I don't usually travel to this part of kent as its quicker for me to travel to Eastbourne, Hastings and Brighton. However i had heard lots about Margate the "Jewel Of Kent" so I thought I would give it a try. Even though Bob Geldof has recently said it was a disgrace.
First things first when you drive into town it isn't nice, it has lots of run down and boarded up buildings. There is also a Primark on the sea front, real class, dream land looked more like a nightmare but i decided to look further.
I parked the car near the new Turner centre which hasn't yet been completed, but I was impressed that the car park was only 60p for 2 hours, bargain it would probably £6 in Brighton. I had heard that the old town was nice so I walked around. I went to a fantastic cafe which had the best coffee I have had outside London. However there wasn't much else to do there.
I decided to walk up to the shell Grotto but there was a couple of heroine addicts behind me so I decided to let them pass. The approach to Shell Grotto wasn't very nice but once inside it was amazing. The Grotto was discovered in Victorian times but no one is sure of it's exact date or purpose. The tour guide said 1142 AD and believed that the Knights templar used it. The grotto has over 4 million shells on the walls and various symbols from Greek mythology, pagan rituals, and has alot to do with the equinox. For me there was to much info to take in. But it is well worth a visit.
After this I walked up Grotty hill, I mean Grotto Hill where I found a fantastic second hand junk shop that was an alladins cave, but when I walked down the other side there was a group of sheepish characters hanging around and every wall has graffiti on it and every pavement dog muck.
All in all I wasn't impressed maybe once Margate was grand and maybe it will be again but it needs lots of TLC
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