BOONIES ASSAULT COURSE
DAYSOUT
Wellness Wanderings cont ...
BOONIES ASSAULT COURSE
BETTESHANGER PARK insideKENT ’ S TOP WANDERING WALKS
Head to the Hills An amazing walking spot for decades , the Natural Landscape ( Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ) of the North Downs Way offers over 153 miles of walking trails ready to be explored . Stretching from the White Cliffs of Dover to the countryside of Sevenoaks ( and beyond to Surrey ), you can trace ancient routes on your own modern day pilgrimage along one of the country ’ s most accessible trails which offers history - eight castles , three cathedrals , three archbishops ’ palaces and numerous stately homes and gardens to be precise - and art thanks to The Great ARTdoors , with every step . nationaltrail . co . uk
Augustine
Camino Trail Celebrating the mission of St Augustine in 597 to convert the English to Christianity , prepare to step back in time on this pilgrimage trail that follows the footsteps of St Augustine from Rochester Cathedral , past medieval Aylesford Priory and Canterbury Cathedral and Abbey , ending at the Shrine of St Augustine in Ramsgate . While also offering access to pretty villages and country pubs along the way . augustinecamino . co . uk
Viking Coastal Trail It ’ s easy to see why Thanet ’ s Viking Coastal Trail is a firm favourite route among walkers ( and cyclists ) in Kent . The attractive
32-mile-long route circles the entire Thanet peninsular offering sensational views from level , traffic-free promenades and broad sea walls and along leisurely country lanes as you discover the iconic seaside towns of Margate , Ramsgate and Broadstairs along the way . visitthanet . co . uk
Recently I went to Boonies - the only kids assault course in Kent - and it was so fun , really athletic and a real challenge !
As we arrived , I could see obstacles set up and we were met by our commander who was shouting military-style - but still really fun . He made us run up and down to get warmed up and do a few press ups .
We started by jumping in and out of tyres and then we had to jump through some hoops which were big . Like , really big . We had to do star jumps until everyone had come through !
After that we had to leap over some puddles , climb over wooden logs and army crawl under tunnels . Then we got to the rope swing . We had to swing over another puddle of water - but this one was waaaaay deeper . I managed to make it over again , but some weren ’ t as lucky as me and ended up bellyflopping into the swampy water ! It was hilarious !
Next we had to all make it over a wall . This was hard because it was really tall - we had to help each other by pushing each other over it and working as a team . There was also a balance beam across a manky , skanky pool of water which we had to cross , the person next to me fell in up to their waist . It was really wet and slippy !
The trenches were next . They were SO fun but SO muddy . We had to find our way through a four-way system to get out of tunnels . I was absolutely covered in mud !
After that it was the epic mud slide to finish . I was the one first there , so I ran up and threw myself down the slide and into the huge mud pit to complete the course ! That slide was the best bit – I did the slide five times !
I would really recommend the course for 8-12 year olds , but it works for teenagers and whole families too -my little brother and sister loved the area for little kids with monkey bars and a playground at the start ! Afterwards we could go into Betteshanger Park if we wanted to play some more , and get a yummy hot chocolate in the café to warm up !
It was such a good experience – active , fun and crazy ! I would love to do it again sometime – I ’ m actually thinking of doing it for my eleventh Birthday . I can ’ t wait to be 11 !
By Alfie Towse , Age 10
See Alfie ’ s adventure reel on Instagram : instagram . com / p / DAypianMWJQ
www . insidekent . co . uk • 49