Primrose Cottage Caravan Park
Golden Hill
Whitstable
Kent
CT5 3AR
Tel: 01227 273694
Pitches : 10 for tents, touring caravans and motor homes (although the August weekend we visited, there were probably 15 or 16 units set up)
Open : March to October
Facilities : electrical hook-up, showers (with token), water/washing-up facilities, laundry, shop in reception with a small range of essentials.
We went to Primrose Cottage Caravan Park in August.
This small, friendly and quiet site provides a good base for touring the area around Whitstable. It is located just a short car journey from Whitstable town centre. We were made very welcome by the owner, who came to our rescue when the starter motor on the van conked out five minutes after we arrived. He gave us tea and biscuits, introduced us to his “Fred in a shed” across the lane and by the middle of the afternoon we had a new starter motor fitted!
This site would once have been surrounded by countryside, but now has housing estates and a Tesco supermarket (very handy!) at the back of it. Its proximity to the road was not a problem as we didn't find it at all noisy. The site facilities are clean and tidy, if a little unusual – the washing-up room is a small, purpose-built garden shed with electric light, for those of us who always seem to be washing up at the dead of night!
There is a fish pond, chickens and cats wandering about, and, if you are looking for a neat, sterile, manicured lawns and flower beds kind of place – this site probably isn't for you.
Whitstable is a small harbor town famous for its oysters and there are quite a few restaurants where you can sample them. We, on the other hand, sat in the van parked on the seafront and ate fish and chips whilst watching the sun go down!
Things to see and do :
There is a variety of unusual small shops in Whitstable along with the Whitstable Museum and Art Gallery ( Whitstable Museum and Gallery, Oxford Street, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 1DB, Phone: 01227 276 998 - Open daily (except Sundays, Good Friday and at Christmas) 10am to 4pm ) which is a good source of information on the history of the town.
We drove along the coast a little to Seasalter and had a long walk along the beach, crunching thousands of shells underfoot. From here, to the right out at sea, you can see the Second World War Maunsell sea forts. The Isle of Sheppey can be clearly see to your left.
We finished off our weekend trip with a visit to the Museum of Kent Life ( The Museum of Kent Life, Cobtree, Lock Lane, Sandling ) on the way home. This museum gives a fascinating insight into living and working in rural Kent through the ages. There are exhibitions on hop growing and harvesting along with many examples of reconstructed buildings to explore. Allow a day for your visit and don't miss the chance of a walk along the river – walk down the lane to your right after leaving the museum. Have a drink in the pub to your left or go right and stroll over the bridge to the lock gates.
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