Broadstairs on a sunny day

I love Broadstairs in Kent even when it's not sunny, but today was a winning combination.

We left the marathon runners and their supporters behind for once, and after negotiating the peculiarities of Stratford station and Stratford International station (you have to take a courtesy bus through the Olympic park to the weirdly deserted International station) got the high speed train down to the Kent coast. Just for your information, the high speed bit only applies until you get to Ashford International - from then to Broadstairs it's back to the usual rural Kent speeds.

I was tempted to swim, but hadn't brought my cossie and it was still a bit cold - quite a bit of paddling was done in its place, however.

Morelli's old-style ice cream parlour provides the requisite sweet stuff, and we later found some good fish n chips for our late lunch.

If you've never visited the east Kent trio of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, I can recommend all three. They each have their charms, and are all markedly different in character - all can be reached by the high speed rail link from St Pancras via Stratford and Ebbsfleet in just over an hour, and the new Turner Contemporary gallery has now opened in Margate, so even more reason to visit.