Planning Your Stay on the Kent Coast

Getting Here

By Train> The most enjoyable way to arrive

The Kent coast is beautifully connected by rail and the train is genuinely the nicest way to arrive.  Step off at Deal station and you’re a short walk from the beach, the high street and everything the town has to offer. Direct Southeastern services run from London St Pancras International to Deal in as little as 1 hour 23 minutes, with trains running throughout the day (yes, we know not all of our guests come from London but those coming down or across the UK or abroad generally pass London stations). Watch the Kent countryside open out and arrive feeling relaxed rather than frazzled from the drive.  The high-speed Javelin service stops at several stations across our areas:

• Deal:  Right in the town centre, a short walk from the beach and high street. Taxi rank just outside.  Use this train station for our Walmer based properties too.
• Sandwich:  On the edge of the medieval town centre. Taxis can be pre-booked.
• Martin Mill:  The closest station to St Margaret’s Bay, approximately 10 minutes by taxi. Taxis can be pre-booked.

By Car

We’ll provide the specific postcode for your cottage in your booking confirmation, but if you would like to have approximate travel routes, the below may help.  Good news is, once you know where we are, we are pretty easy to get to.

• From London:  The drive from London to Deal takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on traffic. The most straightforward route is the M2 and A2 from London towards Dover, then the A258 coast road into Deal and the surrounding areas.
• From the north or Midlands: Join the M25 and pick up the M2 at Junction 2.   Follow the A2 towards Dover and pick up the A258 at Whitfield.
• From the west or South West: The M25 is your main route east.  Allow extra time during peak periods.

Parking

For those that do bring a car, it’s important to know if you can park it once you arrive.  Well good news is, most of our properties have off-road parking or easy on-street parking nearby.  For those that need a space in a car park, we will provide you the best suggestions as part of your booking.    If you are keen to use your car whilst here, good is Kent is very easy to navigate and there are lots of car parks to choose from in all of our towns and villages we look after.  As one tip, in peak summer, parking in these two areas can get quite busy:

1. Parking in Deal town centre on Saturday mornings when the market is in full swing can be a little tricky. The simplest solution is to park slightly out of town and enjoy the scenic stroll in.  Walmer Castle car park is a lovely option  and the walk in along the seafront is a genuinely pleasant way to arrive.  There are two parking options;  the Engish Heritage car park across the road from Walmer Castle or the next car park down (which is free).  Deal town has several car parks and on-street parking is usually available within a short walk of the centre, particularly in the afternoon once the market quietens.
2. Kingsdown beach in the peak of the Summer has tricky parking.   For those staying in Kingsdown, this is a non issue as our properties have parking and the beach is easy stroll distance.  If you are not staying in Kingsdown and would like to visit during the Summer season, we suggest parking in the car parks near Walmer Castle (see above) and enjoying the stroll into Kingsdown.   
3. St Margaret’s Bay and Sandwich Bay are all considerably more relaxed for parking year-round.

Download Ringo before you travel.

It’s the parking app used across Deal and the surrounding areas.  It makes finding car parks simple and paying for them even easier without needing to hunt for a machine or carry change. Well worth having on your phone before you arrive.

Getting Around Locally

Once you’re here, a car is useful but not essential,  particularly for guests staying in Deal or Walmer, where almost everything is within comfortable walking distance. For St Margaret’s Bay, Kingsdown and Sandwich Bay, a car makes exploring the wider coastline easier but not essential.

• Taxis are reliable across all our areas. We include recommended local contacts in your welcome pack.
• Cycling is a brilliant way to explore.  Hut 55 on Walmer beach offers bike hire and the National Cycle Route One runs directly along the seafront between Deal and Kingsdown. It’s one of the most enjoyable ways to spend a morning on this coast.
• and of course there is foot power.  Our coastline is best explored by foot and for hikers out there you will love of the interconnecting flow between Sandwich and St Margarets.

What to Bring

Pack your trainers

Our slice of coast is perfect for walking, from the flat seafront promenade between Deal and Kingsdown to the dramatic clifftop paths above St Margaret’s Bay and the White Cliffs. You don’t need serious hiking boots for most of the year, but a good pair of trainers will serve you well every single day. You’ll use them more than you expect.

Pack walking boots if you’re coming in winter

Trainers are perfect for most of the year on this coast,  but if you’re visiting in winter and there’s any chance of rain, proper walking boots make a significant difference if you plan a walk on the clifftop paths. The chalk and grassland above St Margaret’s Bay and the White Cliffs can get muddy and slippery in wet weather, and we’d rather you enjoyed the walk than ruined your favourite trainers. If the forecast looks uncertain, boots are the right call.

PAck Sea shoes – trust us on this one

Most guests vow they won’t go in the sea. Almost all of them end up paddling. The beaches along this stretch of coast are shingle rather than sand, which makes bare feet considerably less enjoyable at the water’s edge. Sea shoes (the thin, flexible kind) will make the difference between a reluctant paddle and a proper one. If you have a paddleboard, they’re essential.  And if swimming or paddleboarding is on your agenda, a word about timing — September is generally the finest month for it on this stretch of coast. The sea tends to be at its clearest and calmest, with flat conditions and water that has had all summer to warm up. If you have any flexibility on dates and a paddle is on the list, September is the one to aim for.

Pack a book – even if you never normally read

There is something about this coastline that creates reading conditions. The pace slows, the sea provides a backdrop that somehow makes sitting still feel productive, and before you know it you’re three chapters in and wondering why you don’t do this more often.  If you forget,  or find yourself needing something new,  most of our properties have a small selection of books to borrow. Alternatively, Deal Bookshop on the high street is a well-stocked Waterstones, and Spellbound Books in Sandwich is a beautiful independent bookshop that deserves an afternoon of your time simply as a destination in its own right.

Staying near St Margaret’s Bay with children? Pack a small fishing net

The rock pools at St Margaret’s Bay at low tide are one of those simple childhood experiences that tend to become a favourite memory of the whole holiday. Crabs, anemones, tiny fish — the wildlife is there if you look carefully and children take the task very seriously indeed. There are no beach shops in the immediate area, so pack a small fishing net before you leave home. It takes up almost no space and you’ll be glad you remembered it.

Food

Bring your first day’s basics

There’s large supermarkets in Deal and in Sandwich which are easy to get to.  For those who prefer , they  deliver to all our areas via Deliveroo.  This means stocking up is easy once you arrive, and you don’t have to bring every single food essential with you.   Having your first evening’s essentials with you does make settling in considerably more enjoyable. A bottle of something good and something light for supper (especially if planning to arrive at night).  If you’d prefer us to arrange a welcome pack of local produce, or even first breakfast items, ready and waiting in your cottage, just ask when you book — we’d love to put one together for you.

After that

Unless your plan is to spend evenings recharging in the cottage, you will probably find yourself enticed by the lovely eateries and venture out for dinner – even if thats the humble fish and chips on the beach.    If you do want to snuggle up in your wonderful surroundings, most of our eateries offer take away options which can be delivered to your door (vis Just East or Deliveroo).  This is also true for local supermarkets who also deliver up until 10pm via Deliveroo (if you wanted to cook yourself something lovely from scratch).

Leave Some Space in your Bag

You will come home with things. The boutique shops along Deal and Sandwich’s high street, the finds at the Saturday market, the blanket you just couldn’t leave in the shop, the pebbles collected from the beach, the shells from Sandwich Bay.  Believe me, it happens (it happens to us and we live here!). Leave a spare bag in the car or allow a little room in your luggage. Consider it planning ahead.