Margate, Rye, Whitstable… the holy trinity of hour-and-a-bit-on-the-train destinations, perfect getaways for when you want to swap your grey London flatshare for a quick dose of life by the sea. All lovely of course, but all of them beginning to become victims of their own popularity, swamped with day-tripping city-dwellers clamouring for a table at Sargasso or The Sportsman. Where next then, for those wanting an actual escape from the capital, without bringing half of Hackney with them?

Enter Folkestone, the latest British seaside outpost to make eyes at your Instagram stories. As with the destinations mentioned above, this corner of Kentish coastline is a stone’s throw from St. Pancras (less than an hour to Folkestone Central when you get the train with Southeastern) and boasts an appealing combo of artsy, bohemian cultural scene with a clutch of forward-looking food and drink destinations. And the sea of course. Always the sea.

The reason for our visit is the newly built Shoreline development on the western end of the Folkestone seafront, a sleek new collection of purpose-built apartments (yours from £395,000 if you’re eyeing a more permanent relocation) of which a handful have been set aside as holiday lets. Now when we say ‘seafront’, we really mean it - the front door of your home away from home opens directly onto the shingle, with the ocean a short dash away if you’re feeling brave. It was the dead of winter when we visited, so bravery was in short supply, but when the warmer weather arrives, you could be diving into the waves within seconds of leaving the house.

It’s a stunning space to stay in, the highlight being an airy, light-filled lounge area that opens directly out onto a balcony overlooking the water. In all honesty, we could have spent the entire weekend lounging on the sofa, staring out at the horizon and listening to the ebb and flow of the tides - if you were looking for a weekend of doing very little, this would be a beautifully restful place to do it. But at the same time you’d be missing out on all the things Folkestone has to offer, which turn out to be many and varied.

The British seaside has long been a magnet for artists of every stripe, and judging by the thriving galleries dotted throughout the winding streets just off the harbour, the creative spirit is strong here. As well as those independent enterprises, the town is also home to some genuine blockbusters, courtesy of Folkestone Artworks, the UK’s largest urban contemporary art exhibition. Made up of 74 striking artworks from the likes of Tracy Emin, Yoko Ono and Antony Gormley, all inclusively public with maps available to follow online, it’s well worth setting an afternoon aside to hunt down as many as you can, with the trail leading all the way down the coast to neighbouring Sandgate.

Of course, there’s more to the waterfront than sculptures and sandcastles. Since 2014, the harbour arm has been consistently redeveloped and reimagined, with nearly 70 food and retail outlets making a home around the old port. Little Rock was our favourite of these, a cosily casual seafood restaurant nestled in a pastel pink shipping container right on the water’s edge. What’s on the menu depends on what’s been caught that day, all of it local, and cooked to your preference, whether that’s baked, fried or grilled. Knowledgeable staff will give you a steer on the best sauce to suit each fish, but a side of golden, perfectly crunchy chips and a crisp glass of Vinho Verde are must-order accompaniments. Simple cooking, executed beautifully, it’s everything you could want from a seaside restaurant.

If you want to push the boat out a little further (no pun intended), Little Rock’s elegant older sister Rocksalt is still Folkestone’s go-to special occasion joint, despite predating the harbourfront regeneration by a good few years. The lighting is lower, the menu a little more elaborate, but seafood is still the star of the show - highlights of our visit included dressed crab on sourdough studded with little jewels of grapefruit, and a delicate skate wing gussied up with pickled cockles, and slick, salty samphire. 

Drinks-wise, it’s worth making your way to the very end of the Harbour Arm to the Lighthouse - a Champagne bar jutting out into the waves, with one of the most scenic outdoor terraces imaginable. Or head to Brewing Brothers, a friendly craft brewery in the former seafront rail station, which feels like a proper hub of the community. As well as serving up a selection of their own beers, they also do an incredible Sunday roast, every component of which is cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven, and a tiramisu of dangerously generous proportions. They also have another sun-trap of a terrace - truly, if the weather is right in Folkestone, you can’t move for al fresco drinking spots…

Crowned the best place to live in South East England by The Times last year, clearly Folkestone isn’t ‘under the radar’ in the traditional sense, but it still feels like an authentic getaway from London, a quality that some of its seaside rivals have started to lose. How long that stays the case remains to be seen, but for now, it’s one of the most refreshing weekends away you can do without spending half your Saturday on the train. Long may that continue.

Stay courtesy of The View at Shoreline - book your visit online here.

Southeastern trains travel from London St Pancras to Folkestone Central in under an hour. Adult return tickets start from £31, with tickets for up to four children costing just £1 each off-peak when travelling with a fare-paying adult.