Surf Cat

2020 is looming and people will already be discussing their New Year’s resolutions.

Some will be giving up smoking, others will try to shed some pounds and a fair few will be taking out gym memberships.

But who said resolutions had to be a chore?

Why not resolve to make 2020 your most fun year yet by attempting our ultimate Kent bucket list?

Beautiful Boxing Day walks in Kent that will work off your Christmas dinner

We think this is the definitive list of 50 things for us all to try and tick off before 2021 is here.

We’ve scoured the length and breadth of the county to pick out the most beautiful locations, the most exhilarating activities, the tastiest food and the finest culture.

So what are you waiting for?

Take a ride on the scenic railway in Dreamland

The queen of Dreamland, the scenic railway reigns supreme over Margate seafront and is the oldest rollercoaster in the UK.

Although she escaped major damage during World War II, a spate of terrible fires destroyed crucial parts of her structure in 1949, 1959 and again in 2008… along with the workshop, which – devastatingly – housed her original hand carved trains.

But now she has been lovingly restored and is a really fun ride.

Walk around Britain’s smallest town , Fordwich

If you’re driving around the pleasant countryside around Canterbury, you may find yourself stumbling across a hidden gem of Kent.

But don’t blink too hard, or you’ll miss it – it’s Fordwich, the tiniest town in the UK.

Perhaps though, the one thing you couldn’t say about it is that it’s modest.

As soon as you enter the town you’re hit with a sign announcing it’s “Britain’s smallest town”. Just in case there’s any debate.

Have a pint Wetherspoons in Tunbridge Wells

This beautiful building was originally built as an opera house, opening in 1902 and becoming a cinema in 1931; nearly 40 years later, it made the transition into a bingo hall and then finally this pub.

Take in the immense history with a cheap pint – and perhaps listen to some opera.

Go to the Tunbridge Wells ale festival and drink aboard a train at the Spa Valley Railway

With more than 180 real ales, more than 30 green hop beers and more than 30 ciders, this is one of the biggest beer and cider festivals in the county.

The annual festival takes place in the Victorian Engine Shed at Tunbridge Wells West where you can enjoy a pint or two throughout the day in between train rides if you wish. 

Have a sandwich on the beach in Sandwich

(And if you’re feeling adventurous, make it Ham )

Discover history at the Ramsgate Tunnels

This incredible network of tunnels formed an underground metropolis below Thanet where families lived for months at a time without seeing the light of day.

The hidden city was so permentant it had street signs, canteens shops, concerts and even a hospital.

A guided walk around these historic tunnels is a must  in Kent.

Try go karting at Buckmore Park Karting

Buckmore Park Karting is an ideal time for first time drivers looking for their first race.

You’ll be racing at the same venue that Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button raced at as youngsters.

Take a ride up the Leas Lift in Folkestone…if and when it reopens

The Leas Lift, while not in use at the moment, is supposed to be being restored for seasonal reopening.

Dating back to 1885, it is dubbed a historical landmark by residents and is one of the oldest water lifts in the country.

Go on a Martello Tower sightseeing trip between Folkestone and Romney Marsh

Martello towers were built across the coast from Folkestone to Romney Marsh then Seaford in Sussex during the 19th century.

They stand up to 40 feet high and typically had a garrison of one officer and 15–25 men.

Their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery piece. And they could fire in a 360 degree circle.

Change trains at Tonbridge, Kent’s busiest railway station

The busiest station in Kent is Tonbridge , which had 4.39 million passengers in 2017 to 2018.

With so many embarking on a journey there, you wouldn’t want to be the one to miss out, would you?

Eat at award-winning Michelin-starred restaurant The Sportsman in Seasalter

It has been almost 20 years since self-taught chef Stephen Harris left a career in London to take over what he called “a grotty run-down pub by the sea” .

And it was an inspired move as The Sportsman has held its Michelin star for 11 years.

The incomparable reputation of the retaurant has been painstakingly built by Stephen and his brother Phillip since they acquired the Shepherd Neame premises in 1999.

People from Essex, London. America, Sweden and even Australia venture to this relatively unknown corner of Kent to try Mr Harris’ food.

The restaurant is known for letting the area and surroundings dictate the menu, serving oysters and fish from the Thames Estuary and meat and vegetables from the land.

Do a bar crawl along the Harbour Arm in Folkestone on a warm summer evening

Lined with excellent eateries and with a calendar full of events, Folkestone’s Harbour Arm is a must-do.

The lovingly-restored pier allows you to enjoy the best of local produce with the best views in Kent.

There is also an open air cinema at the Arm this summer.

Swing through Go Ape in Bedgebury

This award-winning park adds a true forest experience to your Go Ape exploits. With both a Treetop Challenge and a Treetop Adventure there’s something for thrill seekers and the little ones too.

Home to an exhilarating 170-metre zip, this course will have you navigating your way through a tunnel of greenery as you immerse yourself in this dense forest.

Have an old school seaside day out in Margate

With a tidal pool, children’s rides and amusement arcades, Margate Main Sands offers everything to families looking for traditional seaside fun.

Visitors can take a short walk to the Old Town where you can find restaurants, seafood stalls and bars.

And of course Dreamland pleasure park is just a stone’s throw away, giving kids the perfect opportunity to thrill seek after a long day playing in the sea.

Get lost in the Leeds Castle maze and make it to the middle without cheating

Take on the challenge of the Leeds Castle Maze.

The maze consists of 2,400 yew trees and when viewed from the centre, part of its plan mirrors a queen’s crown.

It is set in a square, and yet, when seen from the mound or the air, the pattern is circular, this is unique to Leeds Castle and adds to the difficulty in solving it. 

Once you’ve reached the middle of the Maze, return to civilisation through an underworld grotto, complete with macabre forms and mythical beasts created from shells, minerals and wood.

Do the Boxing Day dip on Folkestone or Dover beach dressed as Santa

Swimming on Boxing Day may seem like madness but as many of you may know, it has been quite a tradition for many years.

Surely everyone has to give it a go at least once?

Walk the entire length of Kent coastline

The Kentish coastline is probably one of our county’s greatest and most famous features.

But not everybody knows you could walk the length of it while keeping the shoreline in your sights.

As one of the first parts of the England Coast Path to be officially opened in 2016, the 66 mile Kent Coast Path is incredibly beautiful and packed with history and places of interest.

At a moderate pace, it would take you around a day to ramble from Camber in Rye, where the trail begins, to Ramsgate in Thanet .

But the beauty of the walk is that you pick it up from any starting position you like. And of course you can head in whatever direction suits you for however long you desire.

Or you can complete the entire gorgeous walk in sections, stopping for an overnight stay along the way and really taking in the beauty of Kent.

The signposted pathway has been developed since the Marine and Coastal Access Act of 2009 came into force, which aims to create a continuous path around the coastline of England.

Here’s all the details .

Visit the spot where Pocahontas was apparently buried in Gravesend

Pocahontas, you’d think, should be buried somewhere in America. And yet her remains are in the town of Gravesend.

Having died at age 21, her bones now lie somewhere beneath a Domino’s Pizza and a shopping mall parking lot. But nobody really knows where she is.

Try to count all the shells at the secret Shell Grotto in Margate

Beneath the earth, in a quiet residential street in Margate, lies an underground chamber that captures the hearts and imaginations of legions of visitors every year.

The walls of the Shell Grotto are lined with millions of shells, all painstakingly laid out in intricate patterns, swirls and even images of birds, hearts and women.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about The Shell Grotto is that nobody really knows why it’s there!

Take a ride in a JCB at Diggerland in Strood

Visit the Canterbury Tales and be able to tell it to a friend afterwards

You’ve read the book, now see the exhibition.

Entertaining visitors since 1988, The Canterbury Tales attraction is a must-see for all visitors to the city and promises a fascinating insight into one of the world’s most famous collection of stories.

It promises an immersive experience and the only attraction in the world dedicated to Chaucer and his Tales.

Join in the dancing on Rochester High Street during the annual Sweeps Festival

Sweeps celebrates the traditional holiday that the chimney sweeps enjoyed on May 1 each year which used to be marked locally by staging a procession through the streets of Rochester .

The modern day Sweeps Festival is hailed as the biggest of it’s kind in Kent. It’s a colourful mix of music, dancing and entertainment with more than 60 Morris sides and entertainers celebrating throughout the three-day festival.

The weekend sees the centre of Rochester open its arms and embrace the historic extravaganza. Best of all, you don’t have to know much about Morris dancing to enjoy the festival because it has more than enough atmosphere to go round.

Cycle over the Dartford Crossing

Well, it is the only way you’re getting over it for free!

Cuddle Jock the cat at Churchill’s family home, Chartwell, in Westerham

Because Churchill said there must always be a cat at his home.

Walk a micro pig at Huckleberry Woods

This Kent farm specialising in miniature animal adventures is one of the only places in the country where you can actually walk a micro pig.

Huckleberry Woods, near  Faversham , offers a unique place to unwind among a variety of ‘mini’ animals, including miniature Mediterranean donkeys, baby alpacas, bantam chickens and, of course, micro pigs.

The farm, just off Lower Road, was opened by husband and wife team Belinda and Bill Neal just one year ago.

Fly in a Spitfire

 

The Fly In A Spitfire experience at Headcorn Aerdorome is a thrilling CAA approved WW2 flight experience of a lifetime in a rare two-seater T9 Spitfire.

A highly experienced Spitfire pilot will guide you through this unforgettable flying experience, which is actually one of the most affordable in the UK.

Sleep near the tigers and lions and Port Lympne

 

Port Lympne Animal Reserve is home to more than 700 animals across 80 species.

Opening its gates to crowds of animal lovers and families for days out, the reserve near Hythe also offers something a bit different.

You can stay overnight in its array of lodges, and even The Bubble which really is a one of a kind experience, plonked in open space surrounded by the world’s stunning animals.

You can even get married on site, just a whisker away from where the big cats roam.

The unusual experiences, which let you sleep, eat and bathe right next to the face of a tiger or giraffe, come at a price.

But if you’re looking to do something a bit adventurous, everything you need to know is here .

See fireworks at Leeds Castle

Firework displays at Leeds Castle are some of the best in the county.

Themed and set to music they are completely mesmerising.

And they sell out so quickly every year, so it’s something to consider way ahead of Bonfire Night.

Eat Kent’s ‘best chips’

 

The county’s best chips can be found at a Whitstable pub according to a recently published travel guide.

Big 7 Travel compiled a list of England’s and the Pearson’s Arms in Whitstable made the cut.

The pub, which is definitively not a chip shop, earned a spot on a list of 49 establishments.

The stance was taken with the help of a panel of local food experts, reader ratings and online reviews.

We tried them ourselves – and we weren’t sorry we did.

Go wine tasting at Biddenden Vineyards 

Visit Kent’s original vineyard in the picturesque village of Biddenden. 

In the beginning, the lands were home to a 40 acre apple orchard. But apple prices declined in the 1960 and so in 1969, one third of an acre of vines were planted. 

There are options to go on free self-guided tours, or open and private tours, costing £10 and £25 respectively. 

Wine tasting is also on offer and it’s easy to lose time in their on site shop.

Explore Chislehurst Caves

Beneath your feet in Chislehurst is a labyrinth covering some 22 miles of man made tunnels. 

In order to build the city of London, these were dug for chalk, which is used in lime burning and brick-making. The caves were also used to gather flint, to fire tinderboxes and flintlock guns.

Interestingly, during World War I the caves functioned as an ammunition storage dump and in World War II  an air raid shelter for some 15,000 inhabitants, who each had to pay a penny to enter.

Go wild swimming at Leybourne Lakes

This is a top destination in Kent for open water swimmers, you can even go scuba diving, kayaking and wind surfing here.

All swimmers must first pass an induction before they can swim in the lake though, which is usually very deep and cold.

At the moment with the warm weather the waters have actually reached balmy temperatures of 21C though.

Once you’re inducted you’ll enjoy an invigorating swim surrounded by green flag award winning Leybourne Lakes Country Park .

You’ll see plenty of birdlife and dragonflies skimming the surface of the lake.

See the sights of the Romney Marsh countryside on a miniature steam train

Where else can you take in the sights of the Kentish countryside whilst sitting on a miniature steam train?

Travel right across the Romney Marsh from Hythe to Dungeness, and even have a nosy into people’s backgardens as you go.

Beat the water maze in Hever Castle without getting soaked

Based on Sixteen Acre Island the Water Maze is a maze with a difference that consists of a series of concentric stepping stone walkways sitting over water; at intervals the stones tilt when stood on and hidden water jets spring into action to soak the unwary visitor.

The aim is to reach the stone grotto in the centre without getting wet. Few are successful although it is great fun and challenges young and old alike.

Count the number of oak trees along the Vine in Sevenoaks

(Hint: there aren’t seven )

Embark on the Lympne Loop walking trail 

This 4km rural loop passes the historic Lympne Castle and the Port Lympne Reserve’s extensive grounds. 

As some of the trail borders on the animal enclosures, you may be able spot giraffes, zebras or even ostriches wandering about.

This is without paying an entry fee into the reserve itself on the Aldington Road site.

The little known route is free and makes a perfect walk all year round – but be sure to bring your wellies on a rainy day as the paths turn to slush.

Enter the oysters eating competition at the annual festival in Whitstable

The challenge is simple – get half a dozen oysters and half a pint beer down your neck in the fastest time (and keep it there) to win!

In perhaps the most reliably funny and messy moments of the festival, a true gullet-defying-gobbler will emerge from the throng and be proclaimed the Oyster Eating Champion.

Will it be you?

March at Canterbury Pride

Canterbury Pride is probably Kent’s most established LGBTQ festival and joining in on the colourful march is definitely a must.

The festival brings the city centre to a standstill every year and boasts a great entertainment lineup that just keeps getting better.

Listen to the sound of rushing water at Madeira Walk waterfall, Ramsgate

There’s something about the sound and sight of rushing water that calms you down and helps reset a buzzing mind.

Whether it’s the repetitive sound of waves lapping the shore, or the continuous cascades of a waterfall, you don’t have to get into the water for it to cleanse you.

While Kent is largely flat and chalky there are a handful of waterfalls tucked away within our county’s borders, showcasing the spectacle of cascading water.

And perhaps one of the most impressive is one hidden away in Thanet.

Though Madeira Walk is well known among those who live on the isle the presence of the stunning man made waterfall comes as a surprise to a lot of visitors.

Frolic in Castle Farm’s stunning lavender fields

You don’t need to travel to the south of France to enjoy the sight of sweeping carpets of lavender.

In fact there’s a place just outside Sevenoaks where you can take a tour of fields filled with the fragrant flowers on an idyllic summer day out.

Nestled in the north Kent countryside is a little piece of Provence.

A patchwork of purple covers the land from late June until the end of July as the lavender fields at Castle Farm in the village of Shoreham burst into bloom.

You can take a guided tour through its rows of purple flowers and immerse yourself in the vibrant haze of colour and its glorious scent.

Castle Farm is the largest lavender farm in the UK and has been in the same family for more than a century and over several generations.

Make a splash at Kent’s new Aqua Park

The new Aqua Park at Lydd first opened back in April and is bound to be a popular spot for families during the summer holidays.

It is set in the lake at Action Watersports, which also offers water-skiing, wakeboarding, jet skiing and stand-up paddle boarding.

The inflatable water park features 18 floating obstacles ranging from monkey bars and climbing frames to slides.

It is suitable for ages six and up.

All you need to bring is swimwear and a towel for a great day out for the whole family.

Get the Channel Tunnel to France and back in one day

It’s something we drive past every day (well some of us anything) but have you ever actually been on the Channel Tunnel?

No? Then take advantage of it with a fun day trip to France.

Go rock pooling at Botany Bay in Broadstairs

When you get back from France you might consider doing something a little more close to home.

Why not make that rockpooling at one of Kent’s most stunning beaches, Botany Bay?

Get close at big cats at The Big Cat Sanctuary

With only a handful of exclusive open days every year, this gem is especially hidden.

The exclusive animal park occasionally opens its doors so support the conservation of their lions tigers an, cheetahs and snow leopards.

The park in Smarden, near Ashford gives people the chance to get closer than ever before to lions, tigers, cheetahs and more.

Stargaze out in the fields in the deep Weald countryside

The deep Kentish countryside has some of the darkest skies in the UK.

They are the perfect spots for stargazing and everyone should do this at least once.

Have a picnic in Knole Park

This gorgeous Sevenoaks Site of Special Scientific Interest is the perfect spot for a picnic.

Just try and stop the deer from stealing your lunch.

Visit the tunnels underneath Dover

The Wartime Tunnels at Dover Castle provided privacy from prying eyes and protection from enemy fire, the tunnels under Dover Castle have served a strategic military role from Napoleonic times.

Using artefacts, interactive elements, moving real life stories, striking images and original wartime film footage an exhibition traces the history of the tunnels across the centuries.

Punt along the River Stour in Canterbury in the hot sunshine

Meander through tranquil gardens and countryside with an abundance of wildlife – by boat.

It’s perfect after a day of walking around the city streets and attractions.

Eat the ‘best breakfast in the country’

Most of us are of the opinion that you can’t go wrong with an English breakfast.

And there’s one café that’s obviously doing it very right because they officially serve the ‘best breakfast’ in the whole country .

At least that’s the status they earned at the LUXlife Magazine 2019 Restaurant & Bar Awards when they were nominated as winners.

That café is Little Ships in Ramsgate.

Here’s what we thought when we tried it .

Explore Chiddingstone near Edenbridge , one of the oldest villages in the country

Visit a surviving Tudor village full of charm and history.

Discover the legend of the chiding stone, enjoy delicious food and drink and take a refreshing walk in the countryside.

(And it is also entirely owned by the National Trust)