DAYSOUT The Six-Week Survival Guide cont...
( c) Steph Stevie / Kent Views
ST MARY’ S BAY
BIG ENERGY BURNERS
For days when restless legs need a run around...
Kent has a land area of 1,368 square miles and approximately 350 miles of coastline. And, while we’ re not suggesting you tackle it in one day, there’ s certainly plenty to explore to burn off energy and keep kids occupied.
For classic, nostalgic seaside fun, head to Dreamland in Margate, where there’ s everything from vintage rides to arcades and a roller disco. Dymchurch Amusement Park is another coastal spot for rides and more, and you can head there before or after a day at the beach. Just along from Dymchurch is St Mary’ s Bay, a gorgeous, white sand beach with low parking prices and small crowds, even in the summer.
Kent’ s got a vast array of cycling trails, from coastal pathways( check out the Oyster Bay Trail between Whitstable and Reculver, one of Kent’ s prettiest routes) to the likes of Betteshanger Park
DREAMLAND
with its variety of traffic-free, off-road, and paved cycling trails. Keen cyclists can also explore the many cycling trails at Bedgebury Pinetum and kids will also love the adventure playgrounds, Go Ape! high ropes courses and epic ziplines through the forest. If heights are your family’ s thing then you can get your adrenaline pumping at Bluewater’ s Hangloose Adventure- England’ s longest zipline, an outdoor skydive machine and a brilliant high ropes course.
For those seeking adventure, there’ s loads of amazing playgrounds across the county. The Lower Leas Coastal Park is a massive free seaside adventure park with zip lines, climbing structures and tunnels, while the Adventure Play Area at Shorne Woods Country Park is one of Kent’ s best woodland adventure playgrounds with climbing towers, slides, rope features and forest walks nearby. What more could you need?( Except maybe some caffeine to get you through...).
THE
RAINY DAY RESCUE PLAN
For when the British weather doesn’ t play ball …
While we all dream of six weeks of sunshine, the reality is that sometimes, the summer holidays can be a bit soggy. But, don’ t let bad weather dampen your spirits. There’ s still plenty you can do indoors in Kent without heading to a soft play( unless you really want to, of course …).
For a mix of history and activities, head to The Historic Dockyard Chatham. From play areas and family trails to amazing architecture and interactive galleries, this is a great place to while away a rainy day and entry tickets last a year so you can go back and do it all again!
For everything you need under one roof, Bluewater is a great rainy day option. There’ s the cinema, Gravity trampoline park, Dinotropolis Adventure Park and loads more.
For smaller kids, a role play centre is perfect for a gloomy day. Role Play Rascals in Faversham offers green screen backgrounds, a rocket ship and a dinosaur you can feed, while Ramsgate’ s Little Seaside Town has everything from a mini fish and chip shop to a VW camper to explore.
THE HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM
Learning can be fun too, and there’ s plenty of museums and interactive experiences to suit all ages. Dover Transport Museum is perfect for any vehicle-obsessed kids, there’ s The Battle of Britain Memorial in Capel-le-Ferne for aviation buffs, and in Faversham, pay a visit to the Kent Police Museum for a fascinating insight into what makes the force what it is today.
54 • www. insidekent. co. uk