Coastal Commuters

Get free train travel, participate in a free travel safe workshop and visit Turner Contemporary for one unforgettable school trip.

Combining Travel Safe Travel Smart’s fantastic free school travel from Southeastern, with Turner Contemporary’s vibrant arts programme, Coastal Commuters offers schools a free day in Margate packed with creative education.

The morning will be spent learning about safe train travel at Travel Safe Travel Smart, and in the afternoon, using an activity map – which includes interesting facts and creative activities related to Thanet’s coastline – to guide your walk along the beach to the gallery, where you can explore the latest exhibition and get creative in our Clore Learning Studio.  

There is also a useful free educational toolkit packed with everything you need to give your class a deep insight into our coastline. 

To book your free Coastal Commuters day, submit your details via the form below. The Travel Safe Travel Smart coordinator will follow up to confirm your booking.

Dates to avoid:

There are periods when we will not be able to accept Coastal Commuters bookings due to exhibition changeovers. These dates are listed below:

• Monday 2 September – Friday 27 September 2024
• Monday 27 January – Friday 21 February 2025

The day will be full of activities, so remember to leave enough time for lunch and for your coastal commute! See the example timeline below: 

• 10:00 – 11:30 Travel Safe Travel Smart interactive learning session 
• 11:45 – 12:15 Lunch at Travel Safe Travel Smart
• 12:15 – 12:45 Walk to Turner Contemporary using the Coastal Commuters Learning Resource 
• 12:45 – 13:45 Explore the exhibitions and the Clore Learning Studio 
• 13:45 – 14:15 Using the Coastal Commuters Learning Resource, walk to the station 
• 14:15 – 14:45 Catch your train! 

Families wanting to take part can pick up the Coastal Commuters Learning Resource at Margate Station Cafe, Turner Contemporary or Droit House. 

Travel Safe Travel Smart is located at Margate station and is a dedicated rail safety education facility supported by Network Rail and Southeastern. Targeting primary and secondary school-age children, it features a full-scale railway platform, life-size train front, a model railway and interactive games, with the aim to prevent future trespass on the railways through interactive education. 

CICRP commissioned the Coastal Commuters Learning Resource with local Thanet illustrator Alex Foster. It maps the journey from Southeastern’s station at Margate to Turner Contemporary and back. The resource includes interesting facts about Thanet’s coastline and creative activities to engage children. 

Further information for groups planning a visit to this award-winning coastline can be found here. 

Coastal Commuters is a collaboration between Creative Isle Community Rail Partnership (CICRP) and Travel Safe Travel Smart (TSTS).  

CICRP is a partnership between Turner Contemporary, Southeastern and Thanet District Council which facilitates artist-led projects at the 8 Thanet stations, offering a voice to community through art and creativity and promoting sustainable, healthy and accessible transport.