Days out in Fabulous Folkestone
Updated: Aug 22
If you're staying with us here at Horton View Farm Camping and Bell Tents you can easily while away the hours relaxing, open-air cooking and being immersed in nature. But if you feel like a change of pace and some sea air, and you can drag yourself away from the birdsong and beautiful views of the downs, we'd highly recommend heading to Folkestone.
Having almost fallen off the map in terms of seaside destinations since the late 90s it has staged an almighty comeback. Not only has this buzzy town been named by The Times as one of the best places to live in south east England, it is described by Harper's Bazaar as Kent's 'artistic rough diamond you really need to visit' and we're inclined to agree.
We think Folkestone's got everything you need for a great day out. The town has the UK's largest urban outdoor exhibition of contemporary art and searching for them will take you all around the town and harbour arm (and under it in the case of the Anthony Gormley sculpture). It also has beaches, beach bars, a quaint cobbly high street with independent shops, cafes and galleries, not to mention what is, for me, one of the most exciting events in the calendar: the Folkestone Triennial, a three month long summer festival of contemporary art that's been running every three years since 2008, bringing the work of home-grown and internationally renowned artists to Folkestone. I'm very excited that the sixth edition of this festival is coming this summer from 19th July to 19th October 2025. *Update: next one coming in 2028.
Art aside, there's much more to see and do in Folkestone. I'll cover them here in brief, but again if you're camping with us and need more info we'd be happy to help.
The Harbour Arm
If you want to explore the lively side of Folkestone, the Harbour Arm is a good place to start. There's a large car park which is conveniently placed to explore much of what the town has to offer.
The Harbour Arm is full of bars and restaurant and entertainment. The Harbourside area has cafes and bars and plenty of activities including The Board Room games bar with shuffleboard and e-darts. On a sunny day there's nothing nicer than heading to The Pilot beach bar looking out to sea and watching the world go by.
The Marketplace on weekends and bank holiday is home to a range of maker stalls selling artisan goods, and next door in the food court is an open air cinema screening classic films for free. There's various eateries dotted all along the harbour arm, and one of our favourites for the best views across the harbour and great food is The Tasting Rooms. For a special treat there's a champagne bar in the lighthouse right at the end of the walkway.
Follow the old railway line, past Sip coffee shop, housed in the old signal box, across the harbour, towards Sunny Sands beach and The Stade, the working side of the harbour where the fishing boats bring their catch of the day. Here you'll find family run Bob's Seafood shellfish stall (it's fresh - they have their own fishing boat!), and Sandy's which is (in our opinion) the best take-away fish and chips in the area. Just around the corner from Sandy's is Herbert's Gelato for excellent home made ice cream.
A short walk from The Stade is the Old High Street, a cobbled lane full of cafes, art galleries and independent shops. There's so many good cafes and shops it's difficult to choose a favourite, but we do particularly like Steep Street Coffee book café and bakery, and if you continue up the hill to Rendezvous Street, Moda Emporium is a treasure-trove of gifts and goodies.
For walks and views, head up to the top of the cliffs to Warren Country Park, or in the opposite direction head to Folkestone Leas, but don't miss the wonderful rows of artist-designed coloured beach huts down on the beachside promenade, just past the Leas Lift. The grade II listed funicular lift is a piece of Folkestone History which is currently being renovated and scheduled to reopen in 2026. We'd recommend a circular walk, heading along the beachside promenade one way and then climbing the cliff and heading back either through the Lees Country Park or right on the top of the cliff along the upper promenade, looking out for the many art installations en-route.
I'll carry on adding to this page as there's so much to folkestone that we are still discovering, but you can easily spend a day wandering and taking in the atmosphere, or weather permitting, just sitting on the beach enjoying the sunshine!
Other places we like in Folkestone:
The Radnor Arms in the Old Bouverie district - part of the Pickled Egg pub chain, which includes our very own Five Bells Inn in Brabourne.
The Pullman 7-9 Church St, in the Market Square area at the top of the Old High St. It's a busy, more traditional type pub in a quaint part of town, with real ales and pub food.
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