Welcome to White Cliffs Country

Head east with me into Kent, the historic county with its toes in the sea

I am not from these parts – neither Kentish Maid nor Maid of Kent – but I always felt at home when visiting friends for more than two decades until, in 2014, I became a ‘DFL’ and moved Down From London to the Garden of England. And, with its fascinating history and beautiful scenery, it’s no surprise that living here in Kent sparks my imagination and inspires my writing. 

In the west, the countryside is quintessentially English: all dreamy rolling hills, red-brick villages and oast houses, with orchards cropping up in every spare acre, and hop gardens and vineyards ripening into autumn. There are beautiful country houses to discover: Vita Sackville West’s Sissinghurst, Jacobean Godinton House near Ashford, and medieval Ightham Mote. And Kent boasts around thirty castles – that’s one to every 30 square miles – including Anne Boleyn’s childhood home at Hever, mighty Leeds Castle and the romantic moated Scotney Castle. Plus, they all have their classic English gardens in which to while away an afternoon. 

Further east, as you enter the Isle of Thanet – an island in Roman times – the land becomes flat and sometimes bleak, especially in winter with the north wind blowing, but quietly magnificent when the glittering marshes reflect the wide sky. Here you find the thriving seaside towns of Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate, hosting cultural festivals all year round, from blues and soul to folk. 

Broadstairs has its Dickens connection and Ramsgate its Royal Harbour, and each their own personality, while Margate – edgy, vibrant and the place where Banksy created his latest artwork – was JMW Turner’s inspiration. The great artist captured his famed sunsets from the spot where the Turner Contemporary art gallery now sits, looking west up the Thames estuary with that big sky reflecting the light. And, more recently, Tracey Emin returned to her hometown to set up a new art school. Her neon artwork is on display next to the Turner on Margate’s harbour arm.

All around the Thanet coast you’ll discover sandy beaches. The town seafronts are beacons for day trippers in summer, while the lesser-known bays, wild and sheltered by chalk cliffs, offer freedom to relax away from the crowds, especially off-season. 

Kent is filled to the brim with history. This is where the Romans first set foot in Britain. And being on the front line during the Second World War, the county saw the departure and return of the Little Ships during the Dunkirk evacuations, and the Battle of Britain fought overhead. The tunnels under the White Cliffs at Dover Castle, used as secret military headquarters during the Second World War, are ripe for exploration. As are the tunnels under Ramsgate, hollowed out of the chalk as a place of safety for townsfolk during the war.

Such stories, memories and ghosts have inspired some of my own novels, including my latest book The Officer’s Wife (out on 3 April 2023), which is set in Margate, and in a fictitious hamlet on the edge of East Blean Woods, near Canterbury. 

I’ve walked many times through this ancient woodland - oftentimes getting lost on purpose - while the natural tranquility of the age-old landscape helps my creativity flow, conjuring up more stories as I go.