Spend a day by the sea exploring one of the UK’s largest free exhibitions of contemporary art

I love Folkestone, the previously run down seaside town has, in the last decade, been transformed into a bustling, lively resort thanks to the regeneration of the historic harbour arm and a thriving creative quarter

The Triennial is always worth a visit with sculptures and installations dotted across the town in a variety of unusual settings from a disused railway bridge to a church and a Martello tower (originally built as a defence against Napoleon)

Start at Folkestone Quarterhouse, where you can see an intriguing film by Emilija Skarnulyte exploring the dismantling of a nuclear power station. Here you can also pick up a map of the event. There are 18 artworks, each with a What3Words reference. We managed to see them all in one day including breaks for coffee and ice creams.

My favourite piece is the haunting Red Erratic (above) a giant lump of red marble first mined in Syria and now carved with overlapping feet. The sculpture invites us to think about how people, like stones, are sometimes uprooted and placed elsewhere – by nature, war or survival. During high tide the work is semi submerged adding to its poignancy.

I also loved Emeka Ogboh’s Ode to the Channel a haunting choral work that you can listen to while gazing out to sea (above).

Folkestone Triennial 2025 runs until Sunday 19 October. There is a large car park at the Harbour Arm or trains run from London St Pancras, Charing Cross and London Victoria to Folkestone Central.

Rest your legs at one of the pop up food stalls, cafes and bars on the Harbour Arm and finish the day with a glass of fizz at the cute Lighthouse bar – you may even spot a dolphin from one of its outside tables!

(picture at the top shows Above Front Tears, Oui Connect by Laure Prouvost)