Lower Leas Cliff Coastal Park

Lower Leas Cliff Coastal Park in Folkestone is definitely in my top 10 'Destination Play Parks'! If you look up from the beach you wouldn't even know it was there hidden between the trees...

There are car parks at either end of the park but we park at the harbour end as there's plenty of spaces and it's relatively cheap. The car park on the left opposite the Leas Lift is £3 for 4-12hrs (In the Winter it's free to park on the road) There are also good public transport links to Folkestone taking you in to the town centre which is a short walk to the seafront and the park.

When you enter the park from the harbour end you walk through well laid out gardens. There are various pathways to wonder around including bridges and great views of the sea. The boys love to run around the different routes or use their scooters or bikes! The main route and some of the other paths are wheelchair accessible. This section of the park is also relatively flat. There are plenty of benches and picnic spots and the kids particularly like sitting on the grass ampi-theatre.

When you reach the 'Fun Zone' the first play area you come to is the sunken pirate ship! Complete with crows nest, ships wheel, communication pipe and rigging! There are benches in the playground but also opposite for the oldies. All the play apparatus in the park is surrounded by sand which is always a hit with the littlies. The good thing about the pirate ship is the toddler and primary age kids can play together and they only disappear from view when venturing inside the broken ship.

Walk up hill to the next little stop where you'll find the Spiders Web and then on from there is the 'big adventure play'. This huge construction incorporates, traditional and tube slides, ladders, stairs, tunnels, bridges and zip wires! And if that all sounds far too tiring there are lots of benches for taking it easy. Obviously aimed at the Over 5s it spans both sides of the path and is a hive of activity so make sure the big ones know where to find you! Just behind the benches to observe all this adventuring is the start of the under 5s section...

...there is a suspended boat and a net hammock again surrounded by sand. If you walk up to the next level there is a little wooden house and various tipping and sieving devices for playing with the sand. There are further sections with the wobbly ride on things and a another construction type bit for shifting sand (with a handy stop your toddler from escaping gate).

By which point I'm usually in serious need of a wee and a cuppa! But luckily this is the top of the park where the public loos are, with baby change/disabled loo too. If you walk down the steep slope between the loos and the park ranger hut you will probably be forced to stop at the sand pit and the sit on diggers. But don't worry just a little further down some steep steps there is the café!  (not very buggy friendly but do - able,  less steps is if you go around and come up from the beach) They do the usual variety of teas and coffees with various cakes and lunches on offer. And of course the obligatory summer ice creams! I usually abandon the buggies, kids and other adults and opt for take outs; But there is a large veranda over looking the beach for eating in protected from the wind by plastic surround or some tables inside.

If that wasn't enough you can then walk down to the stoney beach. There is a nice area directly below the café with some benches up against the sea wall so a good place for a play. Or take a stroll/scoot along the sea front if the kids have any energy left.You can then make your way back through the park or along the front. If you've got time you might want to take the kids on a little trip on the The Leas Lift up the cliff to the town for a small charge. The restored Victorian water balanced Vanicular is open daily from April through the Summer.

Time: 3-6hrs
Best For: Toddlers, Under 5s, Under 12s
Recommend: Picnic, Scooters, Bucket & Spades.

Easter Egg Hunts, Treasure Trails & Scavenger Hunts!

With Easter fast approaching Easter Egg Hunts are on the agenda but treasure hunts or scavenger hunts can be a great distraction all year round. So you may be a treasure hunt mastermind and there are a million blogs online about treasure hunts but plenty of us have inspiration failure so read on for ideas for...DIY versions, Cheap Kits or Free Downloads and list of some Easter Trail events on in Kent this Easter!

DIY 
The most value for money option is the homemade variety; For the littlies there are:

The 'Find and Collect' - you need a good couple of handfuls of small items which you can hide randomly in the garden or house. Use toy money, jewellery or duplo blocks as the treasure,  I could use Lego in my house and skip the having to scatter it step! To make the activity last longer have a central pot (Large bowl or Jar etc) which they have to return to each time they find a piece of treasure. When they have found every bit or filled the tub, they win a prize!

The 'Picture Scavenger' -  You can either draw or cut out pictures of objects which you put on a card. The aim of the game is to collect one of everything. You could do this for at home or for somewhere you go regularly like the park, woods or beach. The first to collect every item or the one with most when up is the 'winner' .

For the older children:

The 'Letter Hunt' -  Hide pictures of eggs with letters on a trail around the garden, give each child a sheet with the same number of spaces as letters to be found. Then at the end unjumble the letters to make the secret word!

The 'Clue Treasure Hunt'- This will involve a bit of planning. I use scrap paper torn up or post - it notes do the job. Examples of clues:
'It's very cold in here next to the milk'
'Fr_d_e'
'It's chilly here but not freezing'
If you want to make it extra hard try things like mirror writing or writing backwards. The bonus with older children as they'll then be desperate to write their own treasure hunt for t he younger ones, so more time for you!

The 'Scavenger Hunt' - The same as the picture one but write a longer list of what they need to find/collect or spot. Again the most finds or spots is the 'winner'!

Kits and Free Downloads 

If you like the idea of DIY but it all sounds like hardwork; There are plenty of 'Find and Collect' Easter egg hunt kits in the shops. Try the bargain stores, you can get one in Pound land for a pound of course! Click Here or from supermarkets, Asda's is £1.50 Click Here!

There are also lots of pre-made Scavenger Hunt or Spotting sheets available free to download on-line. I particularly like the ones from the Woodland Trust which cater for the different seasons and age groups. Click Here!

Events

Of course we all like to get out and about, so here are a few treasure hunts (at 'free entry' locations) coming up soon but please feel free to comment on the blog or facebook of any you know about too...

Whitstable Castle - Mon 28th March 12-3pm Easter Egg Hunt £2.50; 4th-8th April Seashore Trail - Free

Westgate Parks Easter Trail - Canterbury -Sun 27th March 10am-3pm - Free from Toddlers Cove. (First 300 Children)

Whitefriars Shopping Centre, Canterbury - Easter Egg Trail Fri 25th Mar- 3rd Apr (Except 27th) - Free.

Shorne Wood Country Park, Gravesend - Easter Bunny Hunt on 27th March and Easter Activity Trail throughout school holidays, with a treat at the end, charge applies. 

Betteshanger Country Park, Deal - Easter Hunt Friday 25th March, £3 per child. Spring trail through the Easter holidays £1.50 each, find all the letters and win a prize.

Bartons Point Coastal Park, Sheerness - Easter Hunt 27th March,  complete the trail and exchange for an egg at the café when you buy a cuppa.

Joydens Wood, Bexley - 27th March, Free Easter Trail with a prize at the end but book in advance online with the Woodland Trust.

Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve - 27th March. Wildlife Easter Trail and other activities. £4, book online.

Margate Main Sands - 29th March - Scavenger and Great Egg Case Hunt, 45min hunt + 45min  crafts, £1 Adults £1 kids £1 Pre-book Click Here!

Viking Bay - 30th March - Scavenger and Great Egg Case Hunt - same as above.

Ramsgate Main Sands - 31st March - Scavenger and Great Egg Case Hunt - same as above.

Bedgebury Pinetum - 4th-8th April - Stick Man trail and craft drop-in - Follow the stick man trail collect sticks and cones then with extra craft bits make your own stick man and Collect an egg! £2 each.