Quex Park

The estate sits just outside Birchington, a proper sprawl of Victorian grandeur that catches most visitors off guard. Quex Park is part stately home, part museum, and entirely worth the diversion if you're camped nearby at Birchington Vale Holiday Park or The Foxhunter.

You're looking at a 19th-century manor house stuffed with the kind of collections that make you realise someone spent their whole life acquiring oddities. The Powell-Cotton Museum dominates - natural history specimens, African artefacts, all laid out in the old-fashioned way that's either charmingly eccentric or slightly creepy depending on your mood. The house itself rewards a proper poke around, though it's not going to blow your mind if stately homes leave you cold.

The grounds are the real draw. There's woodland to wander, and on a decent day it's genuinely lovely for a walk - nothing too demanding, proper family-friendly if the kids can manage an hour without complaining. The gardens have character rather than Instagram appeal, which is refreshing.

Allow two to three hours if you're doing the house and a garden walk. History types and collectors will get the most from the museum; families wanting a break from beach time will find it quiet and spacious. Opening times and admission fees aren't locked down online, so ring ahead before you trek over from Dog & Duck or Nethergong Camping.

Worth the detour? If you're already staying on the Kent coast and fancy something inland, yes. It's real and unpretentious, which counts for something.