Ramsgate offers a completely different atmosphere to Broadstairs and Margate and the high-speed rail service allows travel to and from London in an hour and fifteen minutes from St Pancras International. It has a vibrant café society nestling alongside the delightful marina that includes some of the heroic Little Ships that took part in the Dunkirk evacuation, such as ‘Sundowner’ that was skippered by the most senior surviving officer from the Titanic.

There are also an enormous variety of yachts and cruisers gently floating in the breeze, giving the seafront a very individual ‘feel’. The town is very proud of its status as the only Royal Harbour in England and even boasts its own Meridian Line five minutes and 41 seconds ahead of GMT. It is also one of the historic Cinque Ports along the Kent coast.

Whether you want to sit at a harbour front bar, café or restaurant and enjoy a drink and the view or just watch the world go by, the atmosphere is always relaxing. It doesn’t matter if you are taking a lunchtime break from work or spending time with friends and family, the seafront is a magnet for all age groups.

The main sands stretch as far as the eye can see and is just the place for a day on the beach with the children or a bracing walk with the dog in the winter. You can even hop on a boat and go and view seals frolicking, the wind farm and the old world war 2 aircraft defence forts.

The town centre offers virtually all you need for daily living, from Waitrose supermarket to a raft of high street stores and individual shops. These include Boots, W H Smith, Argos, Wilkinsons and New Look as well as a number of individual shops offering everything from flowers to balloons and cameras to luxury handbags.

Anglo Saxons, Romans and Saints are all part of the history of Ramsgate and, more recently, George IV was so pleased with his reception in the town en route to the Continent that he dubbed it a ‘Royal’ harbour. His era is well represented by plenty of Georgian terraces and regency villas coupled with Augustus Pugin’s (designer of much of the Houses of Parliament) wonderful Victorian Gothic confection The Grange and the nearby St Augustine church. Visitors who have loved the town include Vincent Van Gogh and Jane Austen.

Among the other activities available, there is croquet and bowls clubs and each August Bank Holiday Ramsgate hosts the Summer Squall multi-arts festival as well as Ramsgate Week, where sailors take over the sea with a vast number of races for a variety of yacht categories. The Granville theatre and cinema offers indoor entertainment with a selection of acts from international stars through to amateur theatricals.