Kent coast trip diary

Botany Bay Beach and Ramsgate: Our Kent Coast Day Trip

Our Kent coast day trip: Botany Bay Beach's chalk stacks, a drive through Margate, Ramsgate Royal Harbour and a stop at Coco Latino, in photographs.

Published 17 October 2026

White chalk stacks and cliffs above sand and seaweed-covered rock pools at Botany Bay Beach in Kent

We spent Saturday 17 October 2026 on the Kent coast, visiting Botany Bay Beach and Ramsgate and also driving through Margate. The rocks at Botany Bay were definitely worth the drive, and Ramsgate’s harbour had a great atmosphere.

The two stops gave us very different views of the coast. At Botany Bay, it was sand, sea and those great blocks of white chalk. In Ramsgate, we walked beside the harbour, with boats on the water and red-brick buildings along the waterfront. A stop at Coco Latino before heading home rounded it off nicely.

Botany Bay Beach: white chalk cliffs and sea stacks

Botany Bay Beach in Broadstairs is known for its chalk cliffs and stacks. Seeing them from the beach gives a much better sense of their size than a distant coastal view. The white faces stand out against the blue sky, with dark bands and green seaweed around the bottom.

We had sunshine for these photographs, and the difference between the bright chalk and the shaded sand was striking. There are wide views along the shore, but plenty of texture in the cliff faces too.

Us together on Botany Bay Beach with white chalk stacks, sand and the sea behind us

Our first stop: Botany Bay Beach on 17 October 2026.

A curved chalk cliff face with dark openings above the sand at Botany Bay

Sunlight and shadow picking out the shapes in the chalk.

Rock pools and smaller details at Botany Bay

Away from the big chalk formations, the exposed shore was full of smaller things to photograph. Water lay between the rocks, green seaweed caught the light and little ridges ran through the sand.

Looking low across the pools gave us another view of the cliffs, with the dark rocks and seaweed filling the foreground. These are the sorts of details that can get lost when you only photograph the wider scenery.

Green seaweed and shallow pools among dark rocks, with Botany Bay's white cliffs beyond

Rock pools and seaweed beneath the chalk cliffs.

A drive through Margate

We only drove through Margate, so this wasn’t a proper look around the town. It felt really chilled, though, and added another glimpse of the Kent coast to the day.

Ramsgate Royal Harbour and the lighthouse

In Ramsgate, the open beach gave way to harbour walls, rows of masts and boats moored against the town’s waterfront. There was a great atmosphere around the harbour, which made it a lovely place to spend some time.

The Royal Harbour received its royal title from King George IV in 1821. On our visit, the view across the water was a mix of blue-green sea, white boats and buildings beneath a sky full of clouds.

Boats and marina pontoons across Ramsgate Royal Harbour beneath blue sky and white clouds

Looking across Ramsgate Royal Harbour towards the waterfront.

The lighthouse made a natural subject for another photograph: pale stone, a bright red door and the harbour stretching away behind it. We also took a photo together with the boats and town in the background.

Pale stone lighthouse with a red door and lantern beside Ramsgate harbour railings — The lighthouse beside the harbour.

Us together beside Ramsgate harbour with moored boats and waterfront buildings behind us — One for our own record of the day.

Moored boats, yacht masts and waterfront buildings across Ramsgate harbour

The boats and buildings across the harbour.

A small bird and the Ramsgate waterfront

There was a smaller nature moment here too: a little brown bird standing on a pontoon beside the water. We haven’t confirmed the species, but it earned a place in the day’s photographs alongside the bigger coastal views.

Small streaked brown bird standing on a pale textured pontoon beside the harbour water

A little harbour-side sighting; species unconfirmed.

Back along the waterfront, the red-brick arches added another set of shapes and colours to the day. From white chalk to brickwork, rock pools to boats, the photographs tell the story of our two stops.

Red-brick waterfront arches with shopfronts and colourful items outside in Ramsgate

Red-brick arches along the Ramsgate waterfront.

Coco Latino: a harbour stop before heading home

Coco Latino Café & Bar, by the harbour on Military Road in Ramsgate, was a perfect stop before the trip home. It fitted the relaxed feel of the day, with the harbour right there.

The towns reminded me of a nice Brighton. That was our impression of the day: seaside scenery, an easy-going feel and plenty to look at. Botany Bay’s rocks were the standout, with Ramsgate’s harbour atmosphere a great way to finish.

If you’re planning a similar Kent coast day out

Check the tide times and local signs before exploring Botany Bay: the ends of the bay can be cut off at high tide. Visit Thanet’s beach safety information is a useful place to start. Thanet Council also advises keeping clear of cliff edges and cliff bases because of the risk of chalk falls.

These photographs record our October visit, rather than conditions to expect on every trip. For another of our coastal photo diaries, see our Lake District, coastal cottage and Aberdeen trip.