Family Friendly Kent: We visited Mote Park in Maidstone

The summer holidays are looming. And you might already be thinking about how you are going to keep the kids entertained over the six-week school break without the need to take out a second mortgage.

For our latest Family Friendly visit, we found somewhere with loads to do so you can spend all day there and pay just £3 parking.

Mote Park in Maidstone is a Green Flag Award-winning open space covering more than 450 acres. It includes grassland, woodland, rivers and a 30-acre lake, as well as things kids love - a huge playground, skate ramp, miniature railway and plenty of space for them to burn off some energy.

Nestled in the heart of Maidstone, you have to navigate the one-way system to find it but it was clearly signposted.

On arrival there are several large car parks to choose from and we paid using the Ringo app. There is a flat rate of £3 for six hours.

Two of the car parks are right next to the playground so that’s where we headed first. There is a separate play area that was developed with the help of Maidstone Mencap and designed to be wheelchair-friendly with wide ramps to access the equipment.

The main playground is divided into two areas, one for smaller children and one for older ones, with a zip wire running down the side of both.

There was lots to do here - from climbing frames and slides, to trampolines embedded in the ground, a huge rope swing and monkey bars.

The kids loved it and there was plenty for different ages. The only problem was it wasn’t very parent-friendly - they weren’t enough benches but I think that’s usually the norm in children’s play areas. But you could sit on the other side of the fence, where there was a grassy bank and some benches.

After spending ages in the park we headed down to the lake. There’s a few benches here with a lovely view of the water.

We stopped at the duck feed station where you can buy food for £1.50. This was card only and there were no pots to put the food in, so don’t get caught out. Luckily I had been told about it by a friend so we arrived armed with an old tupperware pot. After zapping your card, the food comes down a shoot and you have to catch it.

Millie and Max then spent a happy half-hour feeding the geese and ducks. There were lots of children doing the same so the birds must be very well-fed but still swam over to eat our food -some places you go the birds aren’t interested and you’re left with disappointed children and a bag full of uneaten seeds.

We then set off for a walk around the lake. Millie spotted the miniature railway track, set on higher ground away from the lake and we went to investigate. It was deserted but there was a QR code to scan so I did that and discovered the trains only run on Sundays between 2.30pm and 5pm. I’ve promised Millie we’ll go back. Rides are only 30p.

We walked around the whole lake, stopping along the way to explore and climb trees (the kids, not me). It was quite a way to walk for little legs but the paths were wide and flat so you can take scooters or bikes.

After all that walking, we’d worked up an appetite. There were plenty of places to spread out a picnic blanket in between people kicking a football about or playing games. We had brought a blanket but no picnic so headed to the cafe which is still a relatively new addition to the park. It opened in 2023.

The menu included hot and cold sandwiches, hot meals, sausage rolls and cakes. They did children’s meals for around £6. There are tables inside (where you can even take your dog) and the cafe had a nice atmosphere with floor to ceiling windows and doors open at one end, making it bright and airy. But we got our food to takeaway as we wanted to sit outside in the sunshine.

I did slightly regret not bringing a picnic as I thought the food was a bit expensive. My sandwich was £6 but after being handed my order, I relaised why - it came with a little side salad, crips and coleslaw, similar to what you’d get in a pub, and it was made on nice thick wholemeal bread with a generous filling. There were pre-packed sandwiches if you wanted a cheaper option.

The kids had sausage rolls which cost £2.95. They were what I would call proper sausage rolls with warm, flaky pastry, and they both enjoyed them.

After lunch we made the most of the space - playing football and throwing a frisbee around.

The kids watched the children playing on the skate ramp and wished they had brought their scooters. If they had, we could have spent even longer at the park. You could have easily had them in the car and nipped back to get them after a walk as the parking is close by.

The park has so much space it didn’t feel crowded at all, even on a sunny Saturday. There were large groups of family and friends eating, playing games and even celebrating a birthday with a picnic party.

On our way back to the car, I also spotted an information board about an orienteering trail around the park - something else to try on a future visit. You can find out more here.

If you are happy to spend some money, there is lots more to do - an adventure golf course, tree top rope walk, and climbing wall.

But we were able to spend all day at the park without spending much at all. If we had taken a picnic, all we would have spent was £3 on parking and £1.50 on duck food.

Food and drink: Some might say the cafe prices are a bit expensive but the food was really tasty so I think it was worth it. If you want to save pennies, take a picnic. There are ice-cream vans by the cafe and by the lake. *****

Toilets: There are toilets by cafe. They were clean, so no complaints ***

Parking: Plenty of spaces and although some think parking at public parks should be free, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere that’s free to park nowadays. And £3 for six hours was very reasonable ****

Cost: Apart from the parking - all other costs are optional so it offers great value for money ****

Kids’ verdict: Both kids enjoyed the park and want to go back again. Millie liked feeding the ducks the most and Max said: “The play area was really good and there was lots of room to play football. ****

Location: The main entrance and car park are located off Mote Avenue in Maidstone. Use the postcode ME15 7SU. There are other entrances in Willington Street, Bearsted and School Lane in Shepway.

Where should we head next? Let us know what family days out you think are the best in Kent. Email jhorn@thekmgroup.co.uk