I always stay put in London at Easter time because I can't bear the thought of getting caught up in delays and massive crowds, whether at airports, on the road or on a train.
So I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I spontaneously booked an overnight stay on the Kent coast just one week before Easter. By the Saturday morning I was dreading the car journey down the A2.
Happily though, I couldn't have been more wrong. We had a super-smooth journey to our first destination, a lovely AirBnB in a cottage in a quiet spot around 15 minutes' walk from the centre of Herne Bay. Clive is the perfect host whose warm welcome and attention to detail made our stay really comfortable and enjoyable. After settling into our lovely room, we took a walk along to the pier, past a big collection of colourful beach huts. I made a watercolour painting of some of them afterwards.
The pier was was busy with families enjoying the sunshine and the views out to sea. There was a very interesting display about the life of aviator Amy Johnson and a beautiful bronze statue erected in her honour.
Walking up into the town centre, we found a lovely pedestrianised street with lots of market stalls. We stopped off for a delicious sandwich and coffee at Boyce's Bakery and sat outside in the sun, watching the world go by.
Back to the pier and we took in some beautiful seafront houses, which I painted when I got back to London. There was also a bikers' meet, with some very impressive motorbikes on display, including a Harley Davidson in metallic blue and with lots of chrome!
Heading back along the beach path towards our AirBnB, we arrived at a pub called The Hampton Inn. We sat in the early evening sun for a couple of hours, enjoying the views of the rocky headland, and then ate dinner at the inn. They have a delicious choice of main meals and desserts, and while there we had a nice chat with the owner, Georgia.
The following morning we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at the AirBnB while chatting with Clive. We then headed off for the short drive to picturesque Whitstable. It was a beautifully warm day and we began with a stroll around the harbour and then walked northwards along the beachfront. I made a watercolour painting afterwards of some boats in the harbour.
The busy centre of town has lots of small shops, a wonderful art deco cinema (owned by Wetherspoon), street art, and some beautiful quiet streets that are perfect for a peaceful wander. At the Memories and Moonbeams shop, I bought a butter dish to take home, plus some little pots to use for my ink paintings.
Our drive home to London via the A2 proved as quick and quiet as our journey to the coast the previous day. A thoroughly enjoyable Easter break - and I slept like a log, as I always do when I'm by the sea!
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Blog, photos and artworks copyright Barbara Grehs
Published on 15 May 2022
#hernebay #whitstable #southeastcoast #kentcoast #amyjohnson #thepetercushing #artdeco #memoriesandmoonbeams #boycesbakery
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