Kent: Local, Characterful Guides to Britain's Special Places - Paperback

by Simon Richmond (Author)

Folkestone resident and globe-trotting travel writer Simon Richmond turns the spotlight on his home county in this brand-new title, part of Bradt's award-winning series of Slow travel guides to UK regions. Walkers, cyclists, families, food and art lovers, and wildlife enthusiasts are all catered for, with coverage of a wide range of attractions, as well as all the practical information you could need to plan and enjoy time spent in this delightful corner of England. The diversity of Kent is striking, from Canterbury Cathedral, part of a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, to Dungeness, Kent's southernmost point, an extraordinary location and home to artist and film-maker Derek Jarman's Prospect Cottage. The village of Pluckley was once named England's most haunted by the Guinness World Records, while St Leonard's Church in Hythe has the largest and best-preserved collection of ancient human skulls and bones in Britain. This in-depth guide covers all the most popular places as well as many of the lesser-known ones, dividing the county into five easy-to-follow chapters. Explore Dover and spend time at its iconic White Cliffs, saunter through Vita Sackville-West's gorgeous gardens at the National Trust's Sissinghurst estate, visit the grave of Pocahontas in Gravesend, and contemplate the delightful and thought-provoking public art of the revitalised seaside town of Folkestone. History has been made in Kent, at Hever Castle, where Anne Boleyn spent her childhood and which was later restored by William Waldorf Astor, and at Chartwell, the family home and garden of Sir Winston Churchill. Kent's food and drink offering is increasingly celebrated, with a growing reputation for high quality restaurants and boutique wineries, not to mention the world's oldest brewer and largest collection of fruit trees at Faversham. From flora and fauna to castles, watersports, beaches and wildlife, discover Kent with Bradt's unique Slow travel guide.

Author Biography

UK -born writer, photographer and artist, Simon Richmond (www.simonrichmond.com) has been researching and writing global travel guidebooks and other non-fiction titles for major publishers including Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, DK Eyewitness and Time Out for over 25 years. Having lived overseas for nearly two decades, Simon first visited Folkestone in 2014, during the third edition of its arts triennial. He was so taken by the seaside town that, three weeks later, he had bought a flat and was planning his relocation from London. By switching the city for the seaside Simon, like many other DFLs (Down From Londoners) has benefited from an improved quality of life. In his research for Slow Travel Kent he's travelled all over the county, revisiting favourite haunts such as Canterbury, Ramsgate, Margate and Dungeness; it's also been a treat to find good reasons to journey out to remote but sublime locations like the Isle of Grain and the Isle of Harty. He's particularly enjoyed tracking down Kent's horticultural treasures, particularly lesser-known gems like Pines Gardens in St Margaret's Bay and the gardens attached to Restoration House in Rochester. Follow the visual record of his travels on Instagram (@slowtravelkent) and catch some of his sketches of the region on www.facebook.com/urbansketchersfolkestone.