Brighton Bell Tents at Chafford Park Estate

Explore close to home with jaunts to the genteel villages of Fordcombe and Penshurst, both less than 10 minutes’ drive, then tour a larger settlement with a trip around Tunbridge Wells (10 minutes) before settling into a seat on a Spa Valley Railway steam train from the town and chugging through the High Weald countryside to Eridge. If your interests are firmly based in historical pursuits, take your pick: there’s the stunning Scotney (half an hour) and Sissinghurst stately buildings (45 minutes) for ganders at grand gardens, along with Hever (15 minutes) and Leeds (55 minutes) with their moats and turrets. Kids will have a grand old time mimicking the knights who used to grace these structures, but they’re also sure to adore an afternoon making the most of The Hop Farm’s massive inflatable trampolines, laser tag games, 4D cinema and petting zoo (half an hour). Family-friendly amusement outdoors is also to be the same distance away around Bewl Water while fly fishing and rowing a boat or during walks around Groombridge Place Estates’ manicured gardens and fairytale-themed adventure forest (30 minutes).