Where are the good places, especially the ones that are free to visit in Kent? Well there is a really good park in Folkestone. It has pirate ships, sand pits and is surrounded by trees. You will need to take a picnic as there is not a tea-shop near by, for tea, but its great there. There is a part, with sand pit plus sand equipment, measuring toys, sifting toys etc, for the really young ones, with benches right next to it for picnics.

For the older ones there are climbing bits, climbing boats,hang swings, huge slides, all built in to enjoy, and again plenty of seating. The views, because this park is on the cliffs are spectacular, and ideal for an alfresco lunch.

A walk away is the town centre which has lots of shops, including good second hand shops, if you like that, which I really do! Anything for a bargain!
There is also a very good Chinese restaurant, which does as much as you can eat for about £6.50 per adult and £4.50 per child, drinks being extra. It does not serve exclusive Chinese food, you can choose chips or Indian food, such as Aloo Chat and Korma, if you prefer.
The Chinese dishes range and are not always the same. We love the crispy Peking duck, which was not there the last few times we visited. They have the standard Chinese curry, Crispy seaweed, Prawn toasts, noodles, Chicken sweet and sour balls etc; to the more exotic Singapore hot noodles (which are my favourite!) etc. If after all the Chinese dinner you are still peckish they also do ice-cream, chocolate, strawberry or vanilla and a choice of gateaux. The drinks prices are not bad, and the service is good. It is well worth a visit. I also must mention you can also use chopsticks if you are adventurous.

Folkestone has a market in the street at the weekend. This is quite good, with clothing, toys, make-up and accessories, plus mobile phone accessories etc, its worth a look; if you like that kind of thing.

It has an old fashioned lift that has been there forever. You can use it to get you up the cliff; from the beach front to the town; you need to pay of course! It is Victorian built, in the late 18 or very early 19th Century and called The Leas lift.

Down in Folkestone harbour there is a real vibe. There is also another market. This one is much better, with food stalls ranging from hot Nepalese (which is delicious, well worth £3 for the dumplings and HOT sauce) a stir fry that looks extremely tempting and of course the seafood, crab, lobster, prawns, all prepared with salads and sauces etc; this is NOT to be missed if you want a real taste of old Blighty. It can be expensive, depending what you order, but it’s worth the money. There is also a Barbeque stall with local pork sausages in buns, very good they are too! The market also does the non food items, i.e. handbags etc. As you can probably tell my family and I have spent many lovely hours here. Its one of our favourite places, even though it does get very, very crowded.

The sea is lovely and it’s a sandy beach (YAHOO!) with a few bucket and spade and inflatable boats and toy shops too, if your child does not have any beach toys.
There are fair few shops selling ice cream and drinks also. The only draw back I have to Folkstone is the few toilets, and the ones I have been in were not clean. When I went to a pub one, it was actually disgusting. I will not name the pub as I do not believe in naming and shaming unless absolutely vital, and if changes do not occur; SO publicans read and change please! Visitors and tourists like CLEAN lavatories! Also council run toilets are filthy and need more maintenance and supplies of toilet roll and soap. It would be a shame to put visitors off your wonderful town all for lack of care! However on the whole Folkestone is a delightful place for a visit, nice beach walks to for those with energy. And as I mentioned before absolutely stunning views.

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