DAYSOUT
The insideKENT Summer Scrapbook cont...
HEVER CASTLE
Just a 10-minute drive away, Amore comes highly commended by locals as the best Italian restaurant in Rochester, and is a worthwhile spot for a late lunch or evening meal to refuel from a day of digging. Offering vegetarian and vegan options across a diverse menu of pizzas, pastas and Italian classics, Amore is known for authentic, delicious food and exceptional service.
Betteshanger Park, Deal bettsehanger-park. co. uk
Open seven days a week for all to enjoy, Betteshanger Park is a vibrant destination set within the Kentish countryside. Packed with activities from cycling routes to walking trails and outdoor adventures that connect you with nature, Betteshanger Park is an unmissable location for those wanting to build up their summer scrapbook in Kent. With a smooth 3.2km tarmac track for cycling and 10km of off-road trails designed with mountain biking in mind, Betteshanger’ s E-Flow Cycles offer bike hire and servicing for those wanting to explore the park at a higher speed, as well as classes for little ones aged two- 14 to learn to ride.
Every weekend and half term, activities such as target archery, fossil hunting and axe throwing are available to pre-book, each promising an exhilarating experience for thrill-seekers. An opportunity to push the limits of your knowledge and skills in a safe and supportive environment, each activity is a fun challenge for groups of friends, families or colleagues wanting to enjoy some healthy summertime competition. Offering a respite from hard work, The Lamp Room at the heart of Betteshanger Park is the perfect place to grab a hearty breakfast or light lunch, with a fully licensed bar for adults to unwind with a glass of wine on the outdoor terrace.
Brickwrecks: Time Travellers Assemble, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham thedockyard. co. uk
Just 35 miles from central London, The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a guaranteed adventure through the tide of history, hosting a range of exciting events this summer. The stories behind the dockyard can be discovered through their immersive exhibition galleries at The Ropery, The Historic Railway and RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection to name a few. With over 70,000 objects steeped in 400 years of British history, the dockyard’ s collections are like none other in Kent, offering small windows into the past via hand tools, machinery, fine art and photography.
This summer, included in the price of each admission ticket until 31 August is the Brickwrecks: Time Travellers Assemble activity, where families can build their way through history with lego minifigures. Little ones can grab their Time Travel Passport and join the curious figure Deckster on a fun-filled journey through the history of the dockyard, exploring different characters, time periods and challenges to collect stamps as they go. At an additional cost, visitors can also enjoy an on-theme Master Builder’ s Afternoon Tea at the Mess Deck restaurant. Designed with under 12s in mind, the menu is a nod to lego enthusiasts with brick-shaped sandwiches and a minifigure-shaped chocolate marshmallow.
Hever Castle & Gardens, Edenbridge hevercastle. co. uk
Set within 125 acres of picturesque grounds, Hever Castle is home to a rich and varied history, with award-winning gardens and plenty of family-friendly activities to fill a summer scrapbook this month and beyond. Featuring play areas, mazes, a lake walk and archery school, there’ s plenty of activities to enjoy across the grounds, as well as historically accurate Tudor costumes on display from the TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel’ s novel, Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.
Exclusively this summer, Hever Castle is hosting Knights of Hever Summer Jousting Tournaments on select dates until 31 August, with an online leaderboard for jousting enthusiasts to keep score. With the Events Field opening at 1pm, the tournaments start at 2.15pm, promising approximately 75 minutes of spectacular action, stunts, galloping horses, fanfares, professional commentary and music
38 • www. insidekent. co. uk