Folkestone

Folkestone is a characterful coastal town on the Kent shore of the English Channel, perched between the white cliffs of Dover and the marshes of Romney. Once a Victorian and Edwardian resort favoured by London visitors arriving by train, and later the principal cross-Channel ferry port to Boulogne, it has reinvented itself in recent years as one of the most interesting cultural destinations on the south coast.

At the heart of the town the cobbled Old High Street climbs steeply from the harbour through the Creative Quarter, where independent shops, galleries and cafes occupy carefully restored fishermen's cottages. The Harbour Arm, a former railway pier extending into the sea, has been transformed into a promenade with street food, bars and a lighthouse at its tip, and is a fine spot to watch the sun set over the Channel. The town is also home to one of the UK's largest free public art collections, the Folkestone Artworks, with pieces by artists including Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin and Cornelia Parker dotted around the streets.

Above the town, the Leas clifftop promenade gives broad views across to France on clear days, while sandy and shingle beaches stretch east towards Sunny Sands and west towards Sandgate. Frequent high-speed trains from London St Pancras put Folkestone within around an hour of the capital, making it an easy seaside day out.