What to do in Kent?

[nearlywed21]

We've booked our minimoon in Kent, any ideas for what to do/where to go in the area?

Which part of Kent - it’s quite a big county! And for how long (day tripping into London is an obvious choice if you are there for several days).

Sissinghurst Castle, such a romantic garden

@VanCleefArpels Somewhere between Canterbury and Whitstable :)

Any must-see /must-dos nearby?

Well, Whitstable itself is lovely. Canterbury cathedral, great shopping and eating in Canterbury too. Further afield Deal is a lovely seaside town with a pier with a cafe at the end. Dover Castle is really interesting esp about WW2. Lots of other castles, Mote park (might be Segway activities there - we did it a few years ago so best check- which is great fun)

Check what is open at Dover Castle. None of the ww2 tunnels were open a few weeks ago but plenty still to do. Walmer Castle has lovely grounds, Reculver near Herne Bay worth a visit, boat trips if it is fine, Canterbury for a stroll around the old streets and Cathedral, Whitstable for fresh seafood overlooking the harbour.

Leeds Castle is expensive but stunning. There are about 10,000 castles in Kent (or so it feels!) so you could do a castle tour! Hever is one of my favourites, but probably a little far from where you're staying.

Canterbury is a lovely city to wander around and probably much better at the moment without so many foreign visitors.

If you like animals Howletts is nearby too. Lots to do in Kent so you won't be bored.

Recently had a great 4 days in Kent (first time). We stayed at Sissinghurst Castle and could walk to the garden which is magnificent. We had a great day out in Canterbury (cathedral needs to be booked), punts, walks, v. historic and far fewer tourists than pre-Covid. Whitstable and Herne Bay are good. We also visited Rye on the South Coast and various NT properties, including Chartwell, country home of Winston Churchill.

Leeds Castle is expensive but you get an annual pass for that. Fantastic day out.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

@LIZS - do you have any seafood restaurant recommendations?

@HopeHappy - just tried to look into Howletts, do you know whats included for the ~£23 day ticket entry fee? When I tried to book, there were additional charges £75 per person for the elephant encounter etc

Any particular recommendations in Canterbury / Herne Bay / Whitstable?

Hever Castle
The beaches
Howletts/Port Lympne/Wingham
Canterbury Tales
Dover Castle
Lots of big parks

Whitstable is great for seafood I'd you like that.

Have a look on TripAdvisor for things to do in Kent.

@nearlywed21

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

@LIZS - do you have any seafood restaurant recommendations?

@HopeHappy - just tried to look into Howletts, do you know whats included for the ~£23 day ticket entry fee? When I tried to book, there were additional charges £75 per person for the elephant encounter etc

Any particular recommendations in Canterbury / Herne Bay / Whitstable?

I just tried a date on the booking and you can choose to go without a special encounter. It's been many years since I've been so I can't quite remember what's there, but I imagine it's like a normal zoo if you don't do the encounters.

The park map looks pretty big - www.aspinallfoundation.org/media/3901/howletts-map_2018.jpg

The Historic Dockyard at Chatham is really interesting too.

Leeds Castle, Sissinghurst, Hever Castle, Chartwell,Canterbury inc cathedral, Knole Park, Riverhill Himalayan Garden, Mount Ephraim
Plus tons more gardens /castles of you like that sort of thing

Lots of vineyards & vineyard tours - like Balfour Hush Heath near Staplehurst

Bedgebury Pinetum

Chatham Dockyard

Margate - not far from Whitstable, lots of cafes, shops - visit the Harbour Arm and the Turner, and check out Dreamland.

Jojos in tankerton is an amazing restaurant if you like meze style food,

Quex Park is lovely near Margate...

For a lovely meal in Whitstable I rate The Pearson Arms. Tell them it is your honeymoon and ask for a window table.

Broadstairs is lovely. Cheerful Sandy beach, have a retro sundae at Morellis Ice Cream Parlour.

Get Fish and Chips from the Middle Street Chip Shop in the old smuggling area of Deal and sit on the beach to eat them. Spend the afternoon beforehand hiring bikes from Hut 55 and cycle to Kingsdown for a pint at the Zetland Arms right in the beach. Or walk, it’s a nice walk.

Or Look up bike hire places that might be closer. Cycle along the coast from Whitstable to Seasalter / Swalecliffe.

Turner Gallery at Margate and the small old quarter where all the hip new shoes are.

Might be a bit Hire bikes at

Ooh yes the Pearson’s arms is also lovely. Their roast lamb dinner was one of the best I’ve ever had

Any of Mark Sargent's restaurants will be worth a trip but I'd especially recommend Rocksalt in Folkestone for seafood or The Wife of Bath in Wye for Spanish influenced. I believe he's recently opened a pop up seafood restaurant down in Folkestone beach but not sure how long it will be there for.
Rocksalt is fab.
You could park at the Dover Patrol Memorial for a walk along the White Cliffs (or climb up from Kingsdown) , or for a more atmospheric wander follow the coast road to Dungeness, officially classified as a desert. It's something of an artists enclave and some have small galleries to wander through.

The Sportsman pub on the coast at Seasalter is/was excellent (I think it has a Michelin star).

If you have NT membership maybe visit a couple on the way to/from your hotel/cottage
Scotney Castle is lovely too.

Buoy and Oyster in Margate - advanced booking absolutely necessary. Watergate Bay is a nice quiet bay with lovely cafe on promenade. As an alternative to Howletts, Wingham Wildlife Park is a lovely wildlife park. It's not far from Howletts and on a still summer eve apparently the big cats can be heard roaring at each other across the countryside. Sandwich is well worth a visit for a mooch about and I love personally love Deal and Canterbury in equal measure. My secret suggestion as a trip down to St Margaret's Bay which is between Deal and Dover, it's often fairly quiet especially first thing. France is so close and our mobile phones usually change over to French networks. There's a lovely pub called The Coastguard looking out to sea, that does breakfast lunch and dinner.
One of my very favourite parts of the world.

Macknades near faversham is worth a visit for lunch or breakfast

Need to correct my suggestion above. Westgate on Sea not watergate bay (I've just returned from Cornwall )

My son lives in Westgate on Sea... I love Westbay Cafe... The one thing I don't like is the cyclists that ignore the rules and bomb along the seafront like the Tour De France... Ds is deaf and it worries me to death when he walks along there.. WOS is such a lovely town and I love visiting.. ♥