Margate can be bewildering for the first-time visitor arriving by train. The blurb on Margate all trades off its past as the premier sea resort of Kent (apparently it was the first 'bathing beach' in England, launched in 1736). The picture on Margate's Wikipedia entry, with its old clock tower in the foreground and sandy beach in the background is vaguely evocative of the Dunkirk beaches from the film Atonement. The sight that greets rail arrivals brutally exposes the camera's lie. A grey, imposing tower block is the first thing that catches your eye. Then, a little further back, the jaw-droppingly old, recently reopened, theme park rather disbelievably called 'Dreamland', housed in sixties red brick. When one reaches the beach, one is bluntly told "Do not bathe here" while the tackiness of the shops on the sea front itself suggest that Margate has fallen a long way from its past glories. One might conclude that the Margate experience is awash with encroaching tat and tack. Head for the Lifeboat! No, really, head for the Lifeboat. The first reason to head to the Lifeboat is that it's located in Margate's Old Town. Rather like in Hastings, Margate's Old Town is filled with interesting old buildings (including a Tudor house.. right next to a demolished building. Only in Margate) and classier restaurants, cafes, shops and pubs. In short, enough to discover the cooler and classier side to Margate. The second reason is the atmosphere of the Lifeboat itself. Unlike the seafront bars, there's no Carling or Sky Sports here, just an excellent range of local, dirt-cheap (3 pounds a pint!) ale and cider. Sure, there's Meantime too, but it's noticeably more expensive and let's be honest, inferior. The interior is wooden, with sawdust on the floor. The service is friendly and one might say earthy. And, best of all, they were playing Bohemian Rhapsody for most of my time there. Class. I'm not a fan of painful punnery, but it's no exaggeration to say that the Lifeboat saved my Margate experience.