London Seaside Escape: Budget Guide to Margate
While the classic seaside trip from London might be to Brighton (see our Brighton day trip guide here), Margate offers strong opposition. This Kent town is undeniably scruffier than Brighton – a once popular resort that hasn’t quite regained the heights of its heyday – but recent investment, coupled with a creative community with great local pride make it a fascinating, invigorating and particularly British kind of seaside resort.
Did we mention that it’s much cheaper than Brighton too?
How to Get There
Getting to Margate is easy on the train from London. Deciding which option is harder. You have two to pick from: get the train from London St Pancras, and it’ll take around 90 minutes and cost you £24.30, or catch it from London Victoria for a fare that’s a couple of pounds cheaper, but takes around 1 hour and 50 minutes. The decision is probably best decided on where in London you are coming from.
When to Go
While there’s a certain charm to be found in visiting a British seaside resort in the winter, you have to look pretty hard for it. Stick to the summer when everything will be open and you may, just possibly, want to brave a paddle in the sea.
What to See and Do
Dreamland
Part of the current excitement around Margate is down to “Dreamland”, an amusement park dating back to 1880, that reopened this year after a long campaign and restoration program. The park celebrates the history of the sight, with vintage rides and games – the pinnacle will be when the 1920 wooden Scenic Rollercoaster opens later in 2015.
Visiting isn’t cheap, but booking in advance online will save you 15% on the £17.95 entrance fee. You can still play on their traditional Penny slot machines without paying to enter the park (although keep an eye on how many pennies you lose!).
Turner Contemporary Art Gallery
Another great, relatively recent addition to the town, The Turner Contemporary art gallery opened in 2011. Situated on the seafront, it takes its name from being on the site where the painter Turner used to stay when visiting Margate.
The gallery holds temporary exhibitions and events and is also entirely free, making it a must-see on any itinerary. It also benefits from inspiring sea views and a rather nice café, too.
Vintage and antique shopping
Margate is a bargain hunter’s paradise, packed full of shops selling second-hand goods at very reasonable prices. While you’ll find a more curated (i.e. more expensive) selection in the Old Town, for a real rummage head to R G Scott Furniture Mart, housed in an old Ice Works: There are three floors of bounty to search through.
The beach
And, of course, no visit to a seaside town would be complete without a trip to the beach. Margate’s long, golden sandy beach is still a draw – especially as it offers all the seaside attractions you can ask for, from water sports to ice cream. Just a shame it can’t guarantee year-round sunshine too.
Literary lovers may want to keep an eye out for the Nayland Rock shelter, which is on the seafront. This is where TS Eliot wrote his first draft of The Waste Land, while staying in the town in 1921. (And worth seeking out in case of rain!)
Shell Grotto
This is one of Margate’s peculiar mysteries: 70 ft of winding, underground passages covered in more than four million shells. The Shell Grotto was discovered in 1835 and has been intriguing visitors ever since – no one knows who created it and what for.
Entrance is only £3.50 (£3 for Students) so it’s well worth visiting to decide on your own theory.
Where to Eat and Drink
Peter’s Fish Factory
The quintessential meal for every British trip to the sea is, of course, fish and chips. You’ll easily spot Peter’s Fish Factory on the seafront as the queue can snake out the door. And with good reason – their chips were voted the best in Kent earlier this year. Eat them while sitting overlooking the beach (or even on the beach) for the proper experience.
Great British Pizza Co
There are a few alternatives to fish and chips on offer! Great British Pizza Co. is a great one: a small pizzeria that wins rave reviews for its thin crusts and freshly made sauces and toppings, sourced from small local producers. There are gluten free options too, and all are available for £10 or under.
The Lifeboat
Want to sample some local ales and cider? Then seek out this pub – that’s their specialty. The Lifeboat will charm less adventurous drinkers too, as their menu offers fantastic value at around £7 to £8 for a main. That’s all locally inspired too, selling the finest sausages and pies, crab, cockles and whelks, to be rounded up with a plate of Kent cheeses. You may even be lucky to hear free music while you eat.
Fort’s Café
Fortify yourself for the day at Fort’s, a café specializing in breakfast and brunch. It’s the kind of place you dream of stumbling upon, unassuming from the outside but selling classy full English breakfasts, hot chorizo sandwiches, and the likes of a cider braised pigs cheek BLT. It’s great value too – Welsh rarebit oozing with cheese will only set you back £3.
Sommerville Hotel offers Victorian charm just two minutes from the beach. Photo: Booking.com
Where to stay
Unlike some oceanfront destinations in the UK, Margate offers several options for affordable accommodations. You can search over 15 properties in Margate to find the right room at a good price.
We also have a couple favorites that we can recommend:
Somerville Hotel
Book a seaside room at Somerville Hotel that combines Victorian style with modern amenities. It’s a quick walk from the train station and the beach is practically right outside the front door. They offer rooms with water views, flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi for £100 or less, depending on the time of year. With such affordable prices, it regularly fills up on summer weekends, so make sure to book in advance.
Sherwood Hotel
This bed and breakfast has seven en suite rooms with plenty of simple, seaside style. A few rooms have balconies with water views, and guests start their day with a homemade English full breakfast. Sherwood Hotel is an excellent deal with rates starting at £65 for a double room in the summer. There is no online booking, but you can call or email them to make reservations.
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