Seaside town in England, a limb for the Port of Dover, one of the Cinque Ports. It is a haven for Londoners over Bank Holiday weekends. This is mainly due to its long sandy beach, and the 'golden mile' - a string of amusement arcades about 300 yards long. Ronnie Biggs, the great Train robber, famously asked recently for parole to have a pint in a traditional pub in Margate.
Dreamland
Walking down the so-called 'golden mile' with the arcades on our right and the beach on our left, we pass the entrance to the theme park, Dreamland. It is, apparently, the closest theme park to London, although this is its only selling point. In this theme park, one can ride the traditional Waltzer and dodgems and a rollercoaster, the Scenic Railway which dates back to the 19th century. Be warned, however, that there have been at least 5 recorded deaths on the last of these.
Dreamland also offers a rollercoaster with a loop and a number of other more modern rides which feature seat harnesses.
Town Centre
At the end of the golden mile, the road rises up at the clock tower junction, a marvel of modern planning in the field of traffic calming. At the crest of this hill, there is a crossroads leading to the High Street on either side.
The High Street is a pedestrian zone from Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm. At all other times, the only traffic is access only. On the High Street, once can find a medium-sized collection of the usual shops - WHSmith, Woolworth's, Superdrug, McDonald's.
At the bottom of the high street, there is a large paved area with souvenir shops including a sweet shop where they make rock as you watch. There is also a rather good fish and chips shop. From the benches in this area, one can see Margate 'harbour'. This typically has ten boats in it, and is only usable at high tide.
Returning to the top of the High Street and turning left, we come to Cecil Square, the main 'bus station' where the regional Small Claims Court, library and council offices are situated.
Attractions
There are a number of tourist attractions in Margate. Apart from the aforementioned Dreamland, the most famous is the 'Shell Grotto' on Grotto Hill, supposedly a pagan temple discovered by two schoolboys in the 19th century.
Near Grotto Hill is Northdown Road, a secondary high street which features more specialist shops and has received a lot of European funding. It is a shame, therefore, that no one shops there.
Margate, according to tourist literature, is an ideal starting point from which to explore the rest of the isle of Thanet. According to most residents of Thanet, it is a shithole which cries out to be destroyed.
There have been recent reports of occult activity on the sands. | 
