Margate: Seaside Special



Took the South Eastern train from Bromley South to Margate, last Wednesday 27/6.
Apart from some signal failures at Whitstable, causing a six minute delay, the journey was quiet, smooth and very agreeable.
 Alighting from the station, one walked through the entrance/exit and there in front of you was the sea; how lovely.

The beach stretched out  in  a curve, with real  sand.  The tide was out.  We walked along the main Esplanade, enjoying for once, the warmth  of the sun.



Margate has been a seaside town for over 250 years. It has been a holiday spot for Londoners, drawn to the sandy beaches.
In recent times Margate has seen a downturn in its economy. 36% of the shops are now closed.




But all is not doom or gloom, far from it. The new Turner Gallery opened in 2011 and is bringing a new art culture to the town. There is to be a grant of 100k to help in the rejuvenation of the town, and when we paid a visit to the old town quarter, we were delighted with the local shops with locally sourced food and goods.
Everyone was friendly and there was a good-natured air about the place.
We dined on a sumptious burger at the 'Greedy Cow ' cafe; served with coldslaw and a variety of toppings and layers; all washed down with a drop of Kentish cider- yummy!
We were reminded, when visiting one of the craft shops there, of the recent five part BBC TV series "True Love ," which was set entirely in Margate and helped very much in an improved perception of the town.
More about Old Town here:
M/old-town

Having looked, shopped and eaten, we made our way towards the aforementioned gallery; passing an interesting clock tower on the way.



It  was built in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee ( another one).
The five bells were replaced in 1908.

The Turner Contemporary Gallery, to give it its full name is a very interesting building indeed.



Set by the harbour, it looks engagingly upon the sea.





The exhibition presently on, is the work of Tracey Emen; herself born in Margate.
The paintings are bold, brash and striking, mostly drawn in a bright sea-blue colour.
Some look deceptively simple, until one observes the composition and setting.
Tracey has never been afraid of making a statement, in an honest and unashamed way.
Her line drawings show a great accuracy of purpose, without any unnecessary embellishments.
Worth a look ( did I mention free entry? ) I think.

more on Tracey's gallery work here:

Tracey

After viewing the art, we made our way along the harbour wall, until we came to some  old fisherman's huts, now converted into a tea-room.
We sat down, upon a deck chair provided and enjoyed a splendid pot of coffee.
As we gazed over the beach, with the tide on the turn, we suddenly noticed in the distance a big black pall of smoke.


It didn't, fortunately last long, but of course a song came to mind: yes, you've guessed it "Smoke on The Water." Here it is : Air Guitars ready !

smoke


After that excitement, it was just time for a brief paddle, ( I'll spare you the pics.) and then back to the nearby rail station for the return journey.

A great day out in the sun.

###############################


For a poem on Margate and other words view my Tumbir at :


###############################

Cheerio

Ck.


Comments

Post a Comment

please feel free to comment and point out faults.
glad to have you aboard .

Curlykale.

Popular posts from this blog

Jimmy Uttley: God's Spring Blessing

Image
  Saturday 16th February Hi All, I want to start with a bold statement: we are all selfish. The more we age, the more we want to cling onto life. It's the old survival instinct. That's why it's important to pause at each Valentine Day and realise how important our family and friends are. The love and support they give us and hopefully we return; slows down that selfish gene and makes us glad to be human.  To love and be loved; makes us humble, content and lucky. VvvvvvvvVvvvvv My synapses, as you have probably figured, fire strangely.  Example: lucky made me think of gambling- having a bet - favourite jockeys; which led me  to Jimmy Uttley . Jimmy As  you can tell, if you clicked on the above link, jockey Jimmy Uttley, as far as I know,  only rode over hurdles, rather than fences. He will always be associated with the great Persian War, on whom he won three champion hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival 1968 - 1970  I have tried to look up further informa
Read more

Tuesday Glory: Spring is Coming

Image
When Tuesdays are glorious; the birds sing; the sun shines; the bright colours come out to play and all is well with the world. Such a day was Tuesday, February 8th, at eleven  'o ' clock, when I fetched up at the Sherborne National Trust Estate. This sign looked promising, but as I made my way out of the car park and into the woodland, no snowdrops were to be seen. But although the woods were still sleeping in the shade, some catkins were  in view. Reaching the road and turning right, I soon came by the nature reserve, with its gentle meandering stream. When I reached the nearby church, I beheld  my first snowdrops; a wonderful domesticated array of white, interspersed with yellow crocus. My route then took me, from the road, back into the estate. Here, through the effect of the sun shining on the ground; were further miracles before me as I walked back to the car.   A selection of images for you. All that was left to complete this excelle
Read more

Heavy Going in Wotton

Image
Started the new year with a circular Cotswold Way  walk based on Wotton Under Edge. It was over five miles in length, on a day when misty weather clouded the valley views. The ground was muddy, sodden in places; but temperature  wise, was good for winter walking. The rain largely held off; except for a persistent drizzle at times. The walk started from the High Street in Wotton; crossed the main car-park and then headed up a grassy track by the side of a school. This led, via a style into fields; which steadily climbed up until the footpath for Ozlewoth was reached. In a short while by turning left ; the walk joined the Cotswold Way  on its route back to Wotton. The picture above shows the level of mud and water, found on the track out to meet the road back to Wotton. One had to walk with extreme care! The conditions proved so trying, that rather than take this down-slope I continued down the road; until Wotton was reached. Net Neutrality Changing the subject, I feel
Read more