Herne Bay

HERNE BAY The Victorian seaside resort has spread its tentacles over quite a large area, and the retirement town atmosphere of Herne Bay has been rejuvenated as young buyers arrived from Canterbury. Spacious Victorian and Edwardian houses line the sea front and a flat within one of them will cost around £95,000 or more. Numerous roads lead down to the sea, fitted snugly with two- to three-bedroom terraced houses, which sell at around £140,000; and modern detached houses which rise to £240,000 depending on the views. Herne Bay’s long exposed foreshore can be sealed off when there are severe storms; otherwise it is extremely popular with day-trippers, and with sailing and fishing enthusiasts. The seafront has had a £3.5m makeover, and the pier (the second longest after Southend), which was damaged by storms in 1953 and 1978, is due to get one too. The 1920’s Art Deco bandstand gleams with fresh paint.

One mile inland is the parent village of Herne, a collection of pretty white weatherboarded cottages on a hillside with a restored, working, 18th-century smock mill. A mid-terrace cottage here would cost just over £150,000.