Elham Valley Halt

Historic Elham (five minutes’ drive) sits in the middle of the Kent Downs AONB, and if you’re keen to explore on foot, make a start there with a potter around its timber-framed and Tudor-style houses. In the village, you can join a circular walk around its hinterlands, or hop on to the Elham Valley Way and hike through orchards and woodland (carpeted with bluebells in spring) to Canterbury (three and a half hours’ walk). Alternatively, catch the bus into Canterbury (25 minutes’ drive) and tour the famed cathedral to see where Thomas à Becket was murdered in 1170. Have a nose around the half-timbered architecture of Old City Canterbury, and if you’re running short on reading material, visit the bookshop in the crooked Sir John Boys House. If you’re craving a day on the coast, head for Folkestone (20 minutes) where you can loll on the beach and dip your toes into the English Channel, before heading to the lively dining hub at Folkestone Harbour Arm to graze at the street-food kiosks.