Groombridge Camping

It’s so close, it would be wrong if you didn’t pay at least a quick visit to Royal Tunbridge Wells (10 minutes’ drive). After strolling along The Pantiles, a colonnaded promenade lined with elegant shops and independent cafés, head to the vast Tunbridge Wells Commons for a picnic, a hike or to watch a game of cricket. There’s lots to see and do at Penshurst Place & Gardens (10 minutes), a 14th-century estate that was later used as a hunting lodge by Henry VIII. Inside are suits of armour, period furniture and collections of decorative arts, while the grounds attract with a rose garden, an orchard and a landscaped Italian garden centred around a lily pool. Spread over 160 acres, Haysden Country Park (15 minutes) includes areas of woodland, marshes and freshwater lakes where you can do a spot of angling (be sure to get a day ticket, though). And of course, there are splendid trails and bridleways through it all, plus Regional Cycle Route 12.