It’s another sunshiny day but with warnings of thunderstorms and torrential rain.

Harbour Street

We walked up a very quiet Harbour Street. The shops were opening but so far without any sign of customers.

Albion Street

We continued along an even quieter Albion Street (not even the shops were showing signs of life).

Costa Coffee

We settled in our usual (well, it is our third visit!) corner in Costa for coffee and croissants.

Aboard the 37

We next caught a number 37 bus.

Westwood Cross

The bus brought us to Westwood Cross, a large shopping complex. We have visited it in the past but today we were just changing buses here.

In Ramsgate

We left the bus in Ramsgate and started looking around with lunch in mind.

Abbots Hill

This stepped street is called Abbots Hill. Fortunately, we were not climbing up there today!

Star Nergis
Photo by Tigger

We chose the Star Nergis Cafe for lunch. We have eaten here on previous visits and knew it was good.

High Street

After lunch we went for a ramble. Ramsgate, like Margate, has a pedestrian-only High Street.

Guildford Lawn

These fine bow-fronted houses are in a street with an equally posh name: Guildford Lawn. These Regency-style houses (they remind me of Brighton where there are many such) were actually built in 1842. The site did in fact also include a lawn but that has been buried under buildings. They are now Grade II listed.

Ramsgate Public Library

We were looking for the public library and found it. Built in the early 1904, it is one of those funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

Public library interior

The interior is modernised as is only to be expected, I suppose. (Update: See this helpful comment.) It was pleasant to sit here for a while out of the heat of the sunshine. Despite modernisation, the library is Grade II listed.

Stained-glass window

We went upstairs (27 steps – the lift was broken) and found this colourful stained-glass window commemorating the library fire. It is by John Corley with the participation of local schools.

The upper floor

We had a look round the upper floor which, as is common in libraries today, has tables for study.

The Old Fire Station

Continuing on, we passed the old fire station. Peering through the glass, I saw a table tennis table where there would once have been a smartly polished fire engine… The building is now Grade II listed.

Caffè Nero

As it was time for refreshment, and to rest from the heat, we went into Caffè Nero.

The harbour from the bus

We went down to the harbour to catch a bus back to Broadstairs. I intended to photograph the harbour but the bus was already at the stop and ready to depart. The best I could do was a grab shot through the bus window!

Serene Place

Back in Broadstairs, we passed this lane called Serene Place. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? I wonder whether it is as serene as the name suggests.

Ice cream shop

We had been meaning to have ice cream (well, you have to, at the seaside, don’t you?) but each time we had left it too late and found the shops closed. This evening we found one still open. We have had our ice cream and can tick it on the list! (No picture, because we had to eat it quickly as it started melting in the hot weather!)

On the beach

As it’s our last evening here (at least, on this trip) we thought we should spend some more time on the beach. Folding chairs are provided with the apartment, as I rxplained. We spent a couple of hours watching the sea, the people and the gulls.

Tigger on the beach

Here is a picture of Tigger enjoying the beach!

Gull on the beach

As we sat still and quiet, the gulls came quite close to us, which was a special pleasure. Evening when resting, they were alert and would fly off suddenly if they saw a chance of food but while they rested nearby, we could enjoy their company.

We eventually returned to our apartment (just across the road from the beach), where we made tea and had a little rest before supper pleasantly rounds off the day.

It’s another fine, sunny day and we are travelling out of Broadstairs today.

The York Gate

We followed our usual path up the hill from our apartment, passing under the York Gate as the arch is called.

Costa

We went to Costa in Albion Street for our usual coffee and croissants.

Aboard the 9

In Queens Street we caught a (late) number 9 bus that took us on the long (90-minute) ride to Canterbury.

After what seemed a long journey, on bad and often narrow roads, we reached Canterbury. I photographed the first two things I saw. The first is a sculpture by Kenny Hunter (author of that other favourite of mine, I Goat, in Spitalfields) and the second is St George’s clock tower.

Caffè Nero-

We made straight for Caffè Nero where we ordered these drinks:

Guessing which is for whom is left as an exercise for the reader 🙂

Street Market

The next task was to find lunch. We went into Marks & Spencer and bought food and drink. Now we needed to find a bench in the shade.

Arcade

This proved more difficult than expected as Canterbury seems to be a bench-unfriendly town.

War Memorial

Crossing the Stour

We crossed the River Stour and found a walled garden.

Walled garden

On one side was the river, with a bridge and…

A wall to sit on

…a low wall that we could sit on to eat our lunch (remembering not to lean back!).

At the Marlowe
Photo by Tigger

There were deck chairs in the shade in front of Marlowe Theatre and so we sat there for a while.

Bulkhead
Rick Kirby

This is one of the artworks outside the theatre.

Distance view of the Cathedral

This is the nearest we came to the Cathedral on this trip. Canterbury is of course the seat of the Archbishop of the Church of England.

Sun Hotel

This is the Sun Hotel, built 1503, and made famous by Charles Dickens (allegedly). Not that the people of Kent are at all obsessed with Dickens, of course.

Canterbury street

One of the many picturesque streets that we passed through. Some are more picturesque than others.

Back in Nero

We had picked out the 15:35 bus back to Broadstairs. This left us time for a last quick visit to Caffè Nero.

Aboard the 9

The bus was on time (is this a record?) and we climbed to the upper deck where the views are better.

Broadstairs High Street

The journey was uneventful with countryside and villages to observe from the window. The bus dropped us back in Queens Street from where we walked down the High Street.

The Prince Albert

We passed the decorative Prince Albert pub, dated 1911.

The Promenade

We walked along the Promenade which was quite busy – not surprisingly on such a summery day.

The beach

The beach wasn’t all that crowded but probably day-trippers have already started for home.

We opened the windows

We returned home and opened the windows onto the street to let in the sunshine and sea air. We have, of course, made tea.

Later, we will see whether we have enough food on hand to make our evening meal or whether we need to supplement our stock with a visit to the Co-op. For now we are content to relax and watch the world go by.

At around 8 pm we bestirred ourselves and thought about looking for our evening meal. We walked up the hill…

The shell shop

…passing the shell shop,…

The Amusement Arcade

…the amusement arcade,…

The Antiques Shop

…the antiques shop and several cafes and restaurants all of which were closed! Broadstairs seems to shut down in the early evening.

The High Street

We started up the High Street which was almost silent in contrast to its daytime bustle.

Gulls, aerial socialising

The only source of noise was a flock of gulls performing their evening aerial socialising, flying round and round and calling.

The Co-operative – open

So, finding the Co-operative store open, we went in and bought the makings of supper. We bought items to microwave so as to have something hot.

Down the High Street

We then returned down the High Street, heading for the bay and home.

The Promenade

We walked along the promenade which was much more lively than the rest of town and where the local gulls, like their cousins over the Hugh Street, were performing their evening socialising, sometimes speeding along inches above our heads.

Viking Bay at evening

I couldn’t resist a final photo of Viking Bay. The tide is well in, as you can see. Few people remained on the beach though a volleyball court had been set up snd a game was in progress.

As for us, we went home and enjoyed our Co-operative supper – with tea, of course!

For our first morning in Broadstairs, the sun is shining and the air is warm. We have no plans today so we are taking it easy.

Looking across Viking Bay

Harbour Street

We set off past Viking Bay and up Harbour Street.

Palace Cinema
Photo by Tigger

We passed the small Palace Cinema.

Viking Bay from above

I took another photo of Viking Bay (at the risk of boring you!) from the cliff.

Costa Coffee

We called in at Costa for coffee and croissants.

We set out to ramble here and there.

York Street

Bandstand

Louisa Bay

Greenery
Photo by Tigger

Beach shelter

We sat in this shelter with a built-in clock tower for a while enjoying the scenery and the calm atmosphere.

The Cliff Lift

As we passed the cliff lift, the doors opened on an empty car as though to invite us in. We, however, ignored it and continued on our way.

We returned home for a rest and a cup of tea. Then we went out to prospect for lunch.

Aqua 43

We plumped for a cafe in Albion Street with the unusual name Aqua 43 which we had visited on previous trips to Broadstairs.

Aqua 43 interior

The cafe has a very colourful interior, as you can see. Perhaps, like the name, it is intended to reflect a watery environment.

Sinister mermaid

Later, we passed another cafe which has outside it the most sinister-looking mermaid I have ever seen!

Beach chair

Included in the facilities of the apartment is a pair of folding chairs intended for the beach. We thought we had better use them as they were there.

Sitting on the beach

We carried them across the street onto the beach and set them up. We spent s couple of hours sitting on s sunlit beach watching the waves, the gulls and the people. No prizes for guessing I preferred the first two.

Inflating the paddle board
Photo by Tigger

Near us, a couple of men were pumping air into their inflatable paddleboards.

Off they go

They went down to the water and disappeared into the wild blue yonder. (We saw them return safely some time later.)

The gulls were active

The gulls were active and they were the ones I preferred to watch. Even when they seemed to relax they remained observant and whenever there was a chance of food they would immediately fly to the place. Feeding gulls is prohibited in most areas because of incidents when they have snatched food from people with a consequent risk of injury to the unwilling donor.

After sunning ourselves on the beach (something we rarely do), we returned home and made tea. Later, we must decide what we are doing for supper, whether eating out or ordering in.

After our evening meal we went for a little walk to take a look at the sea.

Views of the sea at evening

The sun was setting and the daylight was fading, making the scene rather leaden but perhaps even more dramatic.

Boats on the beach

Old Lifeboat Station

This is the old lifeboat station. It closed as such in 1912 and its functions are served by the modern motorised lifeboats in Ramsgate and Margate. It is now an RNLI shop.

Leaning

This side view shows how ramshackle it has become with a marked lean to starboard!

Home again

It was now decidedly chilly outside and therefore a pleasure to return to our temporary home.

What shall we find to do tomorrow? 🙂