Attractions and Places To See around Westgate-On-Sea - Top 20

Botany Bay, one of Thanet's most photographed bays, is famous. This hidden gem offers breathtaking views of white cliffs and beautiful chalk formations. At low tide, Botany Bay is an ideal spot for fossil hunting and exploring the tide pools. At high tide, there's plenty of exposed sand to discover, but due to the bay's shape, the ends are cut off at high tide. Helpful tide chart website: https://www.tideschart.com/United-Kingdom/England/Southend--on--Sea/Botany-Bay-Beach/

This magnificent, horseshoe-shaped bay is the main attraction of Broadstairs. It was the favorite holiday destination of Charles Dickens, who even dedicated a beloved story to it: "Our English Watering Place". The long sandy bay, the cliff-top promenade, and the wooden jetty make this bay a timelessly beautiful place.

Didn't know until I got here that Ramsgate was a central point for the Dunkirk little ships in WW2

Quaint seaside town with a lovely beach and lots of Dickens history.

Stunning location, visible for miles on the approach along the coast. Great coffee and flapjack in the cafe too.

bloody confrontation at Marsh Bay near here proved the downfall of the North Kent gang. A blockademan recognized one of the gang, and called out his name. At this, all resistance evaporated as the smugglers fled. This was just the beginning of the story, though. The matter was put in the hands of a Margate solicitor, John Boys. Amazingly, pursuit by the legal process succeeded where the gun and pistol had failed. Through Boys' tenacious efforts 18 members of the gang were brought to book, and a Maidstone jury convicted all 18 for armed assembly. The conviction and break-up of the gang is especially remarkable because of the intimidation that went on in the lead-up to the trial. The unfortunate solicitor... '...was the object of general hatred in the town of Margate; he was placarded on the walls as an informer and a hunter after blood-money, his house was frequently assailed, his windows broken, his person assaulted in the dark, the fruit trees in his garden destroyed' [20] Boys was probably not the only one intimidated, either. Jury nobbling was commonplace, and the Maidstone jury were putting themselves at considerable risk by bringing in their guilty verdict. Smugglers used caves in Margate to store their goods, and the earthworks remained a closely-guarded secret until they were revealed by sheer fluke: a gardener working at Trinity Square disappeared in a fatal fall when his spade penetrated the roof of the long-forgotten cavern. The owner of the site presumably mourned the loss of his employee for only a token period, for the cave was soon opened as a tourist attraction.

Broadstairs TR3967 2m N of Ramsgate (map 179). To reach Botany Bay take the B2052 from Margate towards Broadstairs. About two miles from Margate centre turn left down Botany Road. The Captain Digby Inn is about ¾ mile further along the B2052 where the road makes a sharp turn to the right. Joss Bay is half a mile closer to Broadstairs: there is a large car-park on the cliff above the beach. Continue on another ¾ mile towards Broadstairs, past the North Foreland lighthouse, and turn right into Lanthorne Road. Stone House (now split into flats) on the corner of the road was used by the Callis Court Gang for storage, and a tunnel linking the house to the coast was revealed when it collapsed under the weight of a bulldozer in the 1950s. Farm Cottage, where Snelling himself lived, is a couple of hundred yards further along on the right. At the far end of the road, a right turn takes you along Callis Court Road. Look down Fig Tree Road as you pass it on the left. The house with the small copper cupola was once the Fig Tree Inn. Anyone seeking work as a smuggler could find it here. Carry on along Callis Court Road, and at its end continue straight ahead into Elmwood Avenue. In the garden of a thatched cottage halfway down on the left is a row of caves that once hid contraband.

Great coastal rides from Whitstable to Margate but very busy on summer weekends with many pedestrians along the promenades. These routes are best on week days for a good ride.