So where were we off to next? Birchingford? Birchenby? Barchingdon? No obviously not, it was to Birchington-on-Sea which is not to be confused with Walmington-on-Sea of Dad’s Army fame. You don’t remember Dad’s Army? ‘Don’t Panic‘ and ‘Stupid Boy‘?
No, we’re in Birchington-on-Sea on the Isle of Thanet, North Kent coast just to the west of Margate. A lovely little seaside town that appears to be a step-up from the kiss-me-quick, amusement style of resort that other locations have become. It is only a few miles east of Herne Bay where we spent much of January (Herne Bay to Reculver Walk and Victorian Seaside Lockdown).
Another Stunning Airbnb
Whenever you book an Airbnb you have lots of lovely photos and hopefully loads of positive reviews but you never really know what you are going to get until you actually walk in the front door. We’ve had disappointments and wonderful surprises over the past few years so the moment of arrival is always exciting.
We have an apartment on the first floor (that’s upstairs if you’re American) with three bedrooms, a big living room, kitchen/diner, and of course bathroom with a private entrance. So perfect for an extended four week stay. Beautifully decorated and maintained and with great central heating to get us through the cold snap we are currently experiencing in the UK.
With the town centre just over the road and the railway station round the corner it’s perfect but the best thing is that the seafront is only 5 minutes walk. So everyday bar none we have set out in our coats and hats to walk various parts of the coastal walk.
The Four Beaches
The town, or village as some locals call it (never quite sure what constitutes somewhere being a village though), is located with four sandy bays around it. Epple Bay, Beresford Gap, Grenham Bay and the most well-known Minnis Bay. We’d visited Minnis Bay lots of times when we lived in Maidstone and had hired bikes and eaten out at the fabulous cafe there with close friends.
The Isle of Thanet
It may not interest many of you but we find it fascinating that Kent used look so different only a few hundred years ago. Above is a map showing how the Wantsum Channel split the Isle of Thanet from the mainland and below is how it all looks now. Amazing huh?
Lifesaver from Ryan
With miles of walking and lots of time spent reading and of course the odd bit of TV, we fill our time fairly comprehensively and never ever get bored. But as a huge surprise our youngest son Ryan popped down and lent me a couple of Playstation games as our apartment has a PS4. Now this may not seem a huge deal but it’s been six years or more since I’ve been able to regularly play on a console and I have loved it!!
Everyone knows FIFA is a football game, it’s brilliant if you’re a fan, but the revelation has been Planet Coaster. It’s a fantastically immersive design game Ryan and I love and even Jo has had the odd go during our stay. Not everyones cup of tea but I’ve loved being able to play these past few weeks. Thanks so much Ryan.
01/02 – 08/02/2021
We have a couple of friends who hail from Thanet and still go down there to visit family when they can. I’ve never been to that bit of the world though. Fascinating that it was once an island š š
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We didn’t know it that we’ll before but are really enjoying exploring and living down here currently. Lovely area.
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Looks lovely . . . enjoy, Claudia
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It’s a great place to live for a few weeks, really enjoying it.
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Glad you have a good place to stay!
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Thanks Laci. Lovely apartment in a cool little town so we’re all good.
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The first thing that popped into my head when I saw your title was Walmingotn-on-Sea and, drat, you pinched my joke!
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Ha great minds eh?
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What a wonderful looking area to spend some time! So interesting how it was once separate like that. Great to show with the maps š
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It’s a lovely little town with great walks so we’re well happy. The maps are so interesting aren’t they?
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They sure are…itās fascinating to see how geography and cities change over time!
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Looks a lovely little place, and that sunset at the end is a beauty! Do you know, despite travelling a bit with the family, we’ve never braved an Airbnb yet. I was put off years ago as there were some issues in Germany with subletting and tenants flouting local laws to make a few Euro. I think I’ll revisit the idea though as I much prefer the idea of our own space to a hotel these days.
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We love Airbnbs and couldn’t recommend them enough. Stayed in loads and always enjoyed each unique experience.
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Sounds like a perfect hamlet, but I probably wouldn’t order ice cream. LOL!
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No not the weather for ice cream at all but a lovely place to walk and talk and spend a few weeks.
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We find it really pays to do lots of research and read everything thoroughly before booking online accommodation. We’ve only ever had one Airbnb which wasn’t up to scratch and we got a partial refund on that one. The rest have been amazing. Good to know you’re comfortable and finding plenty to do in a pretty location.
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It’s all about reading the reviews and researching locations etc isn’t it? We’ve had a couple of not-so-great stays but nothing really disastrous. So far so good.
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Sounds like you’ve found somewhere good to stay and so nice to be by the beach
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It was a lovely apartment and ideal for daily each and coastal walks. A great few weeks.
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I have most definitely heard of BIrchington on Sea, I’ve just never been. I think I’m going to change that come spring.
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Do it! Lovely little town with great walks along the coast.
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Glad you both found some places for longer stays during the winter lockdown. Excellent work from Ryan on the PlayStation games! Fifa never goes out of fashion.
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