Kent Downs National Landscape

The Kent Downs roll across the county like a proper backbone - chalk hills that genuinely look different depending on where you're standing. The landscape isn't one attraction so much as a whole area worth exploring on foot, by bike, or even just from the car if you're being lazy. You get beech woodings, open grassland, ancient villages tucked into valleys, and on a clear day the views stretch right across to the Weald. Hythe sits to the south as your nearest town and it's handy for grabbing supplies before heading up into the hills.

Walkers will have the time of their lives here. The terrain swings from gentle slopes to proper steep stretches, with footpaths crisscrossing the whole thing. There are Roman roads buried underfoot, Bronze Age burial mounds on the ridges, and half-timbered farmhouses that have been watching over the same fields for centuries. Kids will either love it or get bored within the hour depending on whether they enjoy walking - there's no big attraction to gawp at, no ice cream stands, just landscape. Families with restless toddlers might find it a slog.

Getting there is free. You park up in villages and walk. How long you spend depends entirely on you - you could do an hour's stroll or spend all day wandering. Both Dunn Street Farm Campsite (5.5 miles away) and Hawthorne Trench (5.8 miles) put you right on the edge of it all, making this a natural base for a proper walking holiday. Spring and early autumn feel best - summer gets warm on exposed sections, winter can be muddy as hell.