North Kent is home to three Blue Flag awarded beaches on the Isle of Sheppey (pre-work swim, anyone?), the beautiful market town of Faversham (home to the Shepherd Neame Brewery and star of many an Instagram post) and a National Nature Reserve where you can actually spend the night…glamping in a gorgeous shepherds hut. So those are the things to make your city-dwelling friends jealous of your new-found space, but there’s plenty more besides.

North Kent is home to history, culture and festivals. In the town of Chatham you’ll find heaps of maritime heritage at the Historic Dockyard Chatham - you’re going to need a season pass to see all that this iconic attraction has to offer, while its marina boasts restaurants, fine dining and even Kent’s only grain to glass distillery, Copper Rivet. Nearby Rochester and Gravesend offer a taste of the Dickensian, with many of their buildings written into some of his greatest works…he certainly had a soft spot for Kent.

If you hadn’t guessed already, this area is known for its heritage. Our very own Gravesend is the resting place of Pocahontas, yes, that Pocahontas, Rochester’s cathedral stands tall as England’s second oldest, just across the road from the 12th century Rochester Castle. But it’s the region’s culture and festivities that really make it an exciting place to live. 50 free festivals swing through these North Kent streets every year celebrating everything from music, food and drink, to Dickens and chimney sweeps, while Gravesend is home to the Siri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, standing proudly in the heart of the town’s Sikh community.

We like to boast about transport links here in Kent, we really do. Under an hour from Canterbury to London by train, 35 minutes by Eurotunnel from Folkestone to France, 90 minutes from Dover to Calais…all wonderful. But honestly, while we love the ease of travel to London for work, in our free time we are far too busy discovering the latest brand new cultural experience in Canterbury, sipping Kentish wine by sunset on Folkestone Harbour Arm, or lazing on a hidden gem of a beach on the Isle of Thanet, to care. Afterall, those Southeastern trains travel far and wide throughout the county too!

Prepare for us to do some name dropping because East Kent is home to some pretty big icons, from the oldest cathedral in England, Canterbury Cathedral, and the long-standing fortress that is Dover Castle, to the cutting-edge Turner Contemporary in Margate and the spectacular Folkestone Artworks. But the one we know you’ll have all heard of is the White Cliffs of Dover. As part of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, these chalk cliffs are part of the proposed cross-Chanel UNESCO Global Geopark which is set to form a partnership with our neighbouring protected landscape Naturel Regional des Caps et Marais d’Opale.

But where to live? Do you choose a cottage in Whitstable? A city centre home in Canterbury? A pad in Cliftonville, Margate, one of the top ten coolest neighbourhoods in the world according to TimeOut? Or a Georgian villa in Ramsgate (remember what we said about having space to raise a family) , near to the new Thanet Parkway Station, soon to offer highspeed connections to the capital? We can’t help you there, but we can say you’re in for an exciting search.

You don’t have to be in Kent very long to find out that its residents are pretty proud of the area’s culinary credentials and sustainable local produce, just look at our friends Produced in Kent, with restaurants boasting 20 mile menus, farm shops shouting about local cheeses, and fishmongers stocking fish and seafood caught that very morning. It’s of no surprise that a drive through West Kent presents plenty a pastoral scene, with the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty peppered with orchards, hop gardens and oast houses. Pull up a chair in one of our cosy pubs, select a Kent-brewed craft beer, paired with a dinner of Kent produce and thank us later.

If you can tear yourself away from the food and drink, we’ll tell you about the area’s connections into London. You guessed it, they’re pretty good! Ashford’s high speed rail links whisk commuters to St Pancras in 40 minutes, vibrant Sevenoaks perfects that city/country balance with 20 minute travel to London Bridge and an area that’s 93% greenbelt. While Maidstone and Tonbridge offer rural towns and villages with all the convenience of cosy country pubs and easy rail links. As for Royal Tunbridge Wells, you can’t go wrong with a historic spa town that’s welcomed visitors for over 400 years, so prepare to want to lay down roots and take in those chic cafes, independent shops, bars and colonnaded walkways every weekend.

While lockdown pups are catered for with oh-so-many walks, we mentioned the two AONBs and Ashford’s 47 acres of open space, right? If you’re hoping to extend your family beyond the four-legged friends, Kent’s primary and secondary schools are excellent. Ashford alone is home to 49 good and outstanding schools, including two grammar schools, two independent schools and the impressive Ashford College…phew.

Are we leaving the best til last? It’s hard to say…but let’s just tell you that you could visit a different castle or manor house every weekend here if you fancied it. We can’t name them all, we just can’t, but the highlights reel has got to include Leeds Castle, the party castle that’s hosted nobility for centuries, Hever Castle, the home of the ill-fated Anne Boleyn, Penshurst Place with its gorgeous gardens, Scotney Castle with its equally beautiful gardens, and Chartwell, the home of none other than Winston Churchill. Oooh, and if we could just throw in one more garden suggestion, Castle Farm Lavender Fields should be on every Kent-resident’s list come summertime- trust us.