Resort's Broad winter appeal

Kent coastal town Broadstairs is thriving in the coldest months of the year, as MILO BOYD discovers

- MILO BOYD

Tucked away on the UK coast is a seaside town packed full of independent shops and surprises. In its golden heyday, the Victorian age, the Isle of Thanet (the easternmost part of Kent) was home to several very popular holiday resorts.

Trend-conscious people like Charles Dickens, swapping the London smog for a spot of revitalising sea air, took the train down to Broadstairs. They were enchanted by its sweeping Viking Bay, named in honour of the AD 449 invasion of Britain. And with them they brought riches that helped the small town construct rows of grand houses and an imperial seafront.

Unlike many seaside towns hit by the mid-20th century boom in cheap foreign holidays and the more recent spike in arcade-killing energy prices, Broadstairs is not only surviving in 2025 - it’s thriving.

I ventured down to the town of 25,000 on a brutal November day to find out if it’s a place that shutters up as the stormy season rolls in, and discovered that it has not only found a way to withstand the passage of time but also the winter.

Councillor Kristian Bright, cabinet member for tourism, met me in Salt café (instagram. com/saltbroadstairs) to explain part of Broadstairs’ success.