Seasalter Beach

Walk east from Whitstable along the shingle and you'll hit Seasalter Beach - a proper working stretch of coast rather than the seaside-postcard sort. It's blissfully quieter than the town itself, which means you can actually hear the waves and think for five minutes without fighting through crowds of day-trippers.

What you get here is straightforward: shingle underfoot, the sea in front, and on clearer days, views across to the Thames Estuary. The beach itself is wide enough that even in summer you'll find spots to settle without your deckchair practically touching someone else's. Low tide reveals sand and pools - fine if you're pottering about with kids, though the water takes an age to warm up, even in July.

Walkers love it. There's a decent path running alongside the beach, and it connects into the wider coastal trail if you fancy pressing on further. The fishermen know it too - you'll often spot boats working offshore, which gives the place a proper working coast feel rather than something designed purely for tourism.

It's free to access and works brilliantly as a break from the parks nearby - Seasalter Holiday Park sits practically on the beach itself, so if you're staying there, you've got immediate access. Even from the other parks scattered around Whitstable and further inland, it's a short drive to get here. Best visited early morning or late afternoon when the light's better and fewer people are about. Winter's actually cracking - bracing and peaceful in equal measure.