West Malling

West Malling is packed with great places to eat. Whether it’s a cup of coffee and a snack, a cosy pub lunch or fine dining, there’s something for every occasion. A few to try include cafés Bean Rush and Toast, The Hungry Guest, Frank’s restaurant and mussel bar, The Farmhouse and The Swan. The town also has a thriving Farmers’ Market, held on the fourth Sunday of each month.

This historic town has plenty to shout about so the local history society set up a number of blue plaques to bring West Malling’s past into the present. Look out for a plaque outside the kebab shop on the High Street, which commemorates the day in 1967 when The Beatles filmed part of their Magical Mystery Tour film there. Delving further back in time, seek out the plaque in Swan Street commemorating when JMW Turner sketched the cascade at Malling Abbey aged around 15.

With its main entrance across the road from St Leonards Tower, Manor Park is one of our county’s popular country parks. Formerly the grounds of Douces Manor, the 52 acres of parkland include a lake, stream and four fields –Douce’s Meadow, Ice House Field, Abbey Field and Chestnut Paddocks. Ice House Field takes its name from the sunken brick structure which once served as an ice store for the manor house. Green Flag accredited and a Site of Nature Conservation Interest, the park features a great variety of native trees, as well as a thriving lake with swans, coots, moorhens and ducks. There’s a great children’s play area and The Green Café.