Broadstairs: Dickens's Favourite Seaside Town on the Isle of Thanet
Broadstairs occupies the coast of the Isle of Thanet in northeast Kent, between Margate and Ramsgate. The population of the town is around 25,000. Charles Dickens spent long summers here and wrote parts of David Copperfield, Bleak House, and other novels in the town. Bleak House itself sits on the cliff above Viking Bay, the town's main sandy beach, and is now used for events. The annual Dickens Festival in June recreates the Victorian era with costumed parades and readings. Viking Bay, sheltered by the harbour wall, is one of the best small beaches in Kent.
The High Street runs from the clifftop down toward the bay, with independent shops, fish and chip restaurants, and ice cream parlours giving it a traditional English seaside character. Broadstairs station is on the High Speed 1 route, with services to London St Pancras in about 80 minutes. The A256 connects south to Ramsgate and the A28 heads inland toward Canterbury. Ramsgate harbour, about two miles south, has ferry services.
Louisa Bay and Dumpton Gap to the south, and Joss Bay and Botany Bay to the north, provide alternatives when Viking Bay is crowded in summer. The chalk cliffs and sea stacks at Botany Bay are particularly photogenic.
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Broadstairs occupies the coast of the Isle of Thanet in northeast Kent, between Margate and Ramsgate. The population of the town is around 25,000. Charles Dickens spent long summers here and wrote parts of David Copperfield, Bleak House, and other novels in the town. Bleak House itself sits on the cliff above Viking Bay, the town's main sandy beach, and is now used for events. The annual Dickens Festival in June recreates the Victorian era with costumed parades and readings. Viking Bay, sheltered by the harbour wall, is one of the best small beaches in Kent.
The High Street runs from the clifftop down toward the bay, with independent shops, fish and chip restaurants, and ice cream parlours giving it a traditional English seaside character. Broadstairs station is on the High Speed 1 route, with services to London St Pancras in about 80 minutes. The A256 connects south to Ramsgate and the A28 heads inland toward Canterbury. Ramsgate harbour, about two miles south, has ferry services.
Louisa Bay and Dumpton Gap to the south, and Joss Bay and Botany Bay to the north, provide alternatives when Viking Bay is crowded in summer. The chalk cliffs and sea stacks at Botany Bay are particularly photogenic.
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