Rain, Rain Go Away...

May Half Term weather here in Kent this week is ultimately disappointing so thought I'd give you a quick brainstorm for the rest of the week for places you could check out. Unfortunately there are not many free activities inside so also included payable and good value ideas.

Museums/Galleries - Many towns and cities in Kent have a small museum or gallery, read my earlier blog on 'Inside in Canterbury' for the low down on the museums there. Many museums are also free or discounted for locals. Some might only kill an hour or so but it stops the kids killing each other! Theres usually some extra activities laid on in the school holidays. Check Out these free ones The Beany,Canterburyhttp://canterburymuseums.co.uk/beaney/; The Turner Contemporary, Margatehttps://www.turnercontemporary.org/; The Maidstone Museum, Maidstonehttp://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/; The Guildhall Museum, Rochesterguildhallmuseum; The Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum, Manston.http://www.spitfiremuseum.org.uk

Cinema - So the latest films seriously hurt the wallet but Cineworld have 'Movies for Juniors' which are usually films that are 6-12 months old. On every morning in the holidays for only £1.50 per person prebook online at https://www.cineworld.co.uk/ . Also check out your local independent cinemas they are cheaper than the multi plex but still often have recent kids film on and the popcorns usually cheaper too!

Swimming Pool - So obviously not free but if you want the kids suitably worn out for a dvd afternoon swimming is good bet. We went to Swallows in Sittingbourne this morning, which was great as they had all the floats and pool toys out, the wave machine going a few times then an inflatable obstacle course for the those that can swim 25m and the flume, for £13 for the 3 of us plus parking it wasn't too tragic! Check out your local pool timetable for half term activities or try somewhere new.

Art Cafés - Now there are lots of these places across the county. Normally buy an ornament or some crockery and paint away. With father's day coming up you have the perfect excuse, who can resist a one of kind mug created by the kids. We particularly like Little Potters in Sittingbourne, you can chose to decorate in acrylic or proper paint that needs firing. For the littliest ones there is a soft play if they are very much a splash and dash artist. And most importantly plenty of tea/ coffee and snacks available to keep you going. Check out... Little Potters, Sittingbournehttp://www.littlepotters.com/index.html; Espression, Canterburyhttp://www.espression.co.uk/; This Art of Mine, Maidstonehttp://www.thisartofmine.co.uk/; Ceramics Cafe, Doverhttp://www.ceramicscafe.com/.

Indoor Skate Park - Revolution in Broadstairs is all undercover with enough ramps,  bowls and jumps to keep all skateboard and scooter kids busy. If you already have the wheels, bash hat and various pads then it's only £6 for 2 hours. If your kids are new to the skate park or your a bit worried about the little ones Revolution run 2 hour learn to scoot group lessons everyday through the holidays but you need to pre-book. Check them out at http://www.revolutionskatepark.co.uk

Woods - So it's not indoors but it's also not totally freezing out there! Wait for a gap in the showers and grab the wellies and waterproofs and go for a stomp. You might only manage 30 minutes but at least your out. Our faves for a stomp are Perry Woods, Selling nr Faversham and Kings Wood, Ashford....

Shopping Centre - They want you to shop and spend money but first they have to get you there. Many shopping centres and garden centres now put on free or cheap kids activities in the holidays to entice you through the door. Dobbies garden centres have the 'little seedlings club' with prebookable free activities. Check out your local websites to see what's on near you.

You can't spend all week at home or stuck in the ball pit, give something else a try!

Reculver

We have been visiting Reculver's infamous towers and the beach for years for days out but now it has the added bonus of a new adventure playground!

Now two main starting options depending on the age of the kids and the time you've got. With the little ones I head straight along Reculver Lane until you reach the dead end and the car park which is £1 to park all day. They usual open up a field for additional parking at peak times but it can still get rather busy. Alternatively with the bigger ones you can instead head for Bishopstone Road at the other end of the country park, where you can park and then take a half hour stroll along the Saxon Shore Way cliff top walk to Reculver.

There is lots to do in Reculver so take your pick or do everything. When the tide is out head west of the car park down on to the beach under the cliffs. This is a fantastic area for rock pooling, there is no access for pushchairs to the beach so walk down or use carriers for little legs. You don't have to go far to find some interesting specimens but the rock pools stretch a long way out so plenty to keep everyone busy. If your not sure where to start Kent Wildlife Trust runs guided rock pool sessions in the summer with the Education Officer and volunteers for a small charge. Check out the website for details. This is also the section of the beach you are most likely to find 'fossils' but don't get too close to the cliffs for safety reasons.

Next to the car park is the new adventure play park. A combination of a castle and pirate theme with lots of access points, rigging, ramps and climbing walls. Steering Wheels, telescopes and perescopes for the little ones. There are swings, slides and some more challenging bits for the big ones.

Unfortunately the council has yet to update the seating with still only a handful of old picnic benches set out on the grass but they are useable but take a picnic blanket if you think it might be busy. They are also a bit short of rubbish bins after busy weekend so you might need to take your rubbish home. There are public toilets which are clean and functional, with a disabled and baby change (if it's locked the visitor centre has a key). The toilets are open all day but specific hours change depending on the season.

The Visitor Centre is run by Kent Wildlife Trust. The centre offers displays and information on Reculver, it's history and the local wildlife. There is a gift shop and books about the area, if it's not busy ask if you can see the Mammoth tooth fossil. The centre is usually open everyday except Wednesdays between April and September.

 

 

 

 

You can also take a walk up by the towers this is fully accessible paths with information boards about the Towers and the Roman Fort. Follow the path past the towers and take a walk, scoot or cycle East along the sea wall by the pebbly beach. If your feeling energetic you can walk or cycle all the way to Minnis Bay a good 40 minute bike ride or couple of hour walk. We usually go so far then go on to the beach for some stone skimming then make our way back.

 

If you are truly worn out by all that, stop at the King Ethelbert pub for some refreshments or a hearty lunch or dinner. I can also recommend the traditional cafe for a cuppa and a bacon sarnie. They also do take outs and stock ice creams if you need to cool down.

Its also worth noting that once a year there is access into the towers looked after by English Heritage, which allows you to climb up inside and get some fantastic views. This is part of Heritage Open Day and is normally in September, check the website for details.

Best For: Everyone
Recommend: Scooters, Bikes, Buckets and Nets.
Time: 2-6 hours

Riverside Country Park

Discovered this fab country park by the River Medway in Gillingham last year with the help of some friends!

The main focus for the kids is the large adventure playground located just behind the visitor centre. With plenty of slides, swings and climbing frames to keep them busy. We particularly like the sunken pirate ship. As usual I can always trust my kids to go a bit off piste, they had lots of fun rolling down a little artificial hill on the playground rather than using the purpose built slide and why not?!?

I particularly like the layout of this play park with various sections for little and bigger ones. The whole area is mostly visible from the picnic benches so you can keep an eye on the bigger ones at a distance! Or spot a run away toddler pretty quickly, and only a couple of exit gates which always helps.

Like all the best play parks there is a cafe serving the usual drinks, snacks and Ice cream. There are also good toilet facilities  including baby change and disabled, located at the front of the visitor centre.

If you can drag yourself away from the play park take a walk along the accessible paths opposite the visitor centre. We had great fun with the erm,  sound tube thingy on the way...

With views over the Medway there is plenty of wildlife to spot on the mudflats and marshes. With the little ones just go for a little wonder or take a pushchair but its easier with alterrain wheels on the substrate paths. For a short circular walk approx 45 minutes take the path out on to the peninsula out to Horrid Hill, the path loops around and takes you back the way you came. Click here for the route Horrid Hill Walk For the bigger ones and teens take a stomp up river along the path or get on those bikes. It's also a good place to walk the dog.

There is a large pond which is good for a spot of pond dipping. They run bug hunt sessions in the school holidays for a small charge but make sure you book in advance. They also run beginners bird watching, and Art & craft activities, check out the website for details Riverside Country Park Events

The car park is free and a reasonable size although it can get rather full in the school holidays. 

Best For: Everyone
Recommend: Bikes
Time: 2-4 hrs

Boing Festival!

The Boing Festival isn't until the end of the summer but as the tickets for the not free bits are already on sale I thought might as well blog about it now!
This Free Family Festival is on August Bank holiday weekend, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th August this year. It takes place in and around the Gulbenkian Theatre on the University of Kent campus in Canterbury. Not only is it FREE to enter, it's FREE to park and there are plenty of FREE shows and activities alongside the ticketed events and workshops. Spend a few hours, all day or both days whatever suits you.

Being all about introducing children and families to drama, music, and dance the line up changes every year but the style is still the same. If going to the theatre is a very rare occurance or you've never considered watching dance theatre or your not sure if your littliest ones will sit still long enough to enjoy it, this is a great opportunity to give it a go. Like most Summer events you'll get more out of it when the weather's reasonable but there's plenty to do regardless.

The free shows are aimed at everyone although some will appeal more to one age group than another. They normally run twice a day both days so you don't have to miss anything and are mostly held outside so you can wonder in and out as you please.

Last year's favourite performance for us was 'Fragile' which consisted of dancers using enormous cubed scaffold frames and 3 large diggers, what child could resist dance, music and construction equipment! The boys loved it!

We also followed the story of the fabulous Lyma Bird and helped to find the missing baby birds, interactive theatre at its best!

There were also some Pirates in Treasure Island and a toddlers disco. In between the shows we ate some bbq (you can take a picnic), had a drink and hung out near the ART31 music stage. There were also free face painters, balloons and art activities.

This year I am particularly looking forward to checking out...'Kapow' "Three of planet Earth’s greatest superheroes are getting ready to battle it out for the title of ‘Most Supreme Superhero… Ever’". Click here for a taster Kapow Trailer.

Also want to give The Silent Disco a go with the stars of Cbeebies 'Spot Bots' Three Half Pints... and 'Ride' especially good for teens! But there's lots more free shows and we might even book up for some of the ticketed shows and workshops this year although we might struggle to fit it all in! For full listing of free and ticketed shows Click Here or follow on Facebook. The family films and workshops are yet to be confirmed.

Best For: Everyone - Toddlers to Teens
Recommend: Picnic Rug; 
Time: 4-6hrs

Swanley Park

We absolutely love Swanley Park! It's definitely a favourite 5 star summer destination for us as we can't wait to get in the splash pool when the suns out! But the biggest plus for my boys is the mini trains, wooo, wooo!

We start our visit by parking in New Barn Road for £2 all day, pay on the door. We usually choose to travel in style to the opposite end of the park and wait at the little platform for the mini train. They do have a carriage you can put Pushchairs in too so you won't miss out. Trains run from April through to end of September at weekends and weekdays in the school holidays. We get a return fare which is £1 kids £1.50 adults or £4 family of 4. Or if just one way is 70p and £1. The kids love it and all the volunteers running it are fab. Mine particularly like watching the trains going on the turntable and waving to the drivers. Follow their facebook page for info. Swanley New Barn Railway

The train deposits you right next to all the action. If it's a hot day the splash pool is where it's at, the pool, grass area and little toddler play ground is surrounded by fencing and gates which helps if u have speedy toddlers. The grass area can get busy if it promises to be a hot day so either get your spot early (10-10:30am) or later in the afternoon when people tend to move on. If you don't fancy sitting on the ground you can hire a nice stripey deck chair! The pool has a flat section of rubbery matting with various points that randomly squirt water, which is great for everyone. Then there is the adjoining paddling pool which is deeper in places than others but shallow, so won't get near your knees. Access is completely free!

The splash pool is directly outside the café which sells everything from tea, cake, burger & chips to ice cream and buckets & spades! Usually along side there is a small bouncy castle and a few ride on mini bikes for a small charge. The toilet block is just to the right of these. They are not great loos and when it's busy  the queues for the ladies can be huge so not good with a desperate child in tow. Recommend you take any opportunity to make the kids go when it's quiet and take a porta potty if anyone's a bit hit and miss!

So you've had plenty of splashing, ate your picnic, played on the littlies play bit and got sand everywhere, now what?!... Pack up your kit and head over to the play park which has equipment for the little and big ones all within a fenced area. It has all the usual slides, climbing frames, swings and climbing wall, plenty to keep them busy. There isn't much shade on a hot day so don't forget your hats! Obviously the surrounding area consists of the 'park' so lots of grass for running around, playing ball games and trees if you need some shade. And there's usually an ice cream van parked up should you not be able to cope without a 99!

Home time? Not quite if you've got a few quid to spare. The pond/mini lake normally has row boats, pedalos and kayaks for hire. There are usually plenty to go around and everyone gets a life jacket or buoyancy aid just in case. We've also done a bit of pond dipping here, there are a few points that make it easy to access the water and you can usually spot a dragonfly or two.  We usually take the train back to the car but it is a pleasent walk if you still have the energy.

Please note this season the park amenities are under new management, they have already added a new mini golf course which we are looking forward to checking out. There are also various events held at the park throughout the year including outdoor cinema, fireworks, inflatables week so check them out on Facebook. Swanley Park 

Best For:Toddlers; Under 12s;
Recommed:Kids Swimwear, Picnic Rug, Porta Potty, Football.
Time:3-6hrs

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.

Inside in Canterbury

Most free places to visit are outside which is great but what if the weather is a bit grim but you still need to get out?! Here's a few suggestions for Canterbury, they don't take long by themselves but you can put them together or combine with a shopping trip or some outside play...

The Beany House of Knowledge and Art - Entry to the Beany is Free, it is located on Canterbury High Street and incorporates the Library, Museum, Art Gallery and Cafe. There are permanent displays of art and historical artefacts with activity points in each room for children. Look out for the sets of draws with an activity in each one, including making teddy into a egpytian mummy and building a stain glass window.

We also enjoy the little dress up points and playing with the toy farm in the green room. You need to stop at the activities or the kids will whizz around in 30 minutes.
Temporary exhibitions change on a regular basis so keep an eye out for those that might appeal to your children. Last months 'Star Wars Toys' was popular and my littliest liked seeing all drawings of the Clangers, Ivor the Engine etc which are up for the Firmin&Postgate exhibition at the moment. You can colour in and make a little character from Nogin the Nog out of card.

The Beany runs various events throughout the year including drop in craft activity workshops and pre-bookable workshops some for a small charge. There are monthly 'Jumping Beany' payable sessions for under 5s as well as the usual free story time and baby rythme offered by most libraries. Check the website for current exhibitions and events The Beany
Best for: Toddlers, Primary, Teens. (depending on event)
Time: 1hr+

Wyevale Garden Centre - Just outside of Canterbury at Chartham, if you purchase a cuppa in the café the kids get free entry to the soft play/ball pit room. There are time restrictions but they get long enough to run off some steam. The Garden Centre also runs little workshops in the School Holidays, including making a 'mini garden', 'decorating a gnome'! There is a small charge and they need to be booked in advance. Click Here for Website
Best For: Under 10s.
Time: 1hrs+

Pets at Home - The pet store located on Sturry Road with free parking offers childrens Pet Care Workshops at Weekends and during School Holidays. These are Free but you have to book your place in advance as spaces are limited. They are aimed at 5-11 year olds but all ages are welcome, an adult needs to accompany the children and it lasts an hour. Choose from Reptile, Small Furry, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs and Aquatic. Click Here for Website
Best For: 5-11yrs
Time: 1hr

For the following Museums, if you sign-up for a 'MytownMycity' card or the Mobile App as a 'local' they are usually on offer as 'Free Entry' (Offers are subject to change). I don't live in Canterbury but I do work and shop there, just go to the website. MytownMycity-Canterbury

(Alternatively the museum entry fees are £8 per adult with up to 2 Children Free or £12 for both museums. Or buy an annual canterbury museum family membership for £30 and get entry all year plus other extras)

The Roman Museum - This is a great little Museum just off the high street. The original building on the site was demolished and the archaeological dig discovered some amazing finds including the Roman Mosaic Flooring which led to the creation of this Museum underneath the new building. There are lots of different things to see but more importantly for the children, things to touch and try. The boys particularly enjoy dressing up as a Roman Soilder and making mosaics!
   
It doesn't take long to walk around but if you stop at all the activities you can make it last. There is a lift down to the museum, a buggy park and toilets with baby change. The Roman Museum
Best For: Toddlers, Primary, Teens. (depending on event)
Time: 1hr+

The Canterbury Heritage Museum - The permanent exhibitions range from Romans to Steam Trains to Bag Puss so something for everyone. This is bigger than the Roman Museum but again stop for all the children's activities to make the most of it. We particularly like writing our names in Runes and watching an episode of Bag Puss!

There are Activity Trail sheets available for 7-11yr olds. The Museum puts on additional events/activities through the year so it is worth checking the website Heritage Museum
Best for: Toddlers, Primary, Teens. (depending on event)
Time: 2hrs

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.

Shorne Wood Country Park

Shorne Wood Country Park is just off the A2 Junction for Cobham/Shorne yet with nearly 300 Acres it feels like your a million miles away. Even the most hardcore child needs a nap in the car on the way home!

We normally start off with a walk, there are a variety of different routes to choose, from the eco visitor centre. We usually combine a few options to suit whoever we have in tow. If you want a short, very accessible walk take the circular Orange Route which takes in the sensory garden, the centre of the park and the dog pond... as the name suggests a pond your dog can swim in! Good for Pushchairs and little legs. There are also 'Tramper' mobility scooters for hire. Country Park Route Map

If you've got school age children (or your a hardcore baby wearer) and enjoy a good stomp the red route is great with a few hidden gems like the fairy ring and a mountain of steps up to the knole but it's worth it for the view! This is also a good place to stop for a drink, snack and a rest! You can still get to see the view if you've got a good alterrain pushchair (and can get heavier toddlers to walk up the steep bits!) by picking your own route with a bit of purple, blue, red and orange.You can also do the Blue Route on bikes, particularly good for teens!

If your kids need more encouragement to walk around the woods, you can buy a themed kids trail activity sheet to complete along the way. There is a permenant Orienteering course, information is available online or buy a map. There are also some geocaching points, if you don't know what it is, check out the website Geocaching.

Walk done or if it's really not your thing, take your picnic and head for the adventure playground. There is plenty of space for picnic blankets and a run around. Then the little ones can head over to the enclosed adventure playground, swings, slides, tunnels etc there are a few benches inside so you can sit and supervise so no one escapes out of either access gate. The big ones aren't left out here either with a large adventure playground up on the slope including slides, scrabble nets and swings. The section at the top is surrounded by trees so you might want to keep an eye on where the not so big kids are!

If you need hot drinks or its too chilly for a picnic the visitor centre has a large café and during spring/summer the outside kiosk makes fresh pizzas and sells ice creams!

The main toilets are at the visitor centre including disabled and baby change facilities. There is also a toilet block nearer to the playground/car park which is open in school holidays and summer weekends.

The Car Park only £2 for all day in the week or £3 at weekends.

Visit the website Shorne Woods for further information on other activities available.

Best For: Everyone
Recommend: Picnic; Wellies when Wet.
Time: 3-6hrs

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)