Bedgebury Pinetum near to Goudhurst where there are acres of trees, cycle routes, children’s play areas, and regular events throughout the year. The Finchcocks Museum of musical instruments is also close to Goudhurst which is an attractive village.
Bewl Valley Reservoir near to Flimwell on the A21 souith from Tunbridge Wells. The reservoir hosts the largest inland sailing club in southern England is 13 miles round. There are walks, cycle tracks, catering facilities, fishing, and boat trips.
Brands Hatch Motor Racing Circuit – towards London via the M20 with regular motor racing events. One time home of Formula 1 and the site of the 2012 Paralympics road cycling. Another racing circuit in Kent is Lydden near Dover.
Broadstairs on the Isle of Thanet with a small beach and some old world charm including connections with Charles Dickens. Also at that end of Kent are Ramsgate with a large harbour for yachts and Margate with the the Dreamland Amusement Park and the Turner Art Gallery which includes an exhibition of some of Tracey Emin’s work. There is also the Hornby Model Railway Museum near to the Westwood Cross Shopping Centre and the Kent International Airport at Manston as well as the Lydden Racing Circuit.
Camber Sands on the west side of Dungeness. It is a large bathing beach with sand dunes which is also close to the ancient cinque ports of Rye and Winchelsea which are worth a visit for their antique shops and old buildings.
Canterbury (with shopping, a Cathedral, the Marlowe and Gulbenkian Theatres, Curzon and Odeon cinemas, ancient buildings, and three universities) by train from Hollingbourne to Canterbury West via Ashford or by car along the A20 via Charing.
Chartwell (the home of Winston Churchill), signposted from the M25 which links with the M20/M26 northbound. Also in the area is the home of General Wolfe, the victor at the battle of Quebec, near to Westerham.
Faversham on the north Kent coast is an historic town and the home of Shepherd Neame which is the oldest brewery in the country having been founded in 1698. There is an open air swimming pool, the Arden theatre, regular markets, an independent cinema, and closeby is the Brogdale Trust which manages the National Fruit Collection. At Brodgale are various shops offering Kent produce and a large miniature railway which runs on Sundays from 10am ro 4pm.
Folkestone by car along the M20. a beach , gardens, occasional art exhibitions, and impressive houses from a bygone age. There are several antique shops at Sandgate which is on the coast just to the west of Folkestone. The Channel Tunnel Terminal is on the M20 at Cheriton just before Folklestone.
Leeds Castle on the west side of the A20 and M20 and within walking distance of Hollingbourne. Open daily except Christmas Day with walks, concerts, a large children’s play area, plus a lake and public golf course.
Maidstone (the county town of Kent) with shopping facilities, restaurants, the Archbishop’s Palace, river walks, and the Twyrrhit Drake Carriage museum. There is also a weekly market, an Odeon cinema, and the Hazlitt Theatre.
Pilgrim’s Way (the ancient route from Winchester to Canterbury) which passes through Hollingbourne and which offers spectacular views from the North Downs and passes through villages such as Charing which was one of the staging posts on the way to Canterbury and the shrine of Thomas a Becket. The Pilgrim’s Way also follows the course of the North Downs Way through parts of Kent and reaches both Dover and Canterbury.
Rochester by car via the M20 to Junction 6 and then over Bluebell Hill (A229) with a Cathedral, Castle, ancient buildings and a Charles Dickens Museum. It is also the setting for Dickens’ unfinished “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”. Over the Medway in Strood is Diggerland and Temple Manor while Upnor Castle on the River Medway is nearby.
Romney Dymchurch and Hythe narrow gauge railway from which runs from Hythe to Dungeness. There is a nuclear power station at Dungeness and a large nature reserve. There are beaches along the coast from Hythe all the way to Dungeness including a large one at St. Mary’s Bay where there amusements and catering facilities.
Sissinghurst Place which is a National Trust property near to Biddenden which was the home of the Sitwells and has noted gardens.
Tenterden – Attractive country town close to Ashford with good shopping and antique shops plus the terminus of the Kent and East Sussex Railway which runs down to Bodiam Castle. The line originally linked Headcorn with Robertsbridge but was closed by BR in 1954. It is now partly reopened as a heritage railway. Tenterden is Cinque port and others that are a short distance away include Rye and Winchelsea.
The nearest full size steam railway to Hollingbourne and one that operates most days during the summer and for a lot of the winter. The Wormshill and Bredgar Light Railway (beyond the top of Hollingbourne Hill – please see separate link) usually operates only on the first Sunday of each month during the summer. The line is a good day out from Hollingbourne and runs from Tenterden, famous for antique shops, to Bodiam Castle.
Pictured below are giant carvings on the Hucking Estate of the Woodland Trust on the North Downs above Hollingbourne where there are woodland walks, views across the Weald, picnic sites, and free car parks. There are a total of four large carvings around the Estate by Nick Speakman
