an afternoon in whitstable

The first place you're likely to end up is the Harbour. It's pretty much a straight shot from the train station, and the walk through the residential areas is lovely. As you walk along the Harbour, you'll see hundreds and hundreds of oyster shells, piled high, with signs saying that the shells are reused, so that oyster larvae have something to attach to. There is so much history in all of the buildings, and they've still got that old feel. The water was a bit cold, but the beach was nice, and the air was fresh! 

Whitstable is famous for its seafood, especially oysters. As you walk along the harbour, there are scads and scads of places to get seafood from. We stopped by this harbour-side fisherman's hut that was selling them, called The Forge (. It was buzzing with people eating an assortment of goodies, from oysters to doughnuts, and even some oyster stout, which was pretty nice! It was also my first time trying oysters, and though I'm not a fan, there was something nice about eating oysters by the sea. They were very fresh! 

We had fish and chips for dinner later in the day, which was also so fresh! We cleaned our plates! There were a ton of great looking restaurants on the main street, Harbour Street, and we had our pick. In the end, we stopped at  , a little whole in the wall that served up a very filling plate of fish and chips. If you are looking for other choices, Wheeler's Oyster Bar (8 High Street, Whitstable CT5 1BQ) is a popular choice. We looked in and it was absolutely full of people. The sweet pink exterior was definitely appealing! If we'd gone for more than a day, we definitely would have eaten here too. 

If you want to get away from the beach for a little while, stop by Whitstable Castle and have a wander through the gardens. It started out as a private home, but has now become a public garden. They have a tea room, where you can see a small bit of the interiors of the building. There's a tea room as well, if you fancy some scones. Or you could bring some food and sit out on the lawn or in the rose garden. It was a nice break from the busyness of the harbour, though there were plenty of people up at the castle.