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Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Cranbrook

Companionship careKent

Days out in Kent for an older parent

Nine places in Kent that make a good day out for an older parent, from Sissinghurst Castle Garden to Faversham. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated October 2026

Sissinghurst Castle Garden. Photo: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0

Nine days out across nine towns

The best places to take an older parent in Kent

Six of them are free to visit or to walk around. The access information for one describes a step-free route, and five confirm an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Cranbrook

Photo: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Garden · Cranbrook

Sissinghurst Castle Garden

Sissinghurst is the National Trust garden created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson around the remains of a Tudor house, laid out as a series of small enclosed gardens including the White Garden and the herb garden. Visitors can look round the Elizabethan tower and library, walk the wider estate paths, and stop at the Granary Restaurant or the Old Dairy coffee shop.

The garden is made up of short linked sections with plenty of places to pause, and there are Blue Badge bays and adapted toilets near Visitor Reception, so a carer can plan a slow loop with frequent stops.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry, free for National Trust members

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Cranbrook

Leeds Castle, Maidstone

Photo: Adusha, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Castle · Maidstone

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle sits on two islands in a lake near Maidstone and has been a Norman stronghold, a medieval queens' residence and a 1930s country retreat, with furnished rooms, a bird of prey display and 500 acres of parkland. Visitors can follow the lakeside walks, see the maze and grotto from the outside, and eat at the Maze Café or other outlets on the estate.

A free mobility bus runs from near the ticket office up to the castle, wheelchairs can be borrowed and there are reserved hard standing parking spaces, although there is a cobbled stretch across the drawbridge to plan for.

Time to allow
A full day
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Maidstone

Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury

Photo: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cathedral · Canterbury

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican Communion, with a Romanesque crypt, medieval stained glass, the site of Thomas Becket's murder and the tomb of the Black Prince. Visitors can walk the nave and quire, sit in on choral evensong and take a turn round the walled Precincts.

The Visitor Centre lends wheelchairs free of charge, there is a level accessible toilet in the Precincts and most of the building can be seen without stairs, with the Trinity Chapel the one area that cannot.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry, free to attend a service of worship

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Canterbury

Turner Contemporary, Margate

Photo: Matt Harrop, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gallery · Margate

Turner Contemporary

Turner Contemporary is a free art gallery on Margate seafront, built on the site of the lodging house where J. M. W. Turner stayed, showing changing exhibitions of modern and contemporary work. There are two floors of galleries, a shop, a café and a window wall looking straight out over Margate Sands.

Access is step free with a ramp by the entrance and a lift between floors, wheelchairs are kept ready in the Access Station, seating is dotted through the galleries and accessible toilets are on the ground floor.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free entry to exhibitions

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Margate

Knole, Sevenoaks

Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Historic house · Sevenoaks

Knole

Knole is a vast late medieval and Jacobean house on the edge of Sevenoaks, cared for by the National Trust, with showrooms of royal Stuart furniture, a Gatehouse Tower and a conservation studio. It stands in Kent's last medieval deer park, where fallow and sika deer graze and free public paths cross open grassland.

The Brewhouse Café, shops and Orangery all have step-free level access, there are Blue Badge bays and a drop-off point by the main building, and benches in the courtyards and Orangery, although only the Great Hall of the house is reachable by wheelchair.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Parkland free to walk, house and tower paid

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Sevenoaks

The White Cliffs of Dover, Dover

Photo: Archangel12, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Coast · Dover

The White Cliffs of Dover

The National Trust looks after the chalk clifftop above Dover at Langdon Cliffs, with a visitor centre, coffee shop and shop and wide views over the harbour and the Channel to France on clear days. A waymarked trail leads along the cliffs towards South Foreland Lighthouse, and shorter stretches suit a gentle stroll and a look at the shipping.

There is mobility parking and an adapted toilet at the visitor centre, and an accessible path leads to the viewing point over the cliffs, so a short there and back walk with a hot drink afterwards works well.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free to walk, parking charged but free for Blue Badge holders

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Dover

Shorne Woods Country Park, Gravesend

Photo: David Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Gravesend

Shorne Woods Country Park

Shorne Woods is a Kent County Council country park of almost 300 acres of woodland, wetland and meadow between Gravesend and Strood, once part of the Cobham Hall estate. There is an eco-friendly visitor centre with a café and gift shop, a sensory garden, fishing lakes, picnic areas and colour coded trails including a one mile easy access route.

Twenty hard standing disabled parking bays sit nearest the visitor centre, the café and shop have automatic doors and level access, there is an accessible toilet inside plus a Changing Places toilet, and electric Tramper vehicles can be hired for longer trails.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry, pay and display parking

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Gravesend

Dunorlan Park, Royal Tunbridge Wells

Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Royal Tunbridge Wells

Dunorlan Park

Dunorlan Park is a Victorian pleasure ground of about 78 acres in Royal Tunbridge Wells, landscaped by Robert Marnock, with a six acre lake, a fountain, a Grecian temple and broad lawns and shrubberies. Visitors can walk the circuit of the lake, watch the wildfowl and rowing boats in season, and use the lakeside café and toilet block.

There is step-free level access at the most accessible entrance and ramped paths from the car park, which has Blue Badge parking, with benches round the lake and a café for a sit-down, although the Cascade and Terrace have steps.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Royal Tunbridge Wells

Faversham, Faversham

Photo: Ed Webster, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Market town · Faversham

Faversham

Faversham is an ancient market town with more than 400 listed buildings, a 16th century Guildhall raised on pillars over the Market Place, and Britain's oldest brewery at Shepherd Neame. The Charter Market trades on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and a short walk leads down to Standard Quay on the creek with its sailing barges, cafés and pubs.

The Market Place, Guildhall and main shopping streets sit close together on flat ground with cafés and benches, and the Visitor Information Centre at 12 Market Place can advise on parking and toilets, so a carer can keep the walking short and check access at individual shops on the day.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free to walk around

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Faversham

Regular groups and events in Kent

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in Kent.

  • Walking · Royal Tunbridge WellsMonthly Wellbeing Walk around a Victorian park lakeRamblers Wellbeing Walks runs a short guided walk around the lake and ponds at Dunorlan Park on the second Friday of each month, lasting about 40 to 60 minutes. A carer can handle the parking, walk alongside and stop at the café afterwards, so the outing feels sociable rather than strenuous.Details
  • Cooking & Baking · WhitstableWhitstable Oyster Festival and the town's oyster tradeWhitstable has harvested oysters since Roman times and marks it each summer with an oyster festival built around landings, food stalls and a procession. A carer can time a visit for a quieter morning, buy oysters or fish from the harbour market and cook them at home afterwards.Details
  • Music · CanterburyCanterbury Festival, Kent's international arts festivalEach autumn the Canterbury Festival fills venues across the city with classical concerts, folk, jazz and talks over roughly two weeks. A carer can book an afternoon or early evening concert, arrange parking close to the venue and keep the outing to one event.Details
  • SportsWalking football sessions across the countyActive Kent and Medway lists walking football sessions run by clubs around Kent, a slow version of the game with no running and no contact, popular with players in their sixties and beyond. A carer can ring ahead to check the session suits, provide the lift and wait with a drink while the game runs.Details
  • VolunteeringVolunteering with Kent Wildlife TrustKent Wildlife Trust takes volunteers across its reserves and offices, from practical outdoor tasks to visitor welcome and indoor roles. A carer can help with the application, then provide transport and stay nearby on the day so a lighter indoor role is manageable.Details
  • Knitting · Herne BayKnit and Natter at a seaside libraryA regular free knitting and crochet group meets at Herne Bay Library, open to all abilities with company and conversation as much as craft. A carer can bring the wool and needles, settle the older person at the table and collect them afterwards.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in Kent

At a glance

The nine places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
Sissinghurst Castle GardenCranbrookhalf a dayPaid entryPartlyYesYes
Leeds CastleMaidstonea full dayPaid entryPartlyYesYes
Canterbury CathedralCanterburyhalf a dayPaid entryPartlyYesYes
Turner ContemporaryMargatean hour or twoFreeYesYesYes
KnoleSevenoakshalf a dayFree outside, paid insidePartlyYesYes
The White Cliffs of DoverDoveran hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
Shorne Woods Country ParkGravesendhalf a dayFreeAskAskAsk
Dunorlan ParkRoyal Tunbridge Wellsan hour or twoFreePartlyAskYes
FavershamFavershamhalf a dayFreeAskAskAsk

Where the places are in Kent

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

AshfordWesterhamSheernessGravesendLydd123456789
  1. 1Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Cranbrook
  2. 2Leeds Castle, Maidstone
  3. 3Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury
  4. 4Turner Contemporary, Margate
  5. 5Knole, Sevenoaks
  6. 6The White Cliffs of Dover, Dover
  7. 7Shorne Woods Country Park, Gravesend
  8. 8Dunorlan Park, Royal Tunbridge Wells
  9. 9Faversham, Faversham

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in Kent

Carers in Kent charge £19 to £22 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £20, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £80 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in Kent has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in Kent

Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Cranbrook, Leeds Castle in Maidstone, Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Turner Contemporary in Margate, Knole in Sevenoaks, The White Cliffs of Dover in Dover, Shorne Woods Country Park in Gravesend, Dunorlan Park in Royal Tunbridge Wells and Faversham in Faversham. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

The access information for Turner Contemporary describes a step-free route. Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, Turner Contemporary and Knole have an accessible toilet. Leeds Castle and Canterbury Cathedral lend wheelchairs. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

Turner Contemporary, Knole (outside free, inside paid), The White Cliffs of Dover, Shorne Woods Country Park, Dunorlan Park and Faversham. Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. 34 of the carers with a rate near Kent drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £20 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in Kent shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Where the nearest carers live

From the profiles of the carers based within about 45 minutes of Kent

Where the nearest carers live. A carer close to home can manage a longer day out.

Companionship care in the counties around Kent

Days out in the areas around Kent

Companionship care by town in Kent

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

Find a carer who could take them out in Kent

See carers near Kent who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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