One of these charming towns is a hotspot for tourists looking to sample delicious, fresh seafood as well as explore art galleries and boutiques. The town of Whitstable in Kent is gorgeous in the summer sun, but as journalist Chanelle Georgina found out, it’s just as good when the sun is hiding behind the clouds.
Chanelle visited Whitstable with her sister on a cloudy August day, and decided to start her day off with a wander down the impressive high street.
They enjoyed brunch at Grain and Hearth and had two “delicious” sandwiches — a bacon lettuce tomato (BLT) number for Chanelle and a hallmoui sandwich for her sister.
The two wandered the extensive high street “lined with independent shops, artist workshops, and clothing stores.”
One of her favourite shops was The Lauren Rogers-Martin Studio, which was packed with original artworks as well as homewares and scented candles.
As Chanelle and her sister browsed, fine art illustrator Lauren was working on a new commission as people perused her other works.
Then when the sun began to break through the clouds, Chanelle and her sister made their way to the seafront to admire the stunning pastel-coloured houses and the boat-lined shingle beach. The pastel beach huts were full of gift shops, coffee bars and artist studios.
Of course, it being Whitstable, there were plenty of oysters to eat too, however, Chanelle decided against indulging.
She explained: “There’s an old saying that oysters should only be enjoyed in the months ending with an ‘r’ — such as September, October, and November — for optimal freshness.”
In her opinion, it would be better for oyster lovers to come back to the seaside town during the Whitstable Rocks Oyster Festival, which this year is set to take place over the weekend of September 11.
The event features three days of live music, exceptional food, mud-slinging competitions, pirate pottery, chalk art, and treasure hunts.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
