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 Kench Hill is located in rural Kent, the bountiful garden of England. There are numerous visitor attractions and educational sites within an hour’s journey time. Inspirational gardens, historical monuments, picturesque villages, farms, orchards, beaches and a variety of natural habitats all provide exciting, stimulating and memorable trips. Some places charge an entrance fee, but many are free of charge. Kench Hill has National Trust membership for free entry to NT sites.
Most day trips require coach hire at a cost of £230+. Kench Hill’s minibus is an economical option for groups of up to 30 pupils and is available for shuttling groups on local trips (up to 15 miles). It seats 16 + driver. Our staff are qualified to drive the bus and The Learning Trust staff are covered by our insurance. The cost varies according to distance, priced at 75p per mile. Please contact us to discuss the best transport options.
NB Visitor attractions and coach hire can get booked up early, especially in the Summer Term. Contact us as soon as possible if you would like to arrange a day trip.
Prices quoted are for 2007-8 season
Historical Places - Castles
 Bodiam Castle (National Trust)
C14 th castle built for defence and as a luxury home. Optional guided tours and armoury workshop - £3.50 each. Can combine with a morning walk or go via Rye/Camber Sands. Gift shop, WC’s. In summer term it is possible to travel by steam railway from Tenterden.
Limited wheelchair access, steep steps. |
Cost: FREE entry + coach hire
More Info: website |
 Camber Castle (English Heritage)
Guided tour with education officer, worksheets included. Tudor structure, military use. Use our binoculars to see water birds on adjacent gravel pits. Can combine with Rye Harbour Nature Reserve (shingle beach, river estuary) or Rye town for a whole day. Up to 15 children half-day trip by minibus, or coach required for a full day. 30 mins to Rye, plus walk across Marshes. No WC’s at site, public WC’s at car park. Small gift shop on Nature Reserve.
Limited wheelchair access. |
Cost: FREE entry + coach hire OR minibus
More Info: website |
 Dover Castle (English Heritage)
2000 years of history – A Norman keep with interactive display about Henry II, Anglo-Saxon church, Roman lighthouse, medieval tunnels and guided tours of Secret World War 2 tunnels (Hellfire Corner). Views to France, interactive education rooms. Can combine with brief stop at Dover beach, Samphire Hoe or Folkestone Beach fossil-hunting. Early booking advisable, especially for workshops. (Thursdays only Nov-Mar) Gift shops, WC’s.
Limited wheelchair access, steep paths. |
Cost: FREE entry + coach hire. Workshops approx. £60 per class
More Info: website |
 Hever Castle
C14 th home of Anne Boleyn, display on Tudors, mazes (Easter-October only), adventure playground, moat, model houses. Open March-November only. 1 hour drive (near M25). Gift shops, WC’s. Limited wheelchair access. Long walk from car park. Why not save money on coach hire - visit Friday on the way back home. |
Cost: £5.40 each, 1 adult per 10 + coach hire (Additional adults £8.70)
More Info: website |
 Leeds Castle
Norman castle, residence of kings and queens, lovely gardens, aviaries, maze, grotto, dog collar museum, moats. 1930’s interior – pre-booked time essential, but guides do not always pitch answers to age group. Educational trail and teachers’ notes on website. Gift shop, WC’s. 30 mins drive. Wheelchair access, but long walk from car park.
Why not save money on coach hire - visit Friday on the way back home (or for smaller groups it is possible to access the grounds and view the Castle via free public footpaths, using minibus transport.) |
Cost: £7.00 each + coach hire
More Info: website |
 Sissinghurst Castle Garden (National Trust)
Tudor manor house with access to tower, library. Home of Vita Sackville-West. Stunning gardens, woodlands and lakes, oast house exhibition and farm buildings. Quizzes, excellent stimulus for art. Minibus option for up to15 pupils, half-day. 30 mins drive. Open Mar-Oct only. Gift shop, WC’s, wheelchair access to most areas. |
Cost: FREE entry + minibus costs
More Info: website |
Hastings Castle - See under General Attractions - Hastings
Other Historical Places - Museums
 Brenzett Aeronautical Museum
Low key volunteer-run museum dedicated to the heroes and victims of WW2. Exhibitions on the Girls Land Army, real planes, examples of engineering including radar etc. Exhibits bought to life with guided tours by WW2 veterans, chance to sit in a cockpit. Gift shop, WC’s, wheelchair access. Half-day trip. |
Cost: £1 each donation + minibus
More Info: website |
 Dover Museum
Four galleries focusing on Romans, Anglo-Saxons, World War 2, Bronze Age Boat. Education packs available at a small charge. Special workshop and festival days with craft/drama sessions run through the year at a cost of £2.50 each, inc. museum entry. Eg Romans (mosaic-making); Tudors (block-printing or drama); Victorians; WW2. Enquire asap for availability. Gift shop. 1hr drive. NB May be a last-minute option if your Dover Castle visit is cancelled because of poor weather. |
Cost: £1.25 entry + coach hire
More Info: website |
 Hastings Fishing Museum
Small local museum with a real fishing boat, artefacts, video clips. Located amongst the old fish ‘shops’, bizarre tall huts where nets hang to dry. The area still supports a lively fishing industry. Close to Underwater World. No need to book, but opening times not guaranteed as staffed by volunteers. Useful indoor venue to spend 30 mins if wet weather at Hastings. |
Cost: FREE entry + coach hire to Hastings
More Info: website |
 Rye
Picturesque cobbled streets, mediaeval houses and a walled citadel make Rye unique, an old Cinque Port now marooned away from the sea. Follow a fun trail to focus observation and provoke curiosity. A convenient half-day stop in combination with Camber Sands, Camber/ Bodiam Castle.
- Castle Museum Small local museum in C13 th Ypres Castle, former town prison, telling history of wool trade and the sea. Suitable for half a class at a time. Small entry fee – please ring to check prices. Not suitable for wheelchairs.
- Rye Town model £1 per pupil At Rye Heritage Centre, a sound and light show telling the history of Rye, based on a small-scale hand-built model. (Audio-tape can be hard for children to understand.) Also free exhibitions - currently old penny slot machines. Wheelchair access.
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Cost: FREE entry + coach hire OR minibus
More Info: website |
 Smallhythe Place (National Trust)
(Can also travel by foot from Kench Hill across country).
Home of Ellen Terry, Edwardian actress (1899-1928). Display of old theatrical costumes. Early Tudor house, former Port House for local shipyard. Gardens, Thatched Barn theatre. Quiz, trail. WC’s. Open March-October only. Limited wheelchair access (ground floor and gardens only). |
Cost: FREE entry + minibus costs
More Info: website |
 Woodchurch village
- Village Life Museum (£10 donation) Wheelchair access. Newly furbished museum History of village with artefacts from Bronze Age to present day, big section on WW2. Audio records. Transport collection. Run by volunteers. Guided talk available, quiz. Limited gift shop.
See www.woodchurchmuseum.com
- Windmill A recently refurbished C 18 th Kentish smock mill. Visits inside the mill are now possible by prior arrangement with volunteers.
See www.woodchurchwindmill.co.uk
The village also has a C13 th church, a large green and wonderful examples of historical homes from different centuries. WC’s in car park, children’s playground. Suitable for a half-day visit – take half the class morning and afternoon, combined with a choice of on-site activities. |
Cost: FREE entry + minibus costs
More Info: see websites above |
General Interest - Natural Habitats
 Bedgebury Pinetum (Forestry Commission)
10 000 conifer trees from around the world in a unique conservation site in beautiful natural parkland, part of 2000 acre Bedgebury Forest. Visits can be self-led, with our Head of Centre or opt for a programme taught by Pinetum experts eg KS2: Seed to Soil; Green Machines; Animal Antics; or Team Tactics. Goody bags, WC’s. Limited wheelchair access. 40 min drive. |
Cost: £2.50-£5 each (Taught - Half/Full day) + coach hire OR minibus costs
More Info: website |
 Camber Sands
The longest sandy beach in England! Collect shells, see the dramatic rise and fall of the tide, explore ecology and plant adaptations amongst the fragile sand-dunes, play a game on the beach, make sand-castles and paddle in the sea. Can be very windy! Whole or half-day. Public WC’s, souvenir shop. |
Cost: FREE + coach hire OR minibus shuttle (£30) + parking
More Info: website |
 Samphire Hoe
A newly created habitat constructed from chalk dug from the Channel Tunnel. Walk to a shingle beach along the nature reserve below steep cliffs above the tunnel. WC’s, café, information. Suitable for a short stop on the way back from Dover. |
| Cost: £1 car park fee only |
 Hastings
Ecclesbourne Glen FREE plus coach hire
Arrive for an invigorating morning’s walk through the fairytale setting of Ecclesbourne Glen with its picturesque sandstone landscape and views over Hastings and English Channel. Alternative route for disabled access. Lunch on the beach if fine weather! Visit an indoor attraction in the afternoon before going home by coach. 50 mins drive.
Hastings Attractions £3.35 each, 1 adult free per 10 + coach hire
- Smugglers Adventure Explore St Clements Caves labyrinth, history of C18th smuggling with fun interactive exhibits, sound and light shows (Limited disabled access)
- Underwater World Marine nursery,shark tank, ray pool, good interpretation. (Wheelchair access)
- Hastings Castle & the 1066 story Audio-visual show within a siege tent. (Limited wheelchair access)
Comprehensive teacher’s packs for KS2 available on CD-Rom. Combined tickets possible, but we recommend you choose one option only. Gift shops, WC’s. |
Cost: FREE entry + coach hire
More Info: website |
 Park Wood
A local ancient woodland with mixed deciduous trees (oak, hazel) and a conifer plantation. Suitable for a half-day visit to explore woods using a variety of Earth Education and sensory activities. Ideal to take half a class, whilst others work on-site. Or take a whole class for a full day, with a picnic lunch at Appledore Recreation ground and visit to the village. 15 mins drive, nearest WC’s 5 min drive in Appledore. Wheelchair accessible to most areas, flat paths. |
Cost: FREE + minibus shuttle (£10+)
More Info: website |
 Rare Breeds Centre
A firm favourite with all ages throughout the year, even in wet weather. A great day out combining close-up encounters with farm animals, birds of prey, woodland walks and challenging physical adventures at Mysterious Marsh and the Swing Bridge Barn. Plenty of stimulus on life cycles, with piglets and chicks being born all year. Excellent value for money. Run by Canterbury Oast Trust, a charity supporting adults with learning disabilities. Good wheelchair access in most areas. 15 mins drive. Gift shop, WC’s, café.
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Cost: £4.90 each + minibus shuttle (£15+)
More Info: website |
 Tenterden
A little town with a big history based on the wool trade! Ideal for a comparative settlement studies, the famous High St has a wealth of historic buildings, including churches, interesting shops, services and even a steam railway. Just 10 minutes away by minibus, it is also the site of our Leisure Centre with its popular swimming pool. Take the whole class for a saunter along the High St (wheelchair access), or a circular walk in the surrounding countryside beginning and ending at the old railway, ideal for mapping (but not suitable for wheelchairs). |
Cost: FREE
More Info: website |
 Royal Military Canal, Appledore Village
An easy walk, no steep hills, with views across Romney Marshes, a World War 2 pill-box to explore, and the story of the Canal, built as a defence against Napoleon’s army 200 years ago. The church has interesting tapestry telling the history of the village. An alternative Monday afternoon walk for the whole class, especially for any with mobility problems, or combine with Park Wood for a full day with a picnic at the Recreation ground. |
Cost: FREE + minibus shuttle
More Info: website |
The following attractions are also recommended, and are particularly suitable as options on the way back to London to extend your final day.
Museum of Kent Life ( Maidstone) £4 per pupil + coach hire
40 mins drive
www.Museum-kentlife.co.uk
Wildwood Discovery Park ( Herne Bay) £3.50 + coach hire
An unique collection of native British animals including species now extinct in UK – beavers, wolves etc. 1 hour drive
www.wildwoodtrust.org.uk
Historic Dockyard ( Chatham) £4.50 + coach hire
Exciting displays about Victorians and WW2 as well history of sail Teacher packs, tours etc
www.chdt.org.uk
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