Folkestone still flies a bit under the radar when it comes to a weekend mini break. Margate gets all the “Hackney-on-sea” hype, and Whitstable the hoards of oyster-seeking tourists, and yet Folkestone punches way above its size for arts, culture and destination restaurants worth leaving London for.
Back in its early 20th century heyday, the town was the height of cosmopolitan glamour as the jumping off point for a boat train to France, with royalty and Agatha Christie holidaying at the Grand hotel and llama rides on the beach. But as British travellers turned to Europe, and the Channel Tunnel opened in the Nineties, Folkestone became better known for sad seaside dereliction than high-end holidays.
