Whitstable Weekend

Friday 12th October
We start by taking Pixel to Appledown Kennels for the weekend - he goes off happily which makes us feel a bit better about leaving him.
We drive to Whitstable - Sam does most of the driving then I take over for the last part of the journey. We go over the Dartford crossing - which was impressive.

Once we arrive in Whitstable we have a little walk around the harbour and then go to a nice little pub to have lunch - the food was great. Sam and I have panga - which we hadn't tasted before and was delicious. Vickie had a jacket potato with crayfish.

The girl in the pub gives us a contact for a B and B to stay in - sadly full, but she directs us to another pub, the Duke of Clarence. There are no rooms there either but the nice guy who runs the pub gives us the number of someone with a house to let. We walk round to see it and it is perfect - two bedrooms and a sofa bed for Frank the first night. It is well equipped and located centrally so we can walk to the sea front and into town.
As the landlady had just redecorated she had a few bits to finish off we walk along the seafront and have a drink at the Neptune - which has great views of the sea. We then walk into town and buy some bits for breakfast and lunch which we take back to the house.

 

We decide to go out for dinner and start at the Cheesebox - we try some delicious cheeses with some very nice wine. To start with we were the only customers but it filled up quickly and the tiny space became quite crowded with people happy to stand and eat.

  We move on to find somewhere to eat our main meal and after trying several places end up in Prezzo and have Italian food. We then potter back to the house for a drink and a chat before bed.



Saturday 13th October
We cook breakfast before pottering down into town to have a wander round the charity shops. we all pick up a bargain - I find a nice monsoon dress which, with the addition of a new belt looks great. Vickie gets a few tops and some lovely shoes and a pair of boots and Sam some monsoon trousers and a Per Una shirt.
We walk along to the pub for a coffee and watch the yachts in the bay - they looked lovely in the sunshine. We can see the wind farm in the background.

 Then we pop back for lunch - delicious wraps. We walk back into town as I want to go to Boots - it rains heavily but soon stops. Jerry and Frank ring to say they have arrived so we go down to meet them and show them the house. 

We walk along the beach for a drink at the Neptune and a second one at The Duke of Clarence. We have dinner at the place we had lunch on the first day - which we all enjoy. We potter back home and sit chatting - Vickie is keen to go to bed - at 8.15, although she eventually manages to stay up until nearly 10.00!

In The Duke of Clarence

Sunday 14th October
After cooked breakfast Vickie, Sam and I set off for Canterbury. We spend a pleasant few hours exploring the town centre - which is very pretty.
We then join Frank and Jerry in Herne Bay - they have collected Sister Rose from where she lives so she can have a day out. We find a funny little restaurant serving roast lunch and enjoy a meal together. Sam and I leave around 2.00 as we want to collect Pixel from Appledown before they close - we have missed him so much. It was a real shame we didn't take him along as the accommodation and beach were dog friendly - as were many of the pubs!