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Featured spring walks

3 picturesque spring walks ideas
 

 

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Relax and refresh in outdoor Kent this spring

Racing, breathless across open downs. Sharing a picnic in a magical bluebell wood. Cycling, fast or slow, through the picturesque Weald or along the 'Viking Coastal Trail'. Suddenly you feel totally rejuvenated. Here, we call that 'Kent Fresh', and it's yours to enjoy in so many ways in truly exhilarating countryside.
 

Walking in the great outdoors

Over 4,000 miles of footpaths criss-cross the Kent countryside, on the flat, uphill, through secluded valleys and cresting invigorating downs.

Unwind in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Covering nearly a quarter of the county this nationally important landscape is alive with flowers, rare orchids and butterflies. Stretch your legs for a day, or several, along the North Downs Way National Trail, an ancient trackway following parts of the historic Pilgrim's Way to the cathedral city of Canterbury.

The Saxon Shore Way, from the Thames and Medway estuaries to mysterious Romney Marsh, is a jaunt full of bracing sea air, wildlife and fascinating forts - Reculver, Richborough, Dover, Lympne - that once protected the land against Saxon marauders.

Enjoy gentle, ambling strolls that fit in so well amongst other holiday activities. Perhaps you're on a visit to Chartwell, one-time home of Sir Winston Churchill. There are three waymarked trails from here that introduce you to the tranquillity of the Kent countryside he so appreciated, far from the bustle of political life in London. One of these walks, the lovely three-mile Weardale Walk, leads to Victorian Emmetts Garden.
 

Riding high.

Many cycle paths are traffic-free, like the dedicated six-mile family route amid the trees of Bedgebury Forest. Wildlife-rich Bewl Water, the largest stretch of open water in south-east England, is another pedal-pushers' paradise featuring a 12.5 mile round-reservoir route.

Maybe zesty sea air does it for you? Check out the 28-mile Viking Coastal Trail linking Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, spectacular chalk cliffs, historic villages - and friendly pubs where you can stop for a snack. Or perhaps attractive countryside pushes your buttons: cycle the new five-mile route from Tonbridge to Penshurst - with the added bonus of reduced price entry to beautiful Penshurst Place and Gardens for arriving ‘fume free'.

There are a range of local cycle companies who organise self-guided tours, providing maps and itineraries to suit your interests. They sort the accommodation and luggage transfers, you just push your pedals and enjoy. Orchard Trails, based near Tonbridge (tel. 01892 722680) and Downland Cycle Holidays, near Canterbury (tel. 01303 844289) are two examples to get you going.

Alternatively get your 'riding high' on horseback - bring your horse and experience the freedom of the ancient droveways and routes through the Downs. Find your natural rhythm on the network of bridleways and byways through Shoreham Woods and Kemsing Downs near Sevenoaks. If you want to mix leisure and learning, have a break based at one of the several riding centres in Kent. Click here to find out more.

 

Parks and peace

Sometimes the most revitalising activity is simply to let time drift by. Surprisingly, Kent offers you more ancient woodlands to explore than anywhere else - a stirring glimpse of what the original wildwood could have been like that covered the UK after the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago. The Blean, near Faversham, embraces the largest ancient woodlands in the southeast, including mature oak. Have your binoculars ready to spot birds aplenty from sparrowhawks to mallards.

The mixed woodland at Oldbury Hill features a mysterious Iron Age fort, while in 40-acre Wildwood, Herne Bay, you can play I-spy for 50 different species of creatures from otters to beavers. Or try counting the 10,000-plus tree specimens at Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest, near Goudhurst, the finest collection of conifers in the world. The trees, amid lakes and valleys, entice with all-season beauty and in winter become a veritable wonderland.

Kent Wildlife Trust manages 60 nature reserves, protecting native plants and animals in woodland, wetland, grassland and coastal sites. Access to all these sites is free.

To find out more about Kent's exhilarating countryside and outdoor activities visit www.kent.gov.uk/explorekent

Be car-free and carefree

We are all aware of climate change and the need to cut carbon emissions. So come and see Kent without the car - you notice things in a refreshingly different light when you're not stuck behind the wheel. In order to protect and enhance our alluring environment, Kent promotes sustainable tourism. Find out more here.