SANDS GREAT
Quiet English beach reveals huge £1.5million revamp with 93 new beach huts and seaside cafe
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A POPULAR beach in Kent will be kitted out with brand-new beach huts next year thanks to a £1.5million renovation project.
Plans to build the new beach huts at Greatstone Beach (near New Romney) were approved by back in June.
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The colourful new beach huts are part of the Romney Marsh Coastal Destination project, which aims to make the Kent beach a holiday hotspot.
In addition to the 93 new beach huts, which should be ready for visitors in autumn 2025, the project will also see a visitor hub and an upgraded car park built.
A description on Folkestone & Hythe District Council website reads: "The visitor hub will contain accessible toilets, a Changing Places facility and a café concession kiosk.
"The chalets and visitor hub will be linked by a fully-accessible boardwalk."
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In a council meeting last month, Green party Cllr, Jeremy Speakman, revealed the total budget for the project was just over £1.5million - although it is not known if this is just for the beach huts.
Folkestone & Hythe District Council will fund £900,000, with additional funding being provided by Magnox, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and Community Infrastructure Levy contributions from developers.
At the time, Cllr Jeremy Speakman said: "This project has been very popular, drawn widespread local support providing great benefits for the area particularly because it also provides additional provision of a visitor centre."
Greatstone Beach has a 4.5/5 star rating from hundreds of reviews on TripAdvisor, with one person writing: "This beach is stunning".
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Another person added: "A beautiful never ending beach, the tide goes out for over half a mile!
"We saw lots of sea birds and felt totally at peace sat on this beach just relaxing".
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Greatstone Beach stretches for two miles and is a mix of sand and shingle.
The beach is a popular destination for watersports and windsports like land yachting, windsurfing and kiteboarding.
This is because it's the only beach on the South Coast that works on a North Easterly wind.
There's plenty of space for kitesurfers of all abilities too, which means it isn't too crowded either.
Because of the wide variety of rare plant species, small animals and insects found at Greatstone Dunes, the dunes are an a Site of Specific Scientific Interest.
It's also a 10-minute drive from Camber Sands
Greatstone is the nearest village to Greatstone Beach.
The tiny Kent village largely consists of residential buildings along with a handful of restaurants, pubs and holiday homes.
Nearby, there's also Littlestone-on-Sea iny coastal village, in New Romney, which was first established in the 1880s by politician St Robert Perks.
Mr Perks made it a popular seaside holiday resort for the wealthy crowds and the gentry.
It has since remained a quiet village, with locals having just a few shops and some holiday lets.
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Folkestone, Kent
With views of France (on a very clear day), the main attraction is the Harbour Arm, sitting at the edge of the converted train tracks and selling hand-crafted goods and amazing food.
The multicoloured high street with shops and restaurants can't be missed, my favourites being Burrito Buoy for some amazing margaritas and The Folkestone Bookshop for some novels.
You'll need to pack your beach shoes as it has a stony beach over a sandy beach - but after a few drinks at the much loved pilot bar, you'll hardly care.
Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Mousehole, Cornwall
The small sandy bay has retained it's chocolate box charm, crammed with weathered fishing boats and backed by pokey cafes and airy art galleries where seaside-inspired works hang from the walls.
For impeccable views of a wild sea and homemade grub, head to Rock Pool Cafe which sits atop a craggy cliff and order a 'make it yourself' hot chocolate.
There are some impressive coastal walks - but be warned it can be hilly.
Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire
Accessible on a spit of sand when the tide is out, this quirky little community art project is made up of driftwood, flags and mementoes from those who have visited to admire the huge swathes of golden sands and sparkling waters.
Sadly the original was destroyed in a fire in 2023 but an enthusiastic band of local volunteers are slowly re-building the landmark.
Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
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And Hythe in Kent was recently named the most affordable seaside town in the UK.
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