bar, while the Goods Yard has become a whir of pop-up food stalls peeking out from sleek shipping containers, and the renowned Rocksalt restaurant draws guests from miles around. 

Just 55 minutes from London’s St Pancras International, the thriving seaside town of Folkestone (pictured), is Britain’s most impressive artistic reinvention since The Quarrymen became The Beatles 

Meanwhile, the dusty Victorian Folkestone Harbour train station and tracks have been rewilded, like New York’s High Line. At the trendy Triennial art show, outdoor works by Richard Woods, Tracey Emin, Yoko Ono and Antony Gormley grace the promenade. 

On Sunny Sands beach, the Folkestone Mermaid, inspired by Copenhagen’s, gazes out to sea. With Paris reachable in under three hours by Eurostar, no wonder everyone wants a piece of Folkestone. 

The average property sold for £293,210 last year – a 27 per cent hike from 2019. So come on in, the water’s lovely, and things are really hotting up…

9.00AM

Umbrellas in hand, clutching coffees, our coterie gathers at the station for the 09:07 train, and a speedy Southeastern jaunt to Folkestone Central

All aboard the Folkestone express! 

Umbrellas in hand, clutching coffees, our coterie gathers at the station for the 09:07 train, and a speedy Southeastern jaunt to Folkestone Central.

10.15AM

We brave wind and rain on the seafront to warm our cockles with local seafood

First stop, though, The Gourmet Kitchen (thegourmetkitchen.co.uk), a cosy spot with great reviews where we order more coffee, homemade sausage rolls and a salted caramel popcorn ‘cruffin’ (croissant/muffin hybrid). 

Refuelled, we head to the beach. This being the British seaside in summer, promptly the heavens open, so we halt plans for a dip and follow the boardwalk (made of reclaimed railway sleepers) over the beach in search of seafood. 

Crossing the viaduct from the old Folkestone Harbour station (now an open-air art platform), we spot Bob’s Seafood, a truck by the fish market. Two cups of fresh whelks, please!

Crossing the viaduct from the old Folkestone Harbour station (now an open-air art platform), we spot Bob’s Seafood, a truck by the fish market. Two cups of fresh whelks, please!

11.30AM

Light refreshment and respite from the downpour

It’s still raining, so the Ship Inn, at 23 The Stade, is our suitably named port of call, festooned with shipping nets and portraits of boats. 

There’s been a public house on this site since 1717, serving thirsty fishermen. None of them are visible today, although two older locals dressed in coloured vests and shorts are present, propping up the bar. Half-pints of Doom Bar ale all round.

12.30PM

We’re ready for our eagerly anticipated lunch at Folkestone’s destination restaurant, Rocksalt (rocksaltfolkestone.co.uk)

Panoramic views over the English Channel! Local crab! Fine wines! It is soon spitting on the once sun-drenched terrace

Please can we have a table for 9?

We’re ready for our eagerly anticipated lunch at Folkestone’s destination restaurant, Rocksalt (rocksaltfolkestone.co.uk). Panoramic views over the English Channel! Local crab! Fine wines! It is soon spitting on the once sun-drenched terrace – so we console ourselves with the extensive wine list, sharing A-grade gossip until, finally, the sun pops out again.

2.30PM

FROM LEFT: FASHION ASSISTANT JESSICA, EDITOR JACKIE, DEPUTY PICTURE EDITOR LUISA, FASHION STYLIST STEPHANIE, DEPUTY BEAUTY EDITOR ALICE

A spot of window-shopping…

Time to walk off lunch. Up we stroll, through the original 18th-century cobbled high street – too narrow for cars – where Charles Dickens would walk when he lived here in the summer of 1855, while writing part of Little Dorrit at 3 Albion Villas. 

Today known as the Creative Quarter, it’s full of antiques shops, one-off boutiques and art studios. Bounce (bouncevintage.com) is great for retro T-shirts and sunglasses, while Rennies (rennart.co.uk) is the place to browse for quirky interiors and one-off arty gifts.

3.30PM

RIGHT, FROM LEFT: SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR KANIKA, FEATURES WRITER CHARLOTTE, STEPHANIE, JESSICA AND LUISA

Can I lick it? Yes you can!

No trip to the English seaside is complete without ice cream – and Massimo’s, at 14 Cheriton Place, has the best in town, made fresh every morning. From classic rum and raisin to rich pistachio and creamy (vegan) peanut butter, it’s hard to pick just one.

4.00PM

The team went for a game of mini golf at Putters! (folkestoneharbourarm.co.uk) and a couple of holes-in-one later, Lindsay is the winner

Just time for a dip, a (golf) drive and a drink!

Sun’s out – so let’s go swimming. Actually, only two adventurous souls (Jackie and Stephanie) navigate the pebbly shoreline to wallow in the sea (a balmy 18 degrees), while the rest vote on how to end our afternoon: bubbly at the Lighthouse Champagne Bar (thelighthousechampagnecompany.co.uk) or a game of mini golf at Putters! (folkestoneharbourarm.co.uk)? 

Having imbibed quite enough already, we decide on the latter – and a couple of holes-in-one later, Lindsay is the winner. 

Time for one last cocktail at the Pilot Beach Bar before running back through Folkestone to catch the train – with seconds to spare. Ellie clutches her negroni all the way.

6.00PM

That’s all, Folkestone!  

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