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TikTok “romanticising” Whitstable viewed by millions

A viral TikTok post branding a Kent town a “must visit for seafood lovers” has gone viral with almost 1.5m views.

The nine-second clip shot in Whitstable shows restaurants such as Wheeler’s Oyster Bar and The Lobster Shack in a montage of the town’s popular sites.

Wheeler’s Oyster Bar features in the video which has 1.4 million views. Picture: @the.wanderlust.blonde on TikTok
Wheeler’s Oyster Bar features in the video which has 1.4 million views. Picture: @the.wanderlust.blonde on TikTok

But although the video has garnered some 128,000 likes and 1.4 million views some users argue the footage “romanticises” the town.

It begins with a clip on a train captioned “this is your sign to take a one-hour 20-minute train from London to...”. It then shows a montage of different locations, such as the sea, harbour, pebbled beach and eateries.

Whitstable’s oldest restaurant, the distinctively pink Wheeler’s Oyster Bar in High Street also features, with its small oyster parlour and seafood bar.

Created by user Jenny aka @the.wanderlust.blonde, the video ends with a shot inside The Lobster Shack situated on the seafront.

The final caption has been designed as an addendum to the first caption, which reads: “Whitstable and enjoy some seafood”,

The TikTok has 37,500 saves and is filled with comments praising the coastal town, with Ruby commenting: “I love nothing more than Whitstable”.

The TikTok showcases spots in Whitstable to get seafood. Picture: @the.wanderlust.blonde on TikTok
The TikTok showcases spots in Whitstable to get seafood. Picture: @the.wanderlust.blonde on TikTok

“My hometown! Favourite place in the world,” Sarah wrote.

Sophie added: “This is near where I grew up I love seeing people romanticise it.”

Although some have said the video does not actually look like the town they know, as one user wrote: “I live here but I don’t see what you see, the video makes it nice though.”

“Making Whitstable look like it’s in Spain or something,” Jack commented.

Whitstable has also been determined Kent’s best beach, according to TikTok.

Last year, UK Holiday provider Parkdean Resorts analysed data on the app to see which were the most viewed beaches to reveal the best beaches around the country in 2022.

Whitstable bagged one of the top spots, coming second to Whitley Bay in Tyne & Wear. It had an 89.92% increase in views on the app from 2022 to 2023, skyrocketing from 1,300,000 last year to 12,900,000 this year.

The analysis concluded: “With remarkably warm waters for swimming and water sports, amazing boat trips and a wonderful selection of independent shops, Whitstable really does offer the perfect day at the seaside.”

Whitstable is Kent's best beach according to TikTok. Picture: Google
Whitstable is Kent's best beach according to TikTok. Picture: Google

This is not the first time a town in Kent has taken the social media platform by storm. Mermaid Beach in Folkestone was branded as an “unreal place to visit” last year after a TikTok of the location received more than 400,000 likes in just three days.

The montage showed the sea, sands and colourful beach huts with users commenting they wanted to see if for themselves.

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