Car Hire Ramsgate - Mini guide to Ramsgate
The ‘capital’ of the Isle of Thanet, Kent, Ramsgate is a pleasant seaside resort, rich in robust Victorian red brick and set high on a cliff linked to the seafront and harbour by broad, sweeping ramps and fronted by Regency and Victorian terraces.
The Ramsgate Maritime Museum, housed in the early 19th century Clock House, a fully restored Grade II listed building, celebrates the country’s only Royal Harbour and depicts the various aspects of the maritime heritage of East Kent. The main building, adjacent dry dock and floating exhibits form four galleries of exhibits that tell the maritime history of the area.
The museum houses an important collection of artefacts recovered from the great storm wrecks, principally from the wreck of the 70-gun man-of-war Stirling Castle, which provide a chilling insight into life and death aboard a British warship in 1703.
The best way to discover all that Ramsgate has to offer is to start in the town centre where busy, bartering stallholders line the streets every Friday and Saturday. From here, follow the sound of the sea to the marina where boats of all sizes bask in the sunshine. Be sure to stop at the entertaining Motor Museum at West Cliff Hall, just by the ferry terminal; it spices up its eclectic collection of cars and motorbikes by placing each vehicle in its historical context.
Most of the shops are set within a delightful pedestrian precinct that spreads along parts of High, King, Queen and Harbour streets with some very attractive cobbled paving. The town is also home to a fantastic variety of restaurants, wine bars, cafés and pubs.
Not far from the town are Sandwich & Pegwell Bay National Nature Reserve, offering excellent walks among picturesque scenery, and St Augustine’s Cross, which marks the landing place of St Augustine before he travelled on to Canterbury to re-establish Christianity. Alternatively, head inland to the historic sites at Chatham and Rochester.
Ramsgate is 124kms from London and can easily be reached by road. Take the M2, exit at junction 7 and follow the A299 towards Margate. Finally, turn on to the A253, which leads to the town. Ramsgate train station has services to London Victoria Station at least every hour.
