Where to go for a family day out in Kent

Family days out don’t have to cost the earth, according to a Kent blogger.

Natalie Smith, who lives on the coast near Hythe, runs the Frugal Mum website and has written a top 15 of places to visit in the county.

Her list of budget-friendly days out include locations that are either completely free or good value for money.

“You can spend a day and not spend any money,” she told BBC Radio Sussex.

One of the places she recommends is Brockhill Country Park, Hythe.

“The kids can really roam free,” she said. “It’s massive – even when it is the school holidays you can find a corner for yourself, there’s a stream, places for the kids to climb and roll down hills.”

Mrs Smith also includes Kearsney Abbey Gardens in Dover on her list.

“There’s a big lake, it’s very pretty, loads of open spaces; huge fields to kick a football around and have a picnic,” she said.

A third place to enjoy in Kent, according to the Frugal Mum list, is the award-winning Mote Park in Maidstone.

It has 450 acres of grassland and woodland, as well as a 30-acre lake, a river, pedalos and high ropes.