SEASIDE GOTHIC STROLL

A Dead Good Festival Event

📅 Saturday 24th October
⏰ 11am–3pm
📍 Meet at Broadstairs Rail Station
🏁 Finish at FLINTS, Margate

🎟️ £30 General Admission 🎟️ £15 Low Income

Open the circle. Follow the coast. Listen to the dead.

Join Girl Hike CIC and Esoteric Isle for a gentle coastal walk from Broadstairs to Margate, where we’ll explore the darker, stranger and more magical history of Thanet.

As we make our way along the coast, we’ll drop into the gothic — exploring stories of those who came before us and their relationship with our esoteric coastline. From Mary Shelley and the gothic imagination to Thanet’s island past, forgotten histories, strange characters and the places where folklore, landscape and the supernatural meet.

This isn't just a walk. It’s an invitation to look at Thanet differently.

We’ll uncover some of the hidden stories embedded in the coastline, share tales of the people and places that have shaped its strange atmosphere, and consider why this little corner of England has attracted artists, outsiders, seekers and the spiritually curious for centuries.

And when we reach Margate, we’ll close the circle at FLINTS with a closing ceremony, bringing our journey to an appropriately magical end.

What to expect

The walk runs from 11am to 3pm, so please expect to spend several hours outdoors. We walk rain or shine — the only time we cancel a hike is if the Met Office issues a weather warning.

The weather can be variable at this time of year, so we recommend bringing:

• Layers, ideally packed in a backpack so you can add or remove them as needed
• Waterproofs, if you have them
• Shoes or hiking boots with a good tread
• Water
• A small snack to keep you going along the way

There’ll be a tea stop at FLINTS at the end of the hike, so you won’t need to carry a thermos unless you’d like to.

Whether you’ve lived in Thanet for years or you’re visiting for the weekend, come and discover some of the esoteric history that makes this isle such a fascinating, mysterious and downright magical place.

TWO GUIDES. ONE VERY GOTHIC COASTLINE.

MEET YOUR GUIDES

Anna Wilatt — Esoteric Isle

Anna is a writer, tour leader, grave tender and novelty merchandise creator with a specialist interest in England’s tarot history. With more than a decade of experience in travel writing, she has built a career around uncovering hidden stories, strange places and overlooked corners of the landscape — and sharing them with whoever will listen.

Through Esoteric Isle, Anna creates tours and events exploring the occult, folklore, history and weirdness hiding in plain sight.

@Esotericisle

Alaina Crystal — Girl Hike CIC

Alaina Crystal is the founder of Girl Hike CIC, a feminist hiking collective on a mission to make hiking more joyful for women+. Girl Hike CIC combines the outdoors with community, curiosity and expert-led experiences, creating welcoming spaces for people who want to explore, move and connect.

Alaina is also the creator of The Coven in the Corner Office, a podcast and community exploring spirituality, intuition, witchcraft, creativity and modern working life.

Together, Girl Hike CIC and Esoteric Isle bring two women-led ventures rooted in curiosity, storytelling, the outdoors and a healthy fascination with the strange.

Come for the walk. Stay for the stories! Leave with a little more magic in your relationship with the coast.

🌊 SEASIDE GOTHIC STROLL
🕯️ Part of Samhain Society’s Dead Good Festival
🥾 Broadstairs → Margate
🔮 History · Gothic · Folklore · Esotericism · Ritual

The circle is waiting.

@wearegirlhike

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