Hythe (Kent)

A 600-acre estate owned by the Aspinall Foundation, a conservation charity. The park is half zoo, to be explored on foot, and half guided safari visit by 4x4. The collection covers a wide range of large mammals including African painted dogs, Andean spectacled bears, Barbary lions, cheetahs, eastern black rhinoceros, European grey wolves, Rothschild's giraffes, Siberian tigers, western lowland gorillas, and wildebeest. Several restaurants and numerous pricey on-site accommodation options, including an historic country house hotel, glamping in the woods, and boutique lodges which are literally glass-to-glass with the enclosures of some of the park's most charismatic animals.

54 acres of oak, sycamore and walnut woodland, plus meadows and chalk downland, through the middle of which a picturesque stream flows to a small lake. Two marked trails and a number of unmarked paths allow you to explore, take in the sea views and possibly do some geocaching. The decent kiddies' playground, picnic area and popular vegetarian café complete the visit.

This 15-inch (ultra-narrow-gauge) steam railway wends its way for 13 3⁄4 miles (22.1 km) along the coast past Romney Marsh's grazing sheep and Napoleonic defences to Dungeness, a shingly headland unlike any other British landscape; the full journey takes 1 hr 5 min one way. The train calls at five intermediate stations, all of which offer a different village, beach, or area of countryside to explore on foot or by bike.

28 mile canal dug between 1804 and 1809 as an extra line of defence against invasion from France by Napoleon's Grande Armée. A towpath runs alongside, making it possible to walk, cycle, or row the entire length. Because motorised boat traffic is forbidden, the RMC is favoured by aquatic wildlife such as glow worms, kingfishers, marsh frogs, and water voles. Hythe is near the eastern end of the canal, and the section within the town was converted into ornamental use in the 1860s. This part is especially beautiful, lined with elm, copper beech and weeping willow trees.