Herne Bay, Kent

Herne Bay is a charming seaside town on the north coast of Kent, located six miles north of Canterbury and four miles east of Whitstable. Its seafront is notable for the world’s first freestanding purpose-built Clock Tower, erected in 1837. The town once boasted the second-longest pier in the UK, stretching over 3,600 feet, though storm damage in 1978 left it partially destroyed.

Originally a small shipping community, Herne Bay grew into a popular Victorian seaside resort, with a promenade and pier attracting visitors. The town’s Victorian architecture remains a distinctive feature along the seafront, which includes a two-mile shingle beach awarded the European Blue Flag for cleanliness and safety. The seafront also offers Victorian gardens, a bandstand, amusement arcades, cafés, and water-sports facilities.

Herne Bay’s landscape is shaped by the Plenty Brook, which flows through the town into the Thames Estuary, creating two bays separated by a silt-formed headland. Nearby, Reculver Country Park features cliff-top Roman fort remains and a historic church with twin towers. The town also has a late 18th-century smock mill, Herne Mill, open to visitors seasonally.