Discover Ashford

If you are looking for a hotel in Ashford, you can plan your days around town history, events, green spaces or shopping. The town offers a variety of things to explore: a short heritage trail, a museum, events and outdoor walks.

Town history, church and events

The Ashford Heritage Trail is a free circular walk that takes about 30 minutes. It starts on the High Street and ends at Ashford Borough Museum. St Mary's Church has Norman foundations and has witnessed almost 1,000 years of history. These offer two different ways to explore the town's past: a walk with a set start and end point, and the history of a church with medieval foundations.

Ashford Borough Museum is housed in a Grade II listed 17th-century building. Its exhibits explore the town's history through a range of themes: former shops, local archaeological finds, smuggling, contributions during both world wars and railway memorabilia. If you are particularly interested in a specific chapter, these themes can guide your visit—from archaeological finds to railway history.

Revelation Ashford hosts music, storytelling events, children's performances, theatre, talks and films in the restored St Mary's Church. The venue has a licensed bar, and free parking is available nearby in the evening. If you are planning an evening there, check the dates for the programme you want to see. This will help you choose between a museum visit and an event based on your particular interests.

Shopping and planning your time

Ashford Designer Outlet offers 100 designer brands as well as a children's play area with a seven-metre-high Robina treehouse. The outlet is a five-minute walk from Ashford International station. When planning your time, note that the two travel times in Ashford refer to different things: about 30 minutes for the Heritage Trail, and a five-minute walk from the station to the outlet.

Parks, river and trails

The public can walk freely in Conningbrook Lakes Country Park. The park includes lakes and ponds, a river, wet woodland and grassland. A circular trail offers another way to explore on foot; in winter, the paths can be wet and muddy. If you are planning a walk then, be prepared for these conditions. In winter, the park is home to migratory birds of open wetlands and other wetland birds. Water activities are organised through specialist clubs and associations.

The Great Stour runs along the edge of Victoria Park. Its river corridor is designated as a Local Nature Reserve and forms part of the Ashford Green Corridor. A seasonal wetland was created in Victoria Park in 2023, providing a habitat for frogs, newts, toads and aquatic insects. The park also has a paved pump track for BMX riders, skaters and other users of small wheeled vehicles.

The Ashford Green Corridor runs through the centre of Ashford, from the M20 to the ford in South Ashford. The Great Stour's floodplain runs through the urban area; most of it is designated as a Local Nature Reserve and provides habitats for water voles, kingfishers and bats. Ashford also has miles of traffic-free walking and cycling routes, as well as bicycle parking. Nearby, the Willesborough Dykes footpath and cycleway connects Park Farm with Ashford Designer Outlet. These different routes and landscapes give you concrete options for dividing your time in Ashford between walks, wildlife watching and other activities.

Discover more destinations: Aldington, Boughton Monchelsea, Womenswold, West Kingsdown, Tunbridge Wells, Marden, Wye, Barham.

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