Grab your swimmers and pack yourself a picnic, folks – because we’re off on another trip to the seaside. Where are we heading to this time, I hear you ask? The charmingly timeless town of Ramsgate, of course. I mean, we’ve already put our two cents in on its next-door neighbours – so it was only a matter of time, really.
Whilst Margate is hip-and-happening, and Broadstairs is quaint-and-quiet; Ramsgate offers its own unique sort of charm (certainly not a sentence I thought I’d be writing when I was going to school there many moons ago). Perched on the southeastern edge of the country, this seaside spot serves up history, charm, and a decent dollop of nostalgia.
Ramsgate started out as a fishing and farming hamlet, with its first known reference being in the 13th century. It only really started to pique proper interest when King George IV set off from there on route to Hanover in 1821. He was supposedly so impressed by the seaside spot that he gave its harbour a rather sought-after royal status. And Ramsgate Harbour remains to this day the only Royal Harbour in the UK.
Ramsgate has welcomed some pretty notable names over the years, with its impressive guest list including the likes of Princess Victoria, Vincent Van Gogh, and Jane Austen (just to name a few). The town also played a pivotal role in both World Wars, serving as a base for the Royal Forces, and sending some Little Ships over to Dunkirk. Nowadays, Ramsgate is a bustling town, with an ever-growing art and music scene, and plenty of waterside bars and independent eateries.
Things to do in Ramsgate
Now, of course you can head to the beach. But as somebody who grew up in the area; I’d recommend opting for Broadstairs or Margate if it’s the quintessential bucket-and-spade, fish-and-chips, spending-an-outrageous-amount-of-money-at-the-amusement-arcade seaside town experience that you’re after. Ramsgate, however, should top the charts for history-lovers. It’s home to an underground labyrinth of wartime tunnels that span three miles beneath the town that can be visited and explored. The tunnels were constructed as an air raid precaution and include a former railway tunnel that dates all the way back to 1863.
Ramsgate is also home to a plethora of museums and a whole host of gorgeous walking and cycling routes. You can also jump aboard a boat at Ramsgate Harbour and set sail to feast your eyes on some magnificent birdlife, and – if you’re lucky – some ever-so inquisitve seals. It’s an upbeat and lively town that’s somehow managed to maintain its old-school feel. There’s so many independent spots to eat, drink, and be merry. And if all else fails, Ramsgate is home to the UK’s largest Wetherspoons. And if that’s not a reason to pay the town a visit; I don’t know what is, really.
Getting to Ramsgate from London
Ramsgate can be reached ever so easily from the capital city. Londoners can hop on one of the regular, direct services that run from both London St Pancras International and London Victoria (the former being slightly speedier, taking just an hour and 20 minutes. If you’re heading there in the car, Ramsgate is approximately a two hour drive from London, and there’s plenty of pay-and-display parking options in and around the town centre.