How to spend a day driving from Canterbury to Stansted

Hi! We have a day to drive from Canterbury to Stansted and I don't know what we could do that day. Is the coast interesting? I've read of Deal , Ramsgate, Whitstable, Herne Bay and Rochester, which one(s) would you advise? (other suggestions would also be appreciated).
THANKS A LOT!

I think Whitstable has a famous sea food restaurant which may be nice to stop for lunch at, cant remember the name but there cant be many.

ramsgate has Pugin architecture, minster in thanet is the home of moder english religion, the oyster house in whitstable is fab, the sportsman pub in tankerton (near whitstable) is great as is the coastguard at st margarets. birchington has Quex house i could go on.........

Ramsgate and Deal are the opposite direction to Stanstead.

whitstable is an easy place to pass a few hours. I dont quite get why people seem to like it as much as they do , though.

As a Ramsgatonian im not sure i would recommend coming to Ramsgate on your way to Stansted.
As one person has already said its in the wrong direction anyway.

Whitstable is so close to Canterbury ( 5 minutes drive) seems strange to base your day around a place so close.
Surely if you wanted to go there you would have by now.

Why dont you stay in Canterbury longer and leave later for Stansted without stopping?
Unfortunately the East side of Kent isnt that amazing/

Herne Bay is worth visiting for anyone interested in England and Kent.

I really love "The Three Cities": Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham. For those who are unfamiliar with this fine urban area, the three cities are right next to each other and travelling from one to the last, you pass through suburbs near outskirts and don't leave urban spaces.

click here

Why don't you head up to East Anglia earlier and have a snoop around there rather than squeezing in a bit more of Kent?

Thanks, everybody for your advice!

Re:- #1's post, the famous restaurant is the Whitstable oyster bay company restaurant, personally overpriced.Would suggest you go 100 metres down to the right and try the fish/oyster shack by the quayside (selling fresh fish direct from the boats), much cheaper and you can sit al-fresco (dont try this tommorow,rain forecast) and down a dozen.
Good place to lose an hour or two.
Annual Oyster festival starts July 31st-August 8th.
Metro-link-about -Whitstable

newone: are you kidding???

Those 3 Cities are horrid.
My GF works in Chatham and cannot wait to leave the town after work.

and yes Herne Bay is ok but what is actually there? Couldnt really spend a day site seing.

nona1 has a point

Why not head up Stansted way early on and spend the time driving along the Essex/Suffolk border, as there are loads of pretty towns and villages along there. The likes of Saffron Walden, Thaxted, Finchingfield, Coggeshall, Sudbury and Long Melford spring to mind. If you want to continue further East you'll hit Constable country and if you carry on to the coast then Orford isn't to bad a town to stop at.

Rochester is ok, but chatham and gillingham?

i would agree that thanet is hardly on the way to stansted, but the op did ask about that area, as an ex ramsgatonian i'd say IF the op wanted to drive the 30-40 mins there from canterbury then it is worth the visit.