FORGET Brighton and Cornwall, one tiny Kent village is free of crowds, has a sprawling beach and plenty of fun things for kids to explore.
Located on the Kent coast between Folkstone and Dungeness, Dymchurch features a three-mile long, Blue Flag awarded sandy beach.
The village of Dymchurch in Kent features a three-mile long beach often free of crowds[/caption]
And a 10-minute walk from the beach is a vintage miniature railway[/caption]
By the beach is also an amusement park with arcades[/caption]
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Named the best thing to do in Dymchurch on TripAdvisor, the beach is loved for being a dog-friendly spot and being clean.
Many reviews also claim it to be a great family destination, with the arcades providing great fun for the kids.
Set just back from the beach is Dymchurch Amusement Park, which is free to enter.
The attraction is home to a number of rides great for small kids including dodgems and a Dumbo ride, where passengers get to fly in the air.
The park also has two arcades to spend your pennies in, with many retro classics like coin pushers.
If you are looking for more to do in the village, then you can head to the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, which has been running since 1927.
The vintage railway has a train around a third the size of steam and diesel trains and the track runs for 13 and a half miles, with stops at four stations.
Dymchurch station is about a 10-minute walk from the beach and a hop-on, hop-off ticket, which allows you to explore the different villages and towns on the route, costs £29 per adult and £14.50 per child.
Alternatively, you can get station specific tickets starting at £6.50 per adult and £3.25 per child, for one-way.
For more history, head to The Martello Towers that were built between 1805 and 1808 and were used to defend the British coastline against French attack led by Napoleon Bonaparte.
One of the towers, known as Dymchurch Martello Tower, has been restored and is open for the public to visit for free.
Inside, visitors can explore garrison accommodation on the first floor, a storeroom used for food, coal and ammunition and also a gun on the roof.
Also close to the beach is Lamby’s, a seafood spot loved locally for selling a mixture of cockles, anchovies, rollmops (pickled herring fillets) and mussels for less than a tenner.
If you are looking for somewhere to grab a bite or even stay a night, make your way to The Ship Inn.
The cosy pub features a range of local ales and even their own ‘Old Police House Gin’, as well as hearty pub meals like pie of the day for £17.95.
The Ship Inn is one spot where visitors can grab a bite to eat or even stay over night[/caption]
The watering hole also has five bedrooms upstairs, sleeping between two and four people, costing from around £130 per night, including breakfast.
Or you could head to Beach Sun Retreat, as seen on Channel 4‘s Four in the Bed.
The accommodation boasts nine themed rooms and also has its own indoor beach with sand, deckchairs and “sunlight technology” to keep it heated to 30C.
There’s even a private cinema and a Himalayan salt stone sauna as well.
A midweek stay costs starts from £249 per night, for up to two guests.
Or they could opt for the Beach Sun Retreat, which featured on Channel 4’s Four in the Bed[/caption]
There are also a few caravan parks in the surrounding area.
Mark Woolls, who has run the Dymchurch Amusement park for 30 years, is calling for more people to visit the village.
He told KentOnline that there is more to do in the village than just swimming at the beach.
Another local added: “There are lots of little shops that sell ice cream, there are great fish and chips, great bars.”
Kent is also home to a pretty park that’s perfect for a hot weekend with a splash park, boating lake and miniature railway.
Plus, there is a tiny village in Kent that has a famous castle and gardens that were once home to a terrifying smuggling gang.
Locals are also encouraging people to come to the picturesque village[/caption]