Violet Cottage Kingsdown

Violet Cottage is in Kingsdown, Kent. It's ten yards from the beach, basically across a narrow road and some sea grass. It's a small, terraced fisherman's cottage.

It sleeps four, in three bedrooms. Two doubles and one bunk room. There's one bathroom. It's got a 4 Star rating. It's clean and comfortably furnished, mostly in blues and whites to match the seaside thing.

Because it's an old cottage, the stairs are worth mentioning. They're steep and a bit narrow. They're perfectly safe, but you need to watch your step. There's a stairgate at the top.

The main living room has French doors that open onto a small, enclosed terrace. You look out over the sea grass to the beach. It's very sunny out there in the morning. You can hear the sea. There's a wood burner for colder nights.

There's a pub about fifty yards away. They do food and local ales. The village shop is a few minutes' walk. For a bigger shop, you'd drive to Deal.

The beach is pebbly. It's good for swimming if you don't mind that. You can walk along the coast path from the cottage, towards Deal one way or Dover the other.

Deal is a couple of miles along the coast. It's a proper town with a high street, a pier, and a long promenade. Walmer Castle is just south of Deal, and Deal Castle is in the town itself. Both are English Heritage sites and worth a visit.

Dover, with the castle and the ferries, is about fifteen minutes by car. You can get to Canterbury in under half an hour if you want a cathedral and shopping.

Facilities: there's a dishwasher, washing machine, TV, WiFi. Parking for one car right outside. The garden is enclosed. You can bring one dog. Bedding and towels are included. There's a cot and highchair if you need them.

For planning walks or trips, the National Trust White Cliffs site is useful.