Days out in Kent // Walmer Castle

We have had English Heritage passes before, but until recently we have never visited Walmer Castle.  Situated along the Deal Coast, Walmer Castle is a smaller castle with beautiful grounds and a fantastic place to visit with young children.

There is parking on site, although it was closed the day of our visit, and there is a car park opposite the entrance and free parking on nearby streets.  You enter through the castle and have a choice whether to explore indoors first or head outside.

The castle was built during Tudor times to help protect the country from perceived threats coming from France and Spain.  It's history involves stories about William Pitt, The Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill and other Lord Warden's of the Cinque Ports, and was visited every year by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in her later years.  The interior of the castle was fascinating to explore (more for older children and adults than younger ones) and there were plenty of staff on hand to share knowledge with us.  Upstairs in the castle we could go out and see the cannons as well as looking out to see the coast of France.

The children's favourite part of our visit was the woodland walk. The natural play trail means you don't have to walk far before finding something new to climb on, swing from or play.  The beautifully designed areas kept the children entertained and we loved the information about birds along the way too, written in a way that younger children can easily take in and helping us to spot and listen out for them.  

The castle's grounds also include an incredible cloud yew hedge, shaped in the most interesting way, a kitchen garden where food for the café is grown and the QEQM garden.  Even on an overcast day, it is a beautiful area to walk around and there were plenty of picnic areas and large open spaces to enjoy over the summer too.

We visited the café which served sandwiches, sausage rolls, soups and cakes alongside hot and cold drinks. I was impressed with the options including vegan sandwiches and sausage rolls. 

Walmer Castle is a lovely afternoon out and situated close to the town of Deal, opposite a pebble beach and walking trails and a short walk or cycle to Sandown Castle.  Our children enjoyed exploring and have all requested we head back to the nature trail again soon.

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Days out in Kent // Bedgebury Pinetum

 For the second year running, I have taken the big two on a long weekend camping with a group of friends at Bedgebury Campsite.  It is a highlight of our year and after lockdowns and restrictions, it feels wonderful to set them loose in the woodlands and get so much fresh air.  We stayed an extra day this year which meant we went exploring at Bedgebury Pinetum, a forest we had all heard of as it is famous for it's Christmas lights.

It was a five minute drive from the campsite along one country road and parking was £14 per car, with no additional entrance fees (slightly cheaper on a weekday).  The adults wanted to go for beautiful country walks and the children were keen to find the play areas but we managed to fit in both.

The forest has set running trails, cycle trails and walking routes so there is something for everyone.  The running routes are set out with distances and there was on site cycle hire facilities as well as the option to bring your own.  We went for a beautiful walk which took us deeper into the forest which was well maintained.  We found a mini fern garden where we could explore miniature versions of the varieties of the trees and the Gruffalo trail where you can spot your favourite creatures including a huge Gruffalo (probably more of a highlight for me than the children now they are 8 and 9, I still know the book off by heart!).

After we had had fun exploring the walking trails, we went to find the playground.  The main playground is set with a wooden ship as well as other equipment and a table tennis area too.  There is a Go Ape next door which sadly we didn't get to experience but it looked great fun.  Leading off from the playground was an adventure playground trail which combines a forest walk with several different playgrounds, all designed differently.  Around the forest there were dens and other interesting creations for the children and mine could have spent most of the day exploring them all.  The giant log swing was a big favourite and sadly the huge spiders web climbing area wasn't something we managed to play on (the rain beat us by that point.

There is a cafe with indoor and outdoor seating which sits next to a lovely lake with ducks.  They did a variety of hot and cold food including vegan and vegetarian meals and we loved trying out the cakes too.  If you didn't want to buy food then you could of course being a picnic.

We loved our visit to Bedgebury Pinetum and would recommend it for families of all types.  My children are not confident with dogs and we loved how the place was designed with children in mind as well as dogs.  Dogs have to be kept on a lead and there are dog parking stations by many tables and benches.  The toilets all had smaller children seats and lower sinks and my nervous of dog children felt very comfortable there.  

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Days Out in Kent // Folkestone

It was our first visit to Folkestone and I know there is so much more to it than what we saw in one day, but our first impression was that Folkestone is a beautiful colourful town, creative and welcoming with a lovely family vibe.

We wandered through the town which still has a thriving high street and found a selection of great looking restaurants and cafes.  We ended up eating at the big Wetherspoons though due to having very fussy eaters and knowing it is always a safe menu for them.  The Wetherspoons is in a beautiful old building which is a converted church and still retains some original features and nods to its origins.

We walked down into the Creative Quarter which was so colourful and inviting.  I could have spent all day window shopping and the small independent stores had a fantastic selection of products. We went into Moo like a Monkey, a children's shop I had followed on Instagram and they had toys out for the little ones to play with whilst I browsed. At the end of this colourful row was Folkestone Harbour and we crossed over to walk along the seafront.

There is a promenade along the front as well as a walk way across the pebbly beach.  Our local beaches are all sand so the children loved the novelty of the stones here. Along the way we came across beach huts in shades of orange and pink and could see lots of building work going on along the seafront.  We were looking for the Lower Leas Coastal Park, somewhere we had been recommended many time and eventually found it just above the Mermaid Cafe (where we stopped for the obligatory ice cream).

The park was fantastic for children of all ages.  The main area was probably aimed at primary school aged children but there were several smaller playgrounds that led off from it offering different challenges and things for other ages.  All four of mine (aged 4-9) loved the playground and have been asking to go back.

To get back up to the car (we parked in a multistorey close to the town centre), there is a zigzag path that runs up the cliff with beautiful scenery and plenty of places to stop and rest if you want to take it slow.

All in all, we loved our day out in Folkestone and will definitely be heading back soon.  The whole town felt really family friendly and had plenty to entertain the little people.  You can reach it via car or train (Folkestone Central would be the best stop).

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Days out in Kent - Bearsted Woods

This summer has seen us discovering more of the county we live in and one of the places we have visited recently and enjoyed is Bearsted Woods near Maidstone.  Also known as the People's wood, the area is a good size for exploring with small people as the walks are all a shorter length and there is a lovely play area too.  We took a picnic and found a great choice of tables to sit at and during the hours we spent there, I think we only saw one other family!

We crossed over a lake and saw a field of friendly goats and there were signs around the area telling us about insects and nature we could spot on the trails.  We found a maze mown into the ground and although it wasn't tall enough to get lost in, the kids loved finding their way through it.  One of their favourite features was a line of painted rocks that extended for many metres and we wished we had brought one with us to add to the snake of them along the side of the path.  The paths were wide and well maintained and the kids loved going off route to explore their own short cuts (which were usually much longer).

We planned our day so that the playground was at the end of our walk.  All through the woods there are 'trim trails' which are stations with instructions for specific exercises, like the monkey bars, balance beams and spots to do star jumps.  The main playground was great though and there was something for all ages.  If you live locally, it is a lovely place to spend an afternoon but there are no amenities in the woods so you do need to bring enough water and use the toilet before you arrive.  There is a small shop not far from the playground if you need to stock up on anything (we went on a very hot day and ran out of drinks before the end of it).  For any Pokemon Go enthusiasts, there are also lots of Pokestops and two gyms within the woods!

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