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The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Chatham

Companionship careMedway

Days out in Medway for an older parent

Eight places in Medway that make a good day out for an older parent, from The Historic Dockyard Chatham to Fort Amherst. 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 September 2026

The Historic Dockyard Chatham. Photo: David Howard, CC BY-SA 2.0

Eight days out across four towns

The best places to take an older parent in Medway

Two of them are free to visit or to walk around. The access information for two confirm an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Chatham

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

Museum · Chatham

The Historic Dockyard Chatham

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is the best preserved Georgian dockyard in the world, where Royal Navy ships were built for over 400 years. Visitors can go aboard historic warships and a submarine, see the rope-making in the long Ropery, and explore galleries across the site.

Manual wheelchairs can be booked at the admissions point, there is Blue Badge parking close to the entrance, accessible toilets around the site and a restaurant with level access, and one personal assistant can go free.

Time to allow
A full day
Cost
One assistant free for eligible visitors

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Chatham

Rochester Cathedral, Rochester

Photo: Rochester Cathedral west facade with Norman towers viewed from Boley Hill and Ep, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Cathedral · Rochester

Rochester Cathedral

Rochester Cathedral is England's second oldest cathedral, founded in 604, with a Norman nave, medieval wall paintings and a crypt. The Crypt Café and an exhibition sit below the building.

Inside there is step-free access with lifts to the quire and to the crypt café, so the main parts of the cathedral can be seen without stairs.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Check prices

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Rochester

Rochester Castle, Rochester

Photo: Photochrom Print Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Castle · Rochester

Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle has one of the tallest and best preserved Norman keeps in England, standing over the River Medway beside the cathedral. The castle gardens around the keep are a pleasant place to sit with views of the river.

The keep has steep spiral stairs, so for a less mobile parent the carer can plan around the castle gardens, which sit beside the cathedral and the cafés of the High Street.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free outside, paid inside

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 Rochester

Royal Engineers Museum, Gillingham

Photo: Immanuel Giel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Gillingham

Royal Engineers Museum

The Royal Engineers Museum tells the story of the Corps of Royal Engineers, with medals, maps, vehicles and personal stories from over 300 years of military engineering. The Courtyard café is at the heart of the museum.

There is step-free access through most of the museum, two lifts, an accessible toilet on the ground floor and two disabled parking spaces by the entrance, and carers go free.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Carers free

What their access information confirms

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

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Gillingham

Capstone Farm Country Park, Capstone

Photo: Marathon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Capstone

Capstone Farm Country Park

Capstone Farm Country Park is an area of countryside, woodland, meadows and lakes between Chatham and Gillingham, with walking trails and a fishing lake. There is a café and toilets by the main car park.

The council says there is disabled access throughout the site, and the café and toilets are close to the car park for a short walk by the lake.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free entry, parking charged

What their access information confirms

  • Café

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Capstone

Eastgate House, Rochester

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

Museum · Rochester

Eastgate House

Eastgate House is an Elizabethan townhouse on Rochester High Street, restored after a Heritage Lottery Funded project and open to visitors. It has a maze of period rooms, and Charles Dickens's Swiss chalet stands in the garden.

It sits on the flat High Street near the cathedral and castle, so it fits easily into a short Rochester visit with a café stop nearby.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Check prices

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 Rochester

Huguenot Museum, Rochester

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

Museum · Rochester

Huguenot Museum

The Huguenot Museum on Rochester High Street is the only museum in Britain dedicated to the Huguenots, the French Protestant refugees who settled here from the 1600s. It shows their crafts, trades and family stories.

It is a small museum on the High Street, so the visit is short and easy to pair with the cathedral and a café.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Paid entry

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 Rochester

Fort Amherst, Chatham

Photo: Marathon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Castle · Chatham

Fort Amherst

Fort Amherst is a Georgian fortress built to defend Chatham Dockyard, with ramparts, gun batteries and tunnels cut into the chalk. Its grounds join the Great Lines Heritage Park, with views over the River Medway.

The tunnels and ramparts involve slopes and steps, so for a less mobile parent the carer can plan around the grounds and views near the entrance.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Check prices

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 Chatham

Regular groups and events in Medway

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

  • Music · RochesterOrgan recitals at Rochester CathedralThe cathedral runs a programme of organ recitals and concerts through the year, often with visiting players. A carer can book seats, arrange a drop off close to the west door and get there early so there is no rush to find a place.Details
  • MusicMedway Can Sing community singingA community singing project open to people who want to sing together without auditions or reading music. A carer can provide the lift and stay for the session, which makes a weekly sing far easier to keep up.Details
  • Photography · GillinghamMedway DSLR Camera ClubA local camera club for photographers in the Medway area, meeting for sessions and shared outings. A carer can handle the transport and carry the kit so that meetings and outings stay realistic.Details
  • ReadingMedway library book clubsMedway Council libraries run reading groups that meet to discuss a shared book, with large print and audio titles available. A carer can collect the month's book, read passages aloud if eyesight is poor and provide the lift to the meeting.Details
  • Reading · RochesterRochester Literature FestivalA community run festival of author talks, readings and poetry events held in venues around Rochester. A carer can book a single afternoon event, check seating in advance and make the trip into town straightforward.Details
  • Sports · RochesterRochester Clarence Bowls ClubA local bowls club listed in Medway Council's directory, offering club bowling through the season. A carer can carry the woods, help with getting to and from the green and stay for the tea afterwards.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in Medway

At a glance

The eight 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
The Historic Dockyard ChathamChathama full dayPaid entryPartlyYesYes
Rochester CathedralRochesteran hour or twoCheck pricesPartlyAskYes
Rochester CastleRochesteran hour or twoFree outside, paid insideAskAskAsk
Royal Engineers MuseumGillinghaman hour or twoPaid entryPartlyYesYes
Capstone Farm Country ParkCapstonean hour or twoFreeAskAskYes
Eastgate HouseRochesteran hour or twoCheck pricesAskAskAsk
Huguenot MuseumRochesteran hour or twoPaid entryAskAskAsk
Fort AmherstChathaman hour or twoCheck pricesAskAskAsk

Where the places are in Medway

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

RainhamGillingham12345678
  1. 1The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Chatham
  2. 2Rochester Cathedral, Rochester
  3. 3Rochester Castle, Rochester
  4. 4Royal Engineers Museum, Gillingham
  5. 5Capstone Farm Country Park, Capstone
  6. 6Eastgate House, Rochester
  7. 7Huguenot Museum, Rochester
  8. 8Fort Amherst, Chatham

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in Medway

Carers in Medway charge £19 to £21 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £19, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £76 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 Medway has the full figures.

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

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in Medway

The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Chatham, Rochester Cathedral in Rochester, Rochester Castle in Rochester, Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham, Capstone Farm Country Park in Capstone, Eastgate House in Rochester, Huguenot Museum in Rochester and Fort Amherst in Chatham. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham and Royal Engineers Museum have an accessible toilet. The Historic Dockyard Chatham lends wheelchairs. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

Rochester Castle (outside free, inside paid) and Capstone Farm Country Park. 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. 37 of the carers with a rate near Medway drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £19 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in Medway 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 Medway

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

Companionship care by town in Medway

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 Medway

See carers near Medway 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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