The best way to spend winter in Margate
Winter by the sea can be hard: but it’s also a wonderful time to visit. The beaches are almost empty and the sea breezes will clear out the winter blues a treat. So, what are the best things to do in Margate during the winter?
Take a breezy coastal walk
There’s nothing like a bracing coastal walk to blow the cobwebs away. Make sure you are warm and dry and head out along the Viking Coastal Path in either direction - head past Margate Main Sands and towards Westgate and Birchington, or stride along the class of Cliftonville, Botany Bay and on past sheltered Joss Bay the cabbage fields of North Foreland towards Broadstairs.
Visit the Turner Contemporary
The Turner Contemporary is open for select days during the winter months so make sure you check their website before visiting, and to find out what’s on, quite often for children too.
https://turnercontemporary.org
Go for a bracing winter sea swim in Walpole Bay
Are you a wild swimmer? Do you fancy a somewhat sheltered swim in the freezing Margate sea? Walpole Bay is an ideal place to head into the water, a teensy bit sheltered from the wilder windy elements of the unfettered sea.
Go underground: visit the Shell Grotto and Margate Caves
Where better to go when the wind is howling and the rain is slashing? Margates infamous Shell Grotto fosters its unique reputation of unknown origin. Currently open Thursday - Sunday, be sure to check the website for opening times.
The Margate Caves reopened in 2019, fast becoming must see for visitors and a community hub for locals. Descend into the depths of the chalk bedrock and locate graffiti and paintings from several hundred years ago.
https://www.margatecaves.co.uk
Make the most of winter!
VISIT MARGATE…
Go to the Crab Museum
It prides itself on being the only museum in Europe dedicated to the world of the decapod! Expect science, humour and philosophy - sure to baffle as much as it engages. The museum is only open on the weekend - 11-5
Hunker down and keep cozy
There are lots of wonderful cozy places to stay in Margate, so if you feel like it you can stay in for your entire trip. Or head out and find a cozy pub or restaurant and extend your view for awhile.
Explore the surrounding area
East Kent is an interconnected web of interesting things to see and do. Get to Broadstairs and Ramsgate in less than 20 minutes. Get to Canterbury, Herne Bay, Sandwich, Whistable and Faversham in not much more than 30 minutes. (In the car… trains might take a little while longer)
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Hi, I’m Amelia, your host at Ballarat House in Margate. In this blog I’ll give you the insider’s view on the best things to see and do when you visit Margate.