Columnist Anna Willatt, aka Esoteric Isle, goes on the hunt for the county’s most curious getaways
Autumn and winter are when our county shines for cosiness and a hint of creepiness. If you’ve been following this column’s exploration of the spooky, you’ll have heard some of our local tales and historic rabbit holes, but we haven’t yet explored what it’s like to truly experience the spirit of place on an esoteric staycation. Until now…
Betsy Cottage - Image by Imogen Tinkler - @imogentinkler.everydayicons
Kent’s Tarot Connection - Betsy Cottage, Broadstairs
This charming 17th-century flint cottage is the alluring rabbit hole that first drew me to my Esoteric Isle project and this column! So, when I connected with Key Retreats about this cottage, one of the historic Kent properties it lets, I can’t overestimate how excited I was.
A quick recap on the esoteric history of this home - Arthur Edward Waite is the Waite in the ‘Rider Waite Smith’ of the most recognised and used tarot deck in the entire world, first published in 1909. After leaving London permanently in 1924 for Ramsgate, Waite moved to Broadstairs in 1933 and lived in this very house for seven years before moving to Bridge near Canterbury.
Tangible tarot history in our backyard is tempting enough. Throw in the unexpected discoveries of off-plan doors in the cottage during renovations and the second secret tarot deck Waite created with an artist in Thanet (J.B Trinick) and, as the Owens sisters would say about their iconic home, it’s beginning to feel like we would come to this place for magic.
Today, the cottage-owners are keen to keep that connection to Waite strong with books he wrote on the shelves and the original knocker still in place on the idyllic front door. On a recent recon visit, my coven and I celebrated Waite’s upcoming birthday with a tarot cake, midnight margaritas and many tarot readings. Waite is often thought of as the King of Pentacles, a card that came up time and time again… was he sharing a nod of approval about our antics? I’d like to think so.
Betsy Cottage is a rare opportunity to stay in a home with a rich connection to esoterica and tarot. It’s a beautiful spot for a family or friends to get together with a cosy sitting and dining area, four bedrooms sleeping eight people, huge back patio and just minutes’ walk from the station and beach.
Tarot Reading at Betsy Cottage - Image by Imogen Tinkler - @imogentinkler.everydayicons
Was it spooky, you are wondering. Not to our group. The cottage felt incredibly calm and almost sacred when we entered the chapel-like flint of the building. Betsy Cottage provided the perfect cauldron-like space for entertaining, and the spookiest entity was the spirit of a small dog that my guest tarot reader Melissa Mercury sensed join her on the couch for a cuppa in the morning. Could you think of a cuter presence?
Betsy Cottage : https://bookings.keyretreats.co.uk/listings/494090
Kent Folklore – Chalk Garden, St Nicholas-at-Wade
“My favourite piece of Kent folklore has to be the Horses. They’re strange, spectral
creatures. I love how they clatter and that they’ve been around for centuries,” said
photographer Imogen Tinkler when I first dived into this east Kent-born-and-bred
tradition of the Hooden Horses last year. In 1909 (strangely enough, the same year the tarot deck explored above was published!) antiquarian writer Percy Maylam wrote about the tradition of Hooden Horses and the plays they perform deeply rooted in Thanet.
The oldest remaining Horse in Kent belongs to St Nicholas-at-Wade Hoodeners and is carbon-dated from the early 1800s. It is St Nicholas-at-Wade that my historic home
adventure takes me to next, with an evening at 18th-century cottage turned glorious
group stay location, Chalk Garden. Nestled snugly on the corner of The Length and Canterbury Road, the location feels secluded with clear skies for stargazing from the hot tub but is well connected. The village’s charming local boozers face each other a few minutes’ walk away and boast smuggling stories and hidden tunnels and host Hoodening plays even to this day.
The historic feel of the area has been kept in the essence of Chalk Garden, which is ideal for a large get-together with a seasonally-heated pool, hot tub, orangery foe dining, five bedrooms sleeping 14 people and even an on-site ‘pub’ with bar, dartboard and pool table.
We got together for a witchy-themed summer/Hallo-ween party, dressing the orangery for a divination dinner before atmospheric moonlit swims. Chalk Garden provides a modern and luxurious way to immerse yourself in history. If there are ghosts of smugglers sneaking around town, they won’t bother you here, unless you invite them to jump in the tub with you!
Chalk Garden : https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1339919302851766914
England’s Most Haunted Village? Pluckley
Your best bet for ghost-hunting is in the pretty and historic village of Pluckley, which was given the title of ‘Most Haunted’ by Guinness World Records. Many attest to creepy goings-on and sightings on their visits, including some paranormal Investigators and a spiritual healer I spoke to.
In recent years, authors like Ed Adams (author of Pluckley: The Making and Faking of a Ghost Story) have been exploring the phenomenon of sad true stories becoming myth and legend in Pluckley and how and why we all love a good scare.
While the truth of Pluckley’s haunted status is up for debate, it’s well worth a spooky stroll in St Nicholas’s churchyard, which has a heavier atmosphere than other rural churchyards on the lookout for spectral ladies - and another ghostly dog!
Refresh your spirit with a pint at the Black Horse inn, where you might hear the jangle of a highwayman’s spurs across the boards. A top tip I was given in the Thanet Paranormal Facebook group: head for the chair by the fireplace that locals avoid and you may experience pebbles dropping on your head out of thin air… I ain’t afraid of no ghost!
We talk about the 6AM crew, not having a genre and leaving things to the last minute…