My boyfriend and I decided to go on a late-minute spooky getaway the weekend before Halloween since we had both been busy with work and were excited for a proper break. We'd stayed in a Shepherd's Hut in March and this time around had found an Old Dairy House annexed to an Oast House, which was gorgeous and we were looking forward to. We ended up doing much more than we'd originally planned but it was the perfect weekend away.
Friday
My boyfriend had chosen Dungeness as the destination for this trip, due to its eerie atmosphere, however our favourite accommodation was situated in a nearby village in Kent called Bilsington. We set off from London at 6:30am and arrived to Ashford at 8am. Although the hosts very kindly let us check in at 12pm rather than the standard 2pm, we still needed to find somewhere to work remotely from in the morning, and despite looking around for an independent café to work from, the only viable option with Wi-Fi and plug sockets that opened early enough was Starbucks. Therefore, my boyfriend treated me to some breakfast and coffee there and we spent three hours working away.
At midday, we got ourselves a meal deal and drove over to the Airbnb, which was incredibly picturesque and even better than I'd anticipated; the hosts had thought of everything from having plug sockets in all of the convenient places, to offering various toiletries and extra blankets. There were board games to entertain ourselves with, the bed was insanely comfortable, and the host had even left us hot chocolate, tea and coffee, fresh strawberries, a loaf of bread, various jams and spreads, milk, and kitkats, which was a wonderful surprise.
A dairy house is simply a farm building used for the production of milk, and our accommodation had previously been a dairy house but was now converted into a cute cottage with everything we could possible need for a weekend away. We spent the Friday afternoon working remotely and I managed to take various calls without any issues, which isn't always the case when working from Airbnbs. After finishing up with work, we showered and then headed to a nearby pub, The Royal Oak, for dinner. I had a delicious pie with mash and gravy, whilst my boyfriend had soup followed by fish and chips. The food and service was great, although the pub was surprisingly quiet for a Friday night, and on our way back to the Airbnb we noticed that the stars were so bright and numerous. At the Airbnb, we played a (very difficult) quiz card game and drank cider purchased on our previous weekend away in Somerset, and then eventually fell asleep.
Saturday
We awoke early on the Saturday morning and made some breakfast with the coffee, bread and jam that the hosts had offered us, which was delightful. We then drove to the main destination of this trip: Dungeness. This National Nature Reserve was formerly the only desert in Britain, however has since lost its status and is essentially a pebble beach with many abandoned boats and containers located along its shore.
As we approached, the sun was making an appearance, however as soon as we parked up, it disappeared. We decided to start by heading towards the train station and power plant, before exploring the beach, and as we approached the train station, we were pleasantly surprised to see a small steam train approaching! Our timing was impeccable and we got to see it in its full glory. We didn't see much of the power plant as it was fenced off, but we passed a couple of lighthouses and then made our way to the beach. As aforementioned, the beach is comprised of pebbles, and the boardwalks are far and few between so the walk was somewhat laborious. That said, it was cool seeing the abandoned boats and containers on thy beach, especially given the heavy clouds and eerie atmosphere, and it was reminiscent of the train cemetery I'd visited in Bolivia.
Eventually, we felt content with our time spent in Dungeness, and we headed to a nearby Greek restaurant for lunch. As we walked in, the owners were having tea and cake, which I found adorable, and they welcomed us in. The food was delicious and the owner was very chatty and hospitable and we later found out that she was originally from Islington! We then headed to a corner shop to grab some bits for lunch, and similarly, the employee was lovely, even recommending us a quiet, sandy beach nearby where locals go, and he turned out to be originally from Croydon!
We then drove back to our Airbnb, and after chilling for a bit, we walked to the nearby Hamilton Airfield Tearoom, an aviation-themed café on an airfield strip. Here, we ordered cake and coffee, and whilst my lemon drizzle was divine, my boyfriend's chocolate fudge cake came with cream and marshmallows and was the real showstopper. The drinks also featured designs of a hot air balloon and aircraft, which I thought was very impressive and the staff were very welcoming. In hindsight, we should've worked from here on the Friday morning but we hadn't realised that in time.
We had a lot of energy, so went for an evening walk in Orlestone forest, which despite being muddy in parts, was nice, and the pink sunset was beautiful. It drizzled during our walk, however any other time we'd been away (including in Prague, East Sussex and Somerset), it had rained cats and dogs, so this drizzle was welcomed! We made it back to the Airbnb just before dark, and after enjoying a hot chocolate and dinner, we played Scrabble and Monopoly Deal, before watching Worst Ex Ever (a tradition at this point) and drinking cider.
Sunday
The clocks went back on this day so we got an extra hour in bed, which was very much appreciated. We enjoyed the same breakfast as the previous morning, and then headed to the North Kent Downs for a long walk in the sun. Initially, we'd planned to do a three hour trail on the Wye Downs, however after struggling to find parking and then the trail route, we changed course and instead settled for a two hour trail.
We were offered blue skies, sunshine and low clouds, which made for glorious pictures and a lovely morning walk. We were above the clouds and the landscape varied throughout the walk from village, to woodlands, to fields and the views were idyllic. In true countryside fashion, everyone that we passed said "good morning" and was very friendly. After completing the walk, we headed back to the Airbnb and made the most of the 12pm check-out by enjoying a late-morning tea break, before showering and tidying up.
Our final plan for the trip was to have a roast at a nearby pub, The White Horse, before heading back to London. I'd seen photos of the roast on the Friday night, and I'd immediately made a booking for the Sunday. Suffice to say, I was not disappointed; the roast came with a delectable cauliflower cheese and a pool of rich gravy, alongside all the usual trimmings, and the staff were very attentive. The roast was one of the best I've ever had and the pub was very traditional and decked out in Halloween decorations.
We then drove back to London, which only took an hour and a half, before pumpkin carving together in the evening, then lifting weights in the gym, and ending the night with pizza (a tradition borne from our first weekend away). The weekend started with a swim together on Thursday night and ended with a gym session together on Sunday night, both of which were very necessary given all of the food we'd eaten over the weekend. Even though we were exhausted at the end of it and ended up going to bed at 9pm on the Sunday, it was well worth it and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
Kommentare