Tenterden Leisure Centre

The leisure centre in Tenterden is a solid, no-nonsense swimming facility just outside Ashford - the sort of place that actually gets used by locals rather than appearing in guidebooks. You've got an indoor pool for proper lengths, a teaching pool for younger swimmers, and the usual soft play area that keeps kids occupied for a good hour or two if the weather turns grim.

It's genuinely useful if you're staying at one of the nearby glamping spots - Wood View Farm is only three miles away, which makes this a sensible plan B when the Kent drizzle sets in. The pools are clean and well-run, nothing fancy, but that's rather the point. Families with primary-school-age children will get the most mileage out of it; teenagers will be bored within twenty minutes.

I'd suggest calling ahead for current opening hours and admission prices, as leisure centre schedules shift around school holidays and lane swimming sessions. Allow two hours if you've got kids who actually want to swim rather than just splash about. The real value here is convenience - you're minutes from Ashford, and if you're based at Wildside Camping or Wheatfields Luxury Glamping nearby, it beats driving into town on a wet afternoon. It won't be the highlight of your trip, but as a backup option on a long bank holiday weekend, it's worth knowing about.