Folkestone

Folkestone is a Channel port town that has changed more substantially in the last 15 years than in the previous 50. The Creative Quarter -- an area of independent galleries, studios, cafes and shops in the streets above the harbour -- was established in 2004 and is now a functioning arts district with a distinct character. The Harbour Arm, developed more recently, is a food and leisure destination on a Victorian pier structure above the harbour basin. Together they make Folkestone the most genuinely interesting coastal town in Kent for visitors interested in contemporary culture alongside maritime history.

The Victorian clifftop promenade -- the Leas -- runs above the town and gives the widest unobstructed Channel view available from any public space on the Kent coast. From the Leas, the Leas Lift takes visitors down the cliff to the lower town and the beach below; the lift is a water-powered funicular built in 1885 and still operating. At the Harbour Arm, Antony Gormley's 'Another Time XVIII' stands on a submerged landing stage -- visible only near low tide, which gives it a quality of appearing and disappearing.

April to October is the main season for the Harbour Arm. The Creative Quarter operates year-round, with the gallery programme most active from spring to autumn. High-speed rail from London St Pancras takes 53 minutes to Folkestone Central, making this one of the most accessible day-trip destinations in Kent.