December 2025. Folkestone. Kent.
Where did you leave us ?
Oh yes, clambering up the steps from the Hymn and Hyrs in Folkestone Spoons, about to tackle the High Street (aka Steep Hill).
Even the scruffy buildings, like this rhubarb and custard of a curry house,
look gorgeous.
A 5 minute stroll through the Creative Quarter is enough to convince Mrs RM she needs to come back,
though the lack of creative pubs is a disappointment only partially compensated for by the art.
It’s a while since we visited the harbour, whose eponymous pub was on a fellow blogger’s “Must Visit” list,
so obviously we didn’t do that, or the famous Burstin Hotel.
Mrs RM remembers catching the train to Folkestone Harbour as a girl with pigtails on the way to the ferry to Boulogne, but that railway arm is a dazzling combination of art installation, garden and food court.
Not much open on a Wednesday, so we missed the Floc and Iron Pier taps, but Sailbox is a classy place (for a shipping container),
with spicy cod bites and crispy fries.
We walked to the lighthouse at the the end,
Mrs RM rather dubious of my urging to “walk those steps“,
where at the bottom we find one of those Antony Gormley blokes that pop up everywhere.
I would have got an Untappd check-in at the lighthouse,
but it was closed,
and we had a better option in mind.
retiredmartin 
“December 2025. Folkestone. Kent.”
(looks at pic above)
I do believe that is the marine version of jaywalking.
“Where did you leave us ?”
Right where I found you when I returned today to the blog.
“Oh yes, clambering up the steps from the Hymn and Hyrs in Folkestone Spoons”
I still think that’s a classic.
“about to tackle the High Street (aka Steep Hill).”
They do that on purpose to make you stop for a coffee (or pint!) more often.
“look gorgeous.”
It works oddly enough as a colour-scheme.
“A 5 minute stroll through the Creative Quarter is enough to convince Mrs RM she needs to come back,”
I have someone in my household who has those tendencies.
“though the lack of creative pubs is a disappointment only partially compensated for by the art.”
Google Maps shows Kipps Alehouse just to the left of The Great British Shop in your pic, but ya, nothing else shows up on the map of the Old High Street.
Also, (looks down). Did those two mate to create the Jackalope?
“It’s a while since we visited the harbour, whose eponymous pub was on a fellow blogger’s “Must Visit” list,”
Well, that’s a tossup between The Ship, The Mariner or… Chummys?
“so obviously we didn’t do that, or the famous Burstin Hotel.”
(looks down)
Blimey. One could think they were in the south of Spain with a hotel like that.
“but that railway arm is a dazzling combination of art installation, garden and food court.”
Ah. The Chunnel changed all of that I presume?
“but Sailbox is a classy place (for a shipping container),”
We’re doing something similar where I live. Four shipping containers downtown, set up for small businesses to try out:
https://campbellriver.travel/news/visit-campbell-rivers-award-winning-rail-yard-market/
“Mrs RM rather dubious of my urging to “walk those steps“,”
Blimey. Just keep whispering ‘slips, trips and falls’.
“where at the bottom we find one of those Antony Gormley blokes that pop up everywhere.”
Ah. So, NOT a marine jaywalker.
“I would have got an Untappd check-in at the lighthouse,”
(looks down)
It is a bar/pub!
“but it was closed”
With c**p hours (Friday to Sunday, seriously?).
“and we had a better option in mind.”
(slow golf clap)
Cheers
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The Dungeness crab at the Campbell River restaurant looks impressive. I have a different Dungeness on my doorstep at the moment !
Those shipping containers work really well. Colourful, and if your venture fails it’s not the end of the world to exit.
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The Dungeness crab at the Campbell River restaurant looks impressive. I have a different Dungeness on my doorstep at the moment !”
Where did I link that?
And yup, the containers are a great way to ‘test the waters’ so to speak.
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If you click through to that Campbell River website it’s the Harbour Grill in the food section.
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“If you click through to that Campbell River website it’s the Harbour Grill in the food section.”
Ah, gotcha. That’s a very nice restaurant. Pricey but worth it once in a while.
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Looks like you had a really good day for photography, both inside and out.
I hope your next post is the one where you find a tremendous pub that’s actually open, then I might be tempted to visit Folkestone myself.
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The two closed pubs (Floc and Iron Pier) both keg !
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How tremendous does it have to be, Will?
On a scale of one to ten starting with the Nutshell at one and the Mathäser at ten?
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Spoons in Ramsgate.
I’d never heard of Mathäser. Thought he played in midfield.
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I think it was the location in Munchen for Hitler’s attempt to take power in 1923. A huge place, long since demolished.
But of course Etu is playing with my use of the word “tremendous” when of course he knows I mean “serving tremendous beer”.
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He’s a wag, isn’t he ?
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Well I hope that the recipients of my Christmas cards agree, Martin.
I only went and bought a load with cash pouches, which I could only redeem by putting in what I thought might be waggish notes 🙄
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So, Folkestone is just an art gallery, or perhaps a photo opportunity.
I’ve just checked on that CAMRA website and two out of the three GBG pubs in the central part are late openers. Sorry, pre-empting your next post.
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Yeah, and Luton is just an airport with a football club. We all need a USP !
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I think you’ll find it’s a football club with an airport!
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You’ll have your own blog soon, Will.
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If I was half as talented as RM I might consider it.
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But you’re twice, so you won’t. At least you wouldn’t anonymise your comments about pubs and beer like the rest of Discourse seem to. Just tell us which pub you liked/didn’t like. They won’t sue !
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I feel like I’m hosting Will’s blog here, Dave ! And that’s all good.
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It’s a fairly typical tale, Will. The central craft bars open late (by our standards), though less commonly the two more trad micros (Bouverie and Firkin) are open all week from noon. East Cliff Tavern the net-curtained 4pm opener.
I want to go back to visit the pubs on the Bayle.
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Great shots. I cannot find anything about Folkestone from Bill Bryson, derogatory or otherwise.
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You’ll have to read it all through again, Lana. I “borrowed” a free paperback from one of those phone boxes converted into libraries in Dorset and ought to read it and return it.
Actually, it was the entirety of that south-eastern coast that Bill Bryson (and earlier Paul Theroux) had commented on the decline of, and Bill was largely reflecting on a guest house in Dover he’d found himself at in 1973 on his first visit to the UK.
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Well I put my UK Bryson UK based books on Kindle for the very ease of searching for a place in the search box. First time I come to use it after seeing your blog … and it didn’t work obvs! I LOVE book swap phone kiosks!
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