Whitstable Castle

We all love a trip to the bubble and our favourite stop is Whitstable Castle. There is a great little adventure playground complete with a pirate ship with rigging to climb and a slide for a quick escape! The kids love the roundabout and finding the piles of gold coins. It originally had running water too but I haven't seen this work for a few years now but the kids still play in the channels and enjoy winding the water pump handles. There are benches in the play area and only one gate to get in and out so less escapees.

When the weather is warm we take a picnic and put blankets down on the lawns in front of the castle. We take the scooters too so the kids can have a scoot around the paths although we have to be a bit more wary now since the 7yr olds are more likely to mow down little old ladies. If it's a bit chilly or you can't be bothered with a picnic, the castle has The Orangery Tea Rooms which also does take-out hot drinks which can come in handy. Although if the picnic fairy has failed us we normally take a very short walk to The Beach Cafe in Beach Walk, we love a bucket of chips with our sarnies!

After lunch we head for the beach which is practically opposite the castle. Walk through Tower Hill Tea Gardens and you pop out at the top of the slope/steps down on to the beach. Whitstable is a stoney beach but there are patches of shingle/sand which we use for some art attack stylee drawings. Followed by stone stacking and the more common stone skimming or chucking in the sea. You can take a stroll along the path by the beach towards Tankerton which is a good surface for scooters. In the summer we may just be persuaded to fork out for ice creams before home time, there is normally an ice cream van parked up in Beach Walk or pop back to the tea gardens.

There are various events held at Whitstable Castle throughout the year. During February half-term this year they had the Fairy Scavenger Hunt throughout the grounds and the next event is an Easter Egg Hunt. There is usually a fun day during the summer holidays which includes free activities, entertainment, facepainting etc. As well as the obligatory Christmas Fayre for a bit of gift shopping and Santa's grotto which you can visit for a small charge. Visit the website www.whitstablecastle.co.uk or follow on Facebook for current event information.

You can park at the castle for 3 hours maximum which is free and normally just long enough provided it's only a quick trip to the beach. There is parking just as you drive in the side gate on Tower Hill but there are also more spaces further in if these are full. You can also park on Tower Hill road for free and down towards Tankerton but finding a space can be tricky at popular times. Alternatively there are a few 4 hour pay & display spaces in Beach Walk or the Castle is only a 5 minute walk from the central car park 'The Tank'.

There are public toilets in the castle grounds near the play park as well as facilities in the café and the castle itself. There are also public toilets right by the beach.

Best for: Toddlers; Under 12s;
Recommend: Scooters, Picnic & Rug,
Time: 3hrs or 4-5hrs (with scoot along the beach)

Oare Gunpowder Works

I have been taking my boys to Oare Gunpowder Works in Faversham since they were tiny, definitely a good place to go when you just need to get out the house for some fresh air for an hour or so. 

Its a great little country park with a buggy/wheel chair friendly path, fab for little legs as it's not too far to walk around and there are a few picnic benches for a pit stop. The park has plenty of trees, ponds, various walk ways on different levels, and what is more fun for a toddler than stomping across the wooden bridges in wellies 'trip, trap' and all that. The kids always manage to find plenty of sticks for some imagining and enjoy running around. The various plaques around the site give information on the gunpowder works ruins, which my eldest has started to show more interest in. It's situated alongside the fishing lake where you may spot the Swans, a few ducks and watch out for dragonflies. You can also take the dog along too as long as they're on the lead.

The car park is free and the visitor centre is normally open on the weekends from April. It is worth noting that the toilet facilities aren't open in the week but you are only a few minutes drive from Sainsburys or pop to the community centre if you need a coffee to warm up too.

Medway Countryside Partnership runs bookable workshops such as pond dipping in the school holidays for a donation as well as other events so it is worth keeping an eye on their website too  http://www.medwayvalley.org/ The next event is an Easter Egg hunt being organised on Friday 24th March, booking information and cost is on the website.

Further Information : www.gunpowderworks.co.uk

Best for : Pushchairs; Little Legs; All Ages; Wheelchair Users;

Recommend : Wellies (if it's rained recently)

Time : 1-2hrs 

Hello

Hello, as you will probably guess I'm new to blogging. Last year I started a list on the local facebook chat group of free places to go with the kids during the summer holidays in Kent. I probably had about 20 places to start with, it was quite popular and people started to come up with suggestions of their own. By free I was mainly thinking of places without an entrance fee so 'free-ish' as you might have to pay to park or there might be extra activities you can pay to do but ultimately you can have a great time and spend very little. Anyway, I thought why not turn it into a blog and see if it has a wider appeal. I've only found out about some of these places through other parents so you may not know these places exist. I'm also hoping to add information on some free annual events and some rainy day at home activity ideas. Everything I blog is just what I know and my opinion, I don't profess to be tourist information but I hope to give you some places and ideas to try from a parents point of view. I work a part-time job, help to run a family business and look after my boys so it may take me a while to get in the swing of things. Feel free to make some suggestions of places I should visit along the way.