Viking Bay is one of the main
attractions for visitors to the lovely seaside town of Broadstairs. A town that I saw a decade or so ago on a
television programme and thought I have to go there. So, I did, and I’ve been many times since.
Broadstairs is a town with a history
rich in art and literature. For many
years it was the favourite holiday destination of Charles Dickens who wrote David
Copperfield while there. He also celebrated
the town in an affectionate piece of writing entitled Our English Watering
Place. John Buchan, author of The Thirty
Nine Steps, recuperated there while recovering from illness. Frank Richards, the author of Billy Bunter,
lived there as did Bruce Robinson, the author of Withnail and I, and most importantly,
so did Oliver Postgate, the creator of Bagpuss and The Clangers.
Viking Bay used to be known as Main Bay. It was renamed in 1949 following the
celebrations of the 1500th anniversary of Hengist and Horsa landing
at the bay in 449 AD. It is a horseshoe
shaped bay with a beach of golden sands that for much of the year is bustling
with holiday makers and tourists. At one
end of the bay there is a harbour on which sits the Old Boathouse. Looking out to sea on the building is the
figure of The Scotsman. This was recovered
from the ship Highland Chief, which sank on the Goodwin Sands in 1869. Running up to and around the cliffs are
numerous colourful beach huts and by the cliffs there are stairs and a lift up
to the promenade.
On my visit there today, I wandered
along the beach in the bright winter sun.
Even on a day like this when a cool wind blew in from the sea there were
families and children playing on the sands of the beach. I walked past them and made my way up the
walkway above the colourful blue and yellow doored beach huts. There in a crumbling hollow in the chalky
cliffs that look out to the sea, I left a Skulferatu.
The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu
are –
Latitude 51.357397
Longitude 1.442300
I used the following sources for
information on Viking Bay and Broadstairs –
Broadstairs Town Trail
Leaflet
Broadstairs Town trail -
visitthanet.co.uk
Tourist Info at site
Wikipedia
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