Just a little bit about where we came from

Ancient Britons, Romans, Saxons, Normans and people much closer to modern times - Georgians, Edwardians, Victorians and the generations who lived through and followed two world wars - have made emphatic marks on the life and times of the towns, coast and countryside of this corner of Kent.

Reminders are abundant - and not just by way of monuments, memorials, plaques on buildings, artefacts in museums and ancient churches, though all have a fascinating story to tell explorers of history and heritage.

The legacy of past days is represented by such diverse 'living features' as the visionary townscaping along Folkestone's magnificent mile-long Leas promenade, Hythe's Royal Military Canal (built as a defence against Napoleon and now a pretty waterway meandering to the Sussex border), and smugglers' haunts on the Romney Marsh.

The opening of the railway line from London in 1843 and its extension to the harbour ten years later made Folkestone one of the most notable holiday resorts in the land, favoured by the famous and the fashionable for its lively social scene and as a stop-over en route to grand tours of the Continent.

For generations, the town and its coastal neighbours were the annual holiday playground of scores of thousands of families. Their numbers became fewer - as they did at most UK resorts - when low-cost air holidays to Mediterranean sunspots became the vogue.

Although quieter now than in its heydays, friendly Folkestone remains popular because of its many unique attractions and natural assets. Make www.discover.folkestone.co.uk one of your 'favourites', as is it has been for so many visitors over the years.