Activities in Ashford

A truly great British garden located several miles north of Ashford and a short drive from our Ashford Eureka Leisure Park hotel, Godinton House is a 600-year old Jacobean estate and garden. The house is open for a history lesson with some gorgeous carvings, furniture and sculptures while the 12-acres of parkland and gardens are perfect for exploring, with a small plant shop and tea room on site as well.

If foam pits, soft play, slam dunk arenas, ninja challenges and more trampolines than you could shake a jelly at are your idea of fun, then Flip Out Ashford is the place for you. Fun for all the family, and with dedicated toddler, teenage and keep fit sessions, the trampoline park on Henwood Industrial Estate is open until 8pm daily.

With a growing reputation as a noted wine-producing area, the South East coast of England has been making some seriously good vintages in recent years. And part of that is down to the Chapel Down Winery, a 22-acre vineyard that produces everything from sparkling wine, beer and cider and even a range of spirits including gin and vodka. The winery is open to the public daily with seasonal guided tours, a restaurant and a well-stocked shop where you can walk away with a bottle or three.

There’s nothing like a good long walk to take stock on life and appreciate the natural beauty. And that’s in abundance on the North Downs Way, a 153-mile long-distance path in southern England that starts at the white cliffs of Dover and ends inland in Guildford. You can explore part of the North Downs Way from Ashford with short half day and full day options, or you could even start from Ashford and hike all the way to Guildford crossing some beautiful rolling hills and wide open valleys where you can see for miles.

Built in 1869, Willesborough Windmill has been beautifully restored and is now a fully-working building where you can make your own flour. The windmill is located around a mile east of Ashford’s town centre and open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the summer, and closed during most of the winter, so check ahead before you visit. When it’s open during the warmer months, they put on a host of events for families and children, while there’s also a small industrial heritage museum, a miller’s cottage and a popular café and gift shop.

Don’t be too alarmed if you accidentally stumble across a tank in the middle of Ashford’s town centre. The Ashford Tank is a very rare WW1 Mk IV Female tank (most tanks were scrapped for their metal) that served in the First World War and now acts as a poignant reminder of the war. Guests aren’t allowed inside or to touch it, but it has been wonderfully restored.

With two floors packed with exhibits that shine a light on the region’s history, the Ashford Borough Museum has everything from a 200 million year old dinosaur fossil to railway memorabilia celebrating the region’s railway heritage and also several dedicated military displays covering the First and Second World War. As well as the dinosaur remains, the two model railways are probably the star of the show, perfect for any Thomas the Tank Engine fans and big kids.