The second pier in my Kentish adventure after Gravesend Town was Herne Bay on the northern coast. The current pier is the third incarnation on the site, but is now a shadow of its former self, having mostly destroyed by a storm in 1978. There are plans afoot to revamp the pier, which we can hope will come to fruition in the near future.
During my visit, there was no cake available, but I did manage to find a tasty plate of chips at a cafe overlooking the pier on the prom.
After visiting the Pleasure Pier in Weymouth, my next stop of the day was a mile or so round the Bay to the Bandstand Pier. It is much truncated from its heyday, but still retains a little of its former Art Deco splendour.
Out front is a café and beach supplies shop which provided me with a tasty lemon tart and cuppa in a lovely seaside-themed mug.
View the full gallery of images from Weymouth Bandstand Pier.
My last pier visit today was to Britain’s shortest at Burnham-on-Sea, a few miles down the coast from Weston. It may be small, but it’s still interesting, particularly when the tide is lapping around its feet.
Despite its bantam size, Burnham still has a nice little café, so I was able to indulge in my tea and cake ritual here too.
The second pier of my Somerset visit was Weston-super-Mare Grand. And it would seem it’s grand by name and Grand by nature these days. Refurbished and re-opened in 2010 after a devastating fire in 2008, it now boasts many indoor amusements, and modern facilities.
The Pierhead also boasts a fine restaurant which serves an excellent Cream Tea!
View the full gallery of images from Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier.
The third pier of the day in my Essex travels was about an hour’s drive from Walton and Clacton – I ventured to Southend-on-Sea to visit the longest pleasure pier in the world. At just over 1.3miles, it’s quite a walk down to the pier head but there is always the easy option of a trip on the Electric Railway to get you back to the shore. I’ve visited a few times before, but haven’t noticed the new canopy at the pier head station until today.
Although I was wandering around quite late in the evening, the new café was still open so I was able to indulge in Tea and Cake again – this time I chose a tasty Viennese Slice to go with my cuppa.
