A leisure pool with a wave machine twenty minutes away, cycling and inflatables at Bewl Water, wolves and bears at Wildwood, diggers to drive, the Warner Bros Studio Tour, and beaches in under an hour.
Checked 11 September 2026. Hours and prices change, so follow the links to the official sites before you set off. Distances are from Hamptons Farmhouse.
Nine acres of farm with a zip wire, trampolines, a tree house, a pond with a boat, a tennis court and animals to meet keep most children busy for days. This is the list for when you want to go somewhere. Distances are from the farm and approximate. Check the official site for hours, prices and age limits before you set off.
Water and wheels
Larkfield Leisure Centre, Aylesford
A leisure pool with waves, water cannons, the Lazy River rapids, a 60-metre slide and the Space Bowl.
The rainy-day standby. Changing rooms were refurbished in 2026.
Bewl Water, Lamberhurst
The largest reservoir in the south east, with a 12.5-mile cycle circuit and a three-mile family route, bike hire, the Aqua Park inflatables, pedalos, paddle boards, adventure play, soft play and laser tag.
A whole day. Book the Aqua Park slot ahead in summer.
Bedgebury Pinetum and Go Ape
Forestry England's conifer collection with family cycle trails, bike hire, adventure play and a café. Go Ape runs tree-top courses for anyone over a metre tall.
Forest biking is new for 2026.
Haysden Country Park, Tonbridge
160 acres with two lakes, the River Medway, a play area, café and toilets. Free.
On the traffic-free cycle path from Tonbridge to Penshurst.
The river at Tonbridge
Rowing boats and fifty-minute electric boat trips from the Big Bridge, canoe hire, and playgrounds and a skate park in the Sportsground by the castle.
Cheap, close and easy with a pushchair.
Animals and farms
Kent Life, Sandling
A heritage farm park on the Medway with rare breeds, a hop garden and events, open from mid February to early November.
Small animals to hold, tractor rides, a big play barn.
Wildwood, Herne Bay
Two hundred British animals in forty acres of ancient woodland: rescued bears, wolves, lynx, bison and beavers.
A big adventure playground in the trees.
Port Lympne and Howletts
The Aspinall Foundation's two parks near Hythe and Canterbury: a safari park with Europe's largest lion enclosure, and the UK's largest elephant herd and gorilla group.
Howletts' Joshi's Jungle playground opened in 2025. A combined ticket covers both in 2026.
Drusillas Park, Alfriston
A small zoo built for the under twelves, with rides, play and a trampoline park. Open all year.
Book online and it is cheaper.
Steam, ships and diggers
Diggerland, Strood
Drive real diggers, dumpers and a JCB, from February.
The one they talk about afterwards.
Kent and East Sussex Railway
Heritage steam from Tenterden to Bodiam, fifty minutes each way.
Pair it with Bodiam Castle.
Spa Valley Railway
Steam and diesel from Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge, weekends and school holidays.
Closer and shorter, for younger children.
Historic Dockyard Chatham
A warship, a submarine, the Victorian ropery and the Call the Midwife sets.
Daily from April to August; the ticket becomes an annual pass.
Cobtree Manor Park, Aylesford
Fifty free acres on the site of the old zoo, with a themed play area, a sculpture trail and a café.
The Maidstone Model Engineering Society runs free miniature train rides in nearby Mote Park on selected Sundays.
The big day trips
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, The Making of Harry Potter
The sets, costumes and props at Leavesden, north of London.
Tickets sell out weeks ahead, so book before you come. Dark Arts runs from mid September to early November 2026 and Hogwarts in the Snow from mid November to mid January.
LEGOLAND Windsor
The theme park for two to twelve-year-olds, open March to November.
2026 is its thirtieth birthday year.
Chessington World of Adventures
Theme park and zoo, March to November.
Rides with lower height limits than Thorpe Park.
Thorpe Park
The thrill rides, March to November. Under 120 cm go free.
For the teenagers.
Dreamland, Margate
The vintage seaside amusement park, open from April with two new family rides in 2026.
Combine with Margate's sandy beach.
Bluewater
Three hundred shops, fifty restaurants and a seventeen-screen cinema, with free parking.
The wet-weather escape.
Cinemas and theatres
Tonbridge has no cinema. The nearest are the ODEON in Tunbridge Wells at Knights Park, The Stag in Sevenoaks, a community arts centre with two screens and a theatre, and the ODEON Luxe at Lockmeadow in Maidstone, which sits beside bowling, trampolining and mini golf. For shows, the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells has touring musicals and a Christmas pantomime, the Hazlitt in Maidstone and the EM Forster Theatre at Tonbridge School both run family programmes.
ODEON Tunbridge Wells · The Stag, Sevenoaks · ODEON Luxe Maidstone · Assembly Hall Theatre · Hazlitt Theatre · EM Forster Theatre
The seaside
Camber Sands
The nearest big sandy beach, with dunes.
Car parks fill by mid morning on hot days, so go early.
Whitstable
Shingle beach, working harbour, crabbing and oysters.
The Oyster Festival is in September.
Dymchurch
A sandy Romney Marsh beach and the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch miniature railway, which runs daily most of the summer.
Train and beach in one.
Folkestone Harbour Arm
Street food, live music and weekend pop-ups from April to September.
Eat well by the sea.
Broadstairs and Botany Bay
Viking Bay is a sandy horseshoe with a tidal pool and a lift down the cliff. Botany Bay has chalk stacks and rock pools.
The best sand in Kent, at the far end of it.
London
Drive to Tonbridge station, twelve to fifteen minutes from the farm, and take the train: London Bridge from about 30 minutes, Charing Cross and Cannon Street direct, around 145 trains a day. Sevenoaks is the alternative. Southeastern's Kids for a Quid lets up to four children aged five to fifteen travel for £1 each with a paying adult on off-peak trains and any time at weekends. Under fives go free. Plan at nationalrail.co.uk. Driving in takes anywhere from 75 minutes to two and a half hours and you may pay the congestion charge and the Ultra Low Emission Zone charge, so we never do.
Rather than list London, use the guides: Time Out, Visit London and Day Out with the Kids. Go to the sights, but the day you remember is the one where you found something yourselves.
Questions we are asked
- How far is the Harry Potter Studio Tour from Hadlow?
- About 65 miles, an hour and a half by car via the M25 to Leavesden near Watford. Tickets must be booked in advance and sell out weeks ahead in school holidays.
- Is there a cinema in Tonbridge?
- No. The nearest cinemas are the ODEON in Tunbridge Wells, The Stag in Sevenoaks and the ODEON Luxe in Maidstone, each about 20 to 25 minutes from the farm.
- Which is the nearest sandy beach to Hamptons Farmhouse?
- Camber Sands, about an hour's drive. Whitstable is shingle and about the same distance. The best sand is at Broadstairs, about an hour and twenty-five minutes.
- How do we get into London from the cottages?
- Train from Tonbridge station, fifteen minutes from the farm, to London Bridge in about 30 to 40 minutes. Children travel for £1 with Southeastern's Kids for a Quid on off-peak trains.