Smugglers, ghost ships and Christmas shopping - winter weekend breaks in Deal, Kent

Whilst the winter nights grow long and the stars are shining bright why not spend an inspirational weekend in Deal on the East Kent coast. With cosy warm traditional pubs overlooking glorious views across the English Channel and the treacherous Goodwin Sands, this once notorious smugglers paradise is rich in history and mystery.

The Goodwin Sands lying six miles of the coast of Deal have been responsible for over 1000 recorded shipwrecks. Some of the most famous ghost ships sail the waters which has caused countless tales of strange sights, lights and sounds from the sea mist.

Travel on Britain's first highspeed train service direct to Deal from London St Pancras on Friday night (Depart 17.40pm or 18.40pm) and return back in the capital early Monday morning (Depart from Deal 05.56am, 06.24am or 06.56am).

Stay in a world class B&B like Number One (Travellers Choice 2011 Top 10 B&B in the world), The Royal Hotel which was frequently visited by Lord Nelson or the renowned Dunkerleys Restaurant & Hotel.

Sample the delights of The Black Douglas Coffee House (Telegraph Best British Cafe with view), Deal Beach Parlour, the unique Dining Club, Middle Street Fish Bar (The Times Third best fish & chip shop in Britain), 81 Beach Street or The Court Yard Oyster Bar and Restaurant. Fancy a traditional pint? The Berry (CAMRA Branch Pub of the Year 2011), The Kings Head (10th Best seaside Pub in England) or the extremely popular The Bohemian and the soon to open The Just Reproach (Micro Pub).

Browse the quaint boutiques and shops of the High Street (Greencades, The Sugar Boy, Borough Wines, Poppy Belle) to list a few, you may find a real treasure item in one of the antique shops or find that perfect Christmas gift.

Deal Castle one of the finest Tudor artillery castles in England is now open weekends throughout the winter months and Tides modern indoor swimming pool with wave machine plus brand new tennis centre offer great leisure activities.

Once a naval stronghold. today the seaside town of Deal has a burgeoning? café scene. The Evening Standard 7th September 2011

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Opportunity is the new Deal

On the 5th September 2011 Southeastern extended Britain's first highspeed rail service to Deal station in Kent. It's hard not to be impressed with the Hitatchi Class 395 "Javelin" trains and there is a renaissance of commuters now arriving at Deal train station in the mornings to board the trains to London St Pancras.

Journeys times have been slashed (Stratford: 74mins) (St Pancras: 80mins) and the reliability of the service has been proven to be far superior to Classic mainline services. The service does cost a premium but an annual season ticket from Deal to London St Pancras equates to £20.15 a day which is competitive to road fuel prices, but admittedly it should be more competitive.

Although unemployment is rising alarmingly there are still plenty of job opportunities in London which has a vast and diverse career market. If you have skills which London companies can use and the right attitude there are always job opportunities. Commuting is not for everyone but when you consider the higher salaries and career options it can be appealing. It is in the interest of everyone in Deal that the highspeed commuter service grows, as Kent County Council who are funding this service have stressed "use it or lose it". Commuters earning higher salaries in London bring additional money into our local economy and it also increases the likelihood of a full highspeed service being introduced.

It's not one way traffic either! Friday night services from St Pancras to Deal have seen the highest passenger numbers as people have taken the opportunity to travel down direct to Deal via highspeed for a weekend break, which has taken Southeastern a little by surprise. This is fantastic news for our shops, hotels, restaurants, pubs, attractions... etc and should be encouraged as we have a unique identity in Deal which should be shared and capitalised on. I can't help conclude the noticeable improvement and investment into our High Street recently has been helped by the introduction of the highspeed service.
 

 

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