Hatch Park

The Stour Valley around Ashford hides a proper gem in Hatch Park, a nature reserve that punches well above its weight for a quick stop during a caravan holiday. You're walking through riverside meadows and woodland where the Stour actually feels wild despite being just outside town - kingfishers dart along the water, and if you time it right with dawn or dusk you'll clock deer grazing the open ground.

It's the sort of place that rewards a solid couple of hours rather than a rushed circuit. Bring binoculars if you're into birds; the reed beds attract warblers and the occasional buzzard. Families with children who can manage a mile or so of easy paths will find it absorbing enough, though there's no playground nonsense to keep fidgety toddlers occupied.

The walking is gentle and mostly flat - no steep climbs to whinge about. Free access, as far as anyone locally can tell, though the car park situation isn't entirely clear if you're not arriving on foot from Broadhembury Caravan & Camping Park just down the road. That 3.6-mile proximity makes it an obvious choice for an afternoon expedition if you're based there.

Pair it with Port Lympne Safari Park 3.8 miles away if you're after something with more controlled thrills, or use it as a recovery walk the morning after. Proper Kent countryside without the tourist crush of somewhere like Sissinghurst.