History and Nature

Barleylands Farm Centre & Craft Village, Essex
BEST FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
A good choice for animal lovers and young children, Barleylands has all creatures great and small. Chickens, rabbits and turkeys live near the picnic area, while larger creatures – including ponies, cows and pigs – graze by the pond. The craft village is a showcase for the talents of glass blowers, wood turners and blacksmiths. Other attractions include an activity playground, stables, tractor rides, a bouncy castle and a giant trampoline, so little 'uns won’t get bored.
Barleylands Farm Centre & Craft Village, Barleylands Rd, Billericay, Essex (01268 532 253/www.barleylands.co.uk). Rail: Liverpool St to Billericay, 45 minutes. Road: M11, exit 29.

Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum, East Sussex
If you like beautiful cars and shiny birds, you’ll be in heaven. More than 1,000 swans, geese and ducks from all over the world, and an array of polished vintage cars and motorcycles are here to be admired. A host of other attractions includes craftspeople, gardens and an adventure playground.
Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum, Halland, nr Lewes, East Sussex (01825 840 573/www.bentley.org.uk). Rail: Uckfield or Lewes stations, one hour, then taxi. Road: A22, then follow signs.

Box Hill, Surrey
So named for the evergreen box trees that thrive in the chalk soil, Box Hill’s views over the Kent Weald are as impressive as its cultural associations: it’s famous as the setting for the picnic in Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’, for Keats finishing off ‘Endymion’ and for Logie Baird conducting early televisual experiments here. Looked after by the National Trust, Box Hill has an information centre and the all-important shop and servery.
The Old Fort, Boxhill Rd, Tadworth, Surrey (01306 888 793/www.nationaltrust.org). Rail: Victoria to Boxhill, 50 minutes. Road: M4, exit 4b, then M25 on to A414.

Groombridge Estate, Kent
A magical place for families and couples alike, the gardens themselves are superb – beautifully maintained and elegantly laid out, they date back to the seventeenth century. Particularly fine are the Secret Garden with welcome summer shade, the White Rose garden with over 20 varieties of roses and the Apostle Walk lined with tall drum yews. Also appealing are the Enchanted Forest’s giant swings and the Jurassic Valley with its dinosaur footprints.
Groombridge Estate, Groombridge Place, Groombridge, nr Tunbridge Wells, Kent (01892 861 444/www.groombridge.co.uk). Rail: Charing Cross to Tunbridge Wells, one hour, then 290, 291 bus or taxi. Road: B2110 off A264 off A21.

Hever Castle, Kent
This enchanting, double-moated thirteenth-century castle is said to be the place where Henry VIII courted Anne Boleyn. The grounds now boast splendid Italian gardens, as well as a large lake and rose garden. Among Hever’s popular attractions are a ‘splashing water’ maze and the Guthrie Miniature Model Houses Collection, which depicts country house living from medieval to Victorian times.
Hever Castle, Hever, Kent (01732 865224/www.hevercastle.co.uk). Rail: London Bridge to Hever, 40 minutes, plus 1mile walk. Road: M25, exit 5.

Hop Farm Country Park, Kent
Set among the world’s largest collection of Victorian oast houses, this old Hop Farm now boasts an interactive museum with children’s playgrounds, play barns, go-karts, crazy golf, dray carts pulled by robust shire horses and activities galore. There are plenty of events and activities going on to keep the whole family occupied.
Hop Farm Country Park, Beltring, Paddock Wood, Kent (01622 872068/www.thehopfarm.co.uk). Rail: Charing Cross to Paddock Wood, 50 minutes. Road: A2 towards Tonbridge then follow signs.

Howletts Wild Animal Park, Kent
BEST FOR WILD ANIMALS
Almost 50 gorillas are housed here as well as African elephants, Siberian tigers and lots more. In the new ‘Wood in the Park’ area, you can walk alongside and below a free-roaming family of amazingly agile and lively lemurs. Many of the species at Howletts are endangered, and it runs a programme reintroducing species into the wild. It’s low on waterslides and seesaws because the animals are the priority.
Howletts Wild Animal Park, Bekesbourne, nr Canterbury, Kent (01227 721286/ www.totallywild.net). Rail: Victoria to Bekesbourne then 30-minute walk or shuttle bus (peak times). Road: M2, then A2.

Leeds Castle, Kent
Built soon after the Norman Conquest, this magnificent castle has been immaculately maintained throughout the ages. There are grand halls and chambers inside, but it’s outside where the most fun can be had. The maze is an unusual piece of landscaping and takes some navigating. Its castellated hedges have a grotto at the centre, which takes you through a mysterious underground passage. There’s also a pretty riverside pathway bustling with black swans and peacocks, and aviaries full of unusual species of birds.
Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent (01622 765400/www.leeds-castle.com). Rail: Cannon Street to Bearsted, 50 minutes. Road: A20 towards Dover, follow signs to B2163.

Mountfitchet Norman village, Essex
The eleventh-century Mountfitchet Castle today is reduced to isolated piles of rubble, although a ‘working’ Norman village has been constructed on the original site to give some indication of life more than 900 years ago. Thus the many buildings scattered around the original motte date from the 1980s and are populated by waxwork figures. There’s a host of tame animals, including fallow deer, Jacob sheep (an ancient breed kept by the Normans) and poultry. The adjoining House on the Hill Toy Museum is great for younger kids, with more than 80,000 exhibits from the Victorian era through to the 1980s.
Mountfitchet Norman village, Stanstead Mountfitchet, Essex (01279 813 237/www.mountfitchetcastle.com). Rail: Liverpool St to Mountfitchet, one hour. Road: M11 exit 8.

Painshill Landscape Gardens, Surrey
Painshill consists of 160 acres of subtle and surprising vistas created by Charles Hamilton in the eighteenth century. The landscapes – which include a vineyard, Chinese bridge, crystal grotto, Turkish tent, a newly restored hermitage and a gothic tower – are a work of art that influenced the future of England’s countryside. Family events take place on Sundays and bank holidays throughout the year. There are ongoing activities, from kite-making to Punch & Judy shows, to birds of prey demonstrations.
Painshill Park Trust, Portsmouth Rd, Cobham, Surrey (01932 868113/ www.painshill.co.uk). Rail: Waterloo to Cobham, 40 minutes. Road: M25 exit 10.

Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Kent
Port Lympne consists of a spectacular mansion overlooking 350 acres of wilderness, where animals coexist in the closest thing this country has to an uninterrupted nature reserve. The easiest way to see everything is on an African Safari Experience trailer tour, which takes you through communities of wildebeest, zebras and giraffes in the Kentish wilderness. Expeditions on foot (a round trip covers roughly 5km) can be rewarding. Don’t miss Palace of the Apes, the largest family gorilla house in the world, with its bachelor gorilla groups. Other wild animals to look out for include black rhinos, lions, tigers, elephants, wolves and monkeys.
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Lympne, nr Hythe, Kent (0870 750 4647/www.totallywild.net). Rail: Waterloo to Ashford International, one hour. Road: M20 exit 11.