Something for the weekend, Travel

SFTW: A great weekend break near London

May 31, 2015

Botany Bay

You may or may not have noticed that last week was half-term. As my boyfriend Pete is a teacher, that means he had a whole week off work. As you can imagine, I tend to save up many jobs for him to do during his holidays (last summer he renovated and decorated our kitchen), but this time he was keen to make the most of his time off. As I am now officially heavily pregnant (and all the grumpier for it), I stipulated that it had to be somewhere close to home and NO camping.

After a little bit of research, we decided on the Kent Coast. It’s less than two hours’ drive from our house and there are also fast trains from King’s Cross that take just over an hour. We drove to Ramsgate first with the idea of walking either to Pegwell Bay or Broadstairs. When will I learn that taking a toddler anywhere near a beach means that he will want to strip off all his clothes and stay there for hours??! We were in no rush, so we hung around Ramsgate for a bit, ate a hearty lunch at Corby’s Tea Rooms and ended up driving to Pegwell Bay for a walk while the toddler slept.

A weekend break on the Kent coastWe rented a cottage from Airbnb in the cute seaside town of Deal – it’s a bit smaller and more picturesque than the bigger towns and there are some fantastic places to eat (we had a great breakfast at The Black Douglas). We were lucky enough to have glorious weather the next day and headed to Botany Bay – I’m always amazed by just how beautiful some of the scenery is in the UK and this huge, secluded beach is no exception. There’s some great rock pools, too. If you’re interested in visiting the Kent coast area, this article from the Guardian is a nice starting point and this website is great for planning activities and where to go.

A weekend break in Kent

In other news:

1. Speaking of travel, I’ve always wanted to visit the Highlands and this four-day road trip sounds perfect. If you’re feeling more adventurous, this guide from Lulutastic on travelling around Europe with your kids is really useful and makes it sounds amazing!

2. I’m continually feeling guilty for not doing enough pelvic floor exercises so I’ve been using this app – it’s really easy to use and you can set (subtle) reminders on your phone.

3. Kind of love the idea of this after the baby’s born.

4. I bought this Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil on a whim as there was a 3-for-2 offer on in The Body Shop (I was also buying my favourite face wash as a present) and I’m really loving it. I just massage it onto my face at night after cleansing and it leaves my skin feeling so soft in the morning. Also, I think it’s helping to fade some of my spot scars.

5. Do you love mummy or daddy more?

6. I love lipstick (and I think everyone should give it a try!), but I do struggle to apply it neatly. I tried this technique from Bloomin’ Rouge and it makes application much easier.

7. Didn’t Rose look gorgeous at her friend’s wedding? I loved her tips on putting together outfits for the wedding season.

8. How do you feel about kids’ TV? Of course I love it for it’s magical ability to keep George quiet and entertained for half an hour and I’m quite partial to Frozen, but I find most of it barely tolerable. Nicky, on the other hand, loves Peppa Pig possibly more than her son Oscar. How about you? Do you secretly love any kids’ TV shows?

What have you been up to this weekend? Have you been anywhere nice for a short break recently?

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4 Comments

  • Lizziewoodman@gmail.com'
    Reply Lizzie Woodman May 31, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    Deal is so lovely. I haven’t been for many years, but I’d love to go back. Also good for a weekend in Kent is Canterbury and nearby Whitstable. I’m just back from a short break on the Isle of Man – nice, but a tad nippy!

    • Reply Rachel June 1, 2015 at 7:50 am

      I’ve been to Whitstable a few times and it’s lovely – even closer to London as well!

  • dave.porter@gmail.com'
    Reply Dave Porter May 31, 2015 at 9:22 pm

    Deal isn’t a village, its a town of over 30,000 last time I looked.

    • Reply Rachel June 1, 2015 at 7:50 am

      Oops! My mistake, will change now.

    Leave a Reply to Rachel Cancel Reply