My housesitting adventures took me to Folkestone, a charming seaside village on the English Channel in southeast England. Just a few miles away from the famous white cliffs of Dover and about 30 miles from the town of Canterbury, I had many opportunities to explore the region inbetween my duties of taking care of two lovely cats.
The cats
I’m very cautious about posting anything that will identify the homeowners, the pets, or the exact location where I’m housesitting. Privacy is important.
The homeowners were vacationing for a few weeks and my responsibilities were to take care of their house and two precious cats, who were no trouble at all.
The cat problems I encountered had nothing to do with the cats that lived in the house.
One morning I came downstairs, and in the dim light it appeared both cats were sleeping on the couches. Until one cat jumped up and made a beeline for the cat door.
Oooohhhh.
Not the kitty who lives in the house! This cat had similar coloring to one of the cats that belonged in the house, but was bigger and had shorter hair.
Obviously the other cat that was curled up on the couch had no problem with the sleeping arrangements!
I kept in touch with the homeowners about the intruder cat, because s/he came in a few more times through the cat door to eat their cat’s food. We decided that just before going to bed, if I was certain both their cats were inside the house, to lock the cat door so the intruder couldn’t come in.
There was a litter box inside the house, so with the cat door locked, the cats had a place to take care of business if they needed it.
Imagine my surprise when I came down in the morning and found the intruder cat sitting in the hallway looking pissed off.

Yikes! It never occurred to me to do a full house search for intruders before going to bed.
Cat fight
There was a smaller female cat hanging around in the yard a few times, though I don’t believe she found her way into the house.

One night I heard a cat fight out in the yard. A quick check of the house and both the cats I was in charge of were snoozing, so whatever cat fight was going on ceased to be my problem.
You’d think.
Until a knock on the door.
I answered it to a woman who said her cat was in the yard fighting with one of my cats and asked for assistance to retrieve it.
“Nope, not fighting with my cats,” I said. “They’re both inside the house.”
Apparently her kitty was fighting with intruder cat who must have been getting protective of the property. She didn’t know who owned the cat or if it was a stray.
But get this. Her cat had recently been in a fight with the intruder cat and incurred a big vet bill.
“Um, wouldn’t it be better to keep your cat inside the house then?” I suggested.
She blamed her kid on letting it out.
Folkestone Christmas Market 2023
I was lucky to be in Folkestone over the holidays and get to experience a Christmas market.
If you’re one of my YouTube subscribers, you’ll have already seen the highlights.
Boxing Day Dip
The day after Christmas, December 26, is known as Boxing Day in Canada, and apparently also in England.
In Folkestone they celebrate with participants running into the sea.

And most of them just as quickly running out again.

I guess this would be similar to the Polar Bear Swims that are held on New Year’s Day in Canada.
Here they are in action.
Art
Various art work has been commissioned around Folkestone.
Art work is like food. Taste is subjective.

I’m not very good at figuring out artist interpretations such as the Folkestone Mermaid pictured above. If a mermaid has land legs, then it’s not what I’m expecting to see when I think about mermaids.
Then there was a sculpture of a hare and hound that I spotted off a walkway and went in for a closer look. There was no plaque letting visitors know what they’re looking at. And that rabbit seems to have feminine features.
Eventually I was able to find the title of the piece – Standing Lady Hare with Dog. Created by Sophie Ryder.
There’s a lovely pier to walk along in Folkestone called Harbour Arm. If you look closely, you will see steps descending beneath the pier and then be rewarded with a view of the iron man – who is quite at the mercy of high tides and rough seas!
Seaside walks
Every day I headed down to the sea. There’s a nice path that stretches for miles. My daily route that took me alongside the water and then out on to the harbor arm, aka the pier. In the summertime it’s quite busy with cafes and shops, but most of them are closed for the winter months.
There were a few days with rough seas. I’m just mesmerized by the water.
Part of my route took me through the protected harbor where ships are anchored. When the tide is out, the boats are just sitting on the muck.
Here are a few sights I’d see every day on my seaside walk.


And yes, those are the white cliffs of Dover.



Folkestone!

Just a few more photos while walking on the upper promenade overlooking the sea, and around town.
Path dedicated to war veterans.

Looking down on Mermaid Beach – looks like a mermaid’s tail.

Zig zag path heading down to the beach.

Pedestrian only street – this one heading uphill.

And the time I got caught at the bottom of that hill when a torrential rain storm broke out.

Pie and mash anyone? How about jellied eel to go with your hot chocolate?

H.G. Wells lived here and this plaque proves it!

The H.G. Wells house, aka Spade House, is the first house in England where every bedroom had an ensuite bathroom. And I know that from reading another plaque! It is now a nursing home.

And here is the Grand Hotel. According to the Folkestone Museum, Agatha Christie stayed here while writing Murder on the Orient Express. Amazing sea views from here. On a clear day, mountains in France can be seen. The light at the top of the hotel beams out “World Peace” in morse code.

From wanderlust to wanderlove, I’m so glad my housesitting adventures brought me to Folkestone, England!
P.S. You’ve noticed I’ve included a few YouTube videos. If you’re not already a subscriber, I’d love it if you’d consider doing so! Click here for the link to my YouTube channel.
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on July 3, 2024.
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