Minnis Bay

I’d never been to Minnis Bay before, but I must have been near the place on several previous occasions. We ended up there just over a week ago, on the last day of my break from work. Mrs PBT’s brother and his partner were staying in their motor-home, on a nearby campsite, and invited us down for the day, so fancying a trip to the seaside we accepted, and headed in the direction of Thanet.

It was a scorching hot day without a cloud in the sky, so wasn’t the best day to be travelling on Kent’s overcrowded roads, but knowing a few detours, I manged to avoid the M2 motorway which, according to the traffic reports on my phone,  was already showing as congested. Instead, I took the scenic route, but that didn’t quite turn out as planned.

A road closure at Challock, put a spanner in the works, but unless there’s a valid reason, there’s no reason to completely close a busy "A" road. Some abandoned roadworks didn't seem  sufficiently valid,  but thanks to the Sat-Nav on Mrs PBT’s phone, we manged to work our way around the closure; even if the diversion took us down some pretty narrow lanes.

Once on the A299 Thanet Way, it was obvious that much of North Kent, and half of London, was heading in the same direction as us. Fortunately, a significant number of cars exited at the Whitstable turn-off; that particular North Kent town being the local equivalent of Southwold, so in the end we were only about 10 minutes behind our scheduled arrival time. 

Minnis Bay is short distance along the coast from Birchington, and has a sandy beach, which is safe for bathers. Overlooking the beach is the Minnis Bay Bar & Brasserie, a large box-like pub, owned by Shepherd Neame. According to the pub’s website, the Minnis Bay is “newly re-furbished” and certainly has that “just opened” feel to it.

My brother-in-law’s girlfriend had booked a table for 2pm, and the pair arrived shortly after us. Eileen hasn’t been inside a pub or restaurant since before lock-down, so was quite relieved when we allocated a table outside. The fact that her brother and partner had their dog with them, probably helped there, but the tables were all suitably spaced, wiped and sanitised after each group of customers departed.

Our table was in the shade, which was just as well, as I forgot to bring my sun hat along. As is usual at an English seaside location, there were plenty of rather “pink” overweight males, parading around topless. Not a pretty site and giving further rise to the name “gammons.” I wonder how many of these “sweaty oafs,” as my dad would have called them, voted for the UK's biggest “own goal” in several generations?

I’ve noticed subsequently, that Shepherd Neame managed houses all seem to offer the same, standardised menu, but given the current situation there was still plenty of choice. Probably the strangest option was the Chicken Schnitzel, which my brother-in-law went for, whereas Eileen and I played safe with cod & chips, plus beef & onion pie respectively.

I ordered a pint of Whitstable Bay Pale, but as it was chilled to the nines, I’m certain it was keg, rather than cask. I don’t recall seeing any hand-pumps during my brisk walk through the bar, in order to use the Gents – no "One In/One Out" policy, but it’s a toilet for heaven’s sake! 

So, a nice day out, some gorgeous mid-September weather, sea views and an enjoyable pub lunch as well. What’s not to like?  After leaving the pub, we drove the short distance to the campsite where Dave and Lynn’s motor-home was parked. A cup of tea, and some cake then followed before heading for home.

The Thanet Way was bumper to tail in places – hardly surprising given the splendid weather, so prior to joining the M2, I took a much more rural, and far more picturesque route home. The road I chose took us through some unspoilt downland country, through the villages of Newnham and Doddington. The only downside was the sun being directly in my eyes for much of the journey, which took the shine off the drive, if you’ll pardon the pun, as well as making it more difficult.

Our day at the seaside was a nice way to end my week’s “stay-cation,” and as well as allowing us to see a hitherto unknown part of Kent, provided a good chance to catch up with family, whilst enjoying a decent lunch.

The Indian summer is set to disappear tomorrow, with storms blowing in from the Atlantic, but weather-wise, it’s been an incredible spring, summer and early autumn, and something that has made the trials and tribulations we’ve all been experiencing these past six months, that little bit more bearable.