Continuing on from Part 1 of my little Folkestone-ian jolly, here are three more things I loved about this coastal town.
What I may not have mentioned in Part 1 is: that this was a solo venture. Admittedly, I’ve barely travelled around the UK, let alone solo. But, this little adventure turned out to be full of gorgeous gems.
Anyways, before I start wittering on, here they are.
The Beaches
I love walking, and you are spoilt for coastal paths in and around Folkestone. For instance, you could do the Folkestone to Dover walk, which covers around 9 miles of breathtaking scenery—or so I heard. I didn’t actually tackle this hike, but I still enjoyed plenty of walking on my trip. On leaving The Lighthouse Champagne Bar, I headed towards what I thought was a golden expanse of sand waiting just ahead. Either I need a trip to Specsavers, or perhaps I was wearing rose-coloured glasses because the supposed golden sands (just ahead of the harbour) weren’t golden at all. Well, sort of. It’s a pebbly bay. Close up, the beach wasn’t postcard pretty, at least not in a classical way. Still, with the backdrop of the cliffs, and in some cases, Georgian houses or a massive coastal park like that of Mermaids Beach, the water looked pretty inviting. With so many stories floating about on the quality of Britain’s waterways, I did my research.
And it turns out most of the beaches here are safe for swimming. They’re checked weekly by environmental authorities and have been given a 👍🏾
The Beach Huts
Next, the whimsy-looking beach huts caught my eye from way down the coast. By then, the weather had cycled through the seasons and circled back to autumn. The sun wasn’t having any of it and stayed behind clouds that looked like they had the raging hump. Still, the rows of colourful little houses lined up along the beach lapped up my attention for quite a while. Did you know you can actually stay in them, cos I didn’t. The first I learned of this, was when a lady popped open a door and peered through a little crack. She probably thought I was casing the hut! Joking, of course. She was also a solo traveller and explained that the beach huts are like cosy chalets inside and available for booking. By the way, I took these photos near Sandstone Beach. Just saying, if you’re on the lookout for somewhere unique to stay. 😉
Foord Valley Railway Viaduct
Finally, there’s Foord Valley Railway Viaduct. I actually stumbled upon this gem just as I was leaving Folkestone and heading towards the bus stop. Though I didn’t have a strict itinerary, I kinda had an ideas of the places I wanted to visit. But discovering the Foord Valley Railway Viaduct was sheer luck. I was admiring the old Georgian houses while scoffing down some chips when I spotted it. At 111 ft high and with 19 huge arches, I’m sure you’d agree: it’s hard to miss. Initially, I thought, “how amazing,” then wondered if I’d still think as much if I lived in one of those pretty Georgian houses. Apparently, the Foord Valley Railway Viaduct is the world’s highest arched brick viaduct. Constructed in 1843, it has been a Grade II listed building since 1975. Knowing this, would you mind having such a fascinating piece of history just hanging about in your neighbourhood? Oh and just check out the street art. By the way, it’s a working line, nope, not the street art. The railway. And you can take it to London. Talking of which (and though I didn’t want to), it was time to leave. Bus to catch and all that. It’s funny because I was a bit nervous about my solo trip. But the day passed so quickly—much quicker than I expected. And there was so much to see and do in Folkestone. More than I thought, anyway.😍
Whether home or away, have you taken a solo trip lately?
