Please note this post may contain days out that have been previously gifted
Sevenoaks and the surrounding area has a lot to offer over the Easter Holidays
Please remember that some places will require you to book ahead so check individual websites, I’ve included clickable links where possible.
To keep up to date why not join my Facebook Group Incidentally Sevenoaks. You can share your own events in there too!
Riverhill Himalayan Gardens
Found on the way to Hildenborough / A21 Riverhill Himalayan Gardens is a real gem. We love it so much that we are getting married there this year!
Each season has something to offer and Spring is no exception.
For the Easter holidays from 4th to 13th April there will be fabric bunny making, I’ve seen pictures and they are super cute!
Then from 16th to 21st April they will be having their annual Riverhill Hilamayan Garden Bunny Hunt, find the bunnies dotted around the garden and claim your sweet treat from the ticket office.
Price: Free (included with your gardens ticket)
Check their website for information: www.riverhillgardens.co.uk
Riverhill Himalayan Gardens
Chiddingstone Castle, Hill Hoath Road, Edenbridge has an Eater Trail and Amazing Animal Encounters – including SEN sesssions
Saturday 5th April to Monday 21 April
Easter trail through the Castle & Collections
Throughout the Easter holidays come and explore the collections and follow our family friendly Easter trail. The trail takes you down to the Egyptian grass maze, the “Fields of Eternity” and then into the castle to hunt the eggs. It runs throughout the Easter Holidays during opening hours, Wednesday to Sunday 11am-5pm. April is a beautiful time of year to visit as the pathway to the lake is bordered with Japanese cherry blossoms and the lawns are full of daffodils. The Easter trail is included with your admission – with our new pay for a day, return free for a year ticket!
Come along and meet a variety of animals at Chiddingstone Castle this Easter! Maria from Amazing Animal Encounters provides an incredible, uplifting, educational and personal experience. You’ll learn lots and come away appreciating the natural world even more.
Wednesday 9th April & Wednesday 16th April
Amazing Animal Encounters!
Typical animals for this kind of encounter, might include Easter themed miniature sheep, rabbits, chickens and maybe the odd giant tortoise, guinea pigs, bearded dragon, tarantula, stick insects, hissing cockroaches, African pygmy hedgehog.
The animals in attendance will be dependent on health and welfare checks performed on the day, and the weather conditions/temperatures. Whilst baby animals can come along during the Spring period, Amazing Animal Encounters can bring them where appropriate but they never breed animals in order to supply them for encounters and unweaned animals and their mothers cannot be transported under the Animal Welfare Act
Tickets and more information here
The Mount Vineyard in Shoreham, Nr Sevenoaks is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt
The Easter Bunny will be bouncing back to The Mount Vineyard this April as our trail returns to the estate! Enjoy exploring the grounds whilst solving the clues to win a tasty treat on completion. The trail is completely free.
The trail is open 10am – 5pm. The restaurant opens at 12pm.
Wednesday 9th – Monday 21st April (closed Monday 14th & Tuesday 15th April).
Collect your activity sheet from our Ten Acres shop. All participating children will receive an edible prize on completion of the trail.
The TN Card Bunny Trail
Hop Hop Hooray, the TN bunnies are coming to Sevenoaks this Easter!
A fun, free trail for children of all ages that supports the independents which make our town so special.
From Saturday 1st April until Saturday 15th April, look out for our bunnies in shop windows and visit our participating businesses to pick up your free bunny trail sheet (or download a copy here). Visit 15 independents on the trail to ask them fun questions about their businesses to earn your Love Sevenoaks sticker and certificate!
If you colour in your trail sheet too you’ll have a chance of winning a Jellycat bunny, an Easter Egg and a fun local day out.
For full details check out The TN Card website
Hawk Walk & Flying Experience at Willows Bird of Prey, Knockholt, Sevenoaks with Buyagift
Based at Coolings Lifestyle, Main Road, Knockholt where you can also enjoy the nature trail and a nice cuppa at the cafe!
Nature fans and bird enthusiasts will love getting up close and personal with a fearsome hawk, and you’ll get to learn all about handling these magnificent birds. Located in the beautiful Kent countryside, the 6-acre nature trail will be the stunning backdrop for your ‘hawk walk’, as the bird of prey you take out follows through the trees behind you. Then you’ll have chance to watch the bird land on your own gloved hand as you offer it a morsel of food. An amazing experience! Perhaps the falconry skills you pick up will inspire you to take up this regal sport, or maybe you’ll just leave happy to have experienced the unique bond between man and hawk!
The Animal Encounter is currently on offer for £49.99 with Buyagift.co.uk
Hever Castle, Edenbridge, Nr Sevenoaks Easter Trail
This Easter and throughout the school holidays, enjoy some Easter family fun at Hever Castle. Hever Castle offers a basketful of egg-citing family activities to make unforgettable springtime memories. From mischievous rabbits in beautiful gardens to thrilling playgrounds and mazes, there’s something for everyone.
Help head gardener Mr Miller track down some cheeky rabbits who’ve caused chaos in the Castle gardens digging up vegetable patches, knocking over pots and stealing seeds from his prize-winning carrots. These playful troublemakers have now set up a tea party and it is your challenge to find where the rabbits have caused havoc! Armed with a trail map, explore the gardens to solve the puzzle and claim your chocolate reward.
There’s a variety of Easter-themed craft activities for children to enjoy from making your own origami fortune teller to planting cress to take home and grow. Themed face painting is available for on select dates during the Easter holidays.
Hever has loads to offer at the best of times so you can easily spend a whole day exploring!
For more information and to book tickets for Hever Castle click here
Spa Valley Railway, Tunbridge Wells, Groombridge & Eridge
We adore Spa Valley Railway, we’ve been on several occasions over the years and it is a gorgeous family day out. As well as being able to hop on and off throughout the day they also do specials like fish and chip dining and cream teas!
Easter at the at the Spa Valley Railway in Tunbridge Wells
Visit the Spa Valley Steam Railway in the April school holidays and relive history when you travel behind some magnificent steam locomotives between Tunbridge Wells West and Eridge stations including the popular Caledonian Railway No. 828 and Bulleid Pacific 34053 ‘303 Squadron’.
Families can also enjoy performances of a new Easter event ‘Egbert Holmes Easter Event’ with three performances each day on trains departing Tunbridge Wells West between 18 and 21 April 2025.
Families with tickets for the Egburt Holmes Easter Egg Hunt can enjoy a fun time with the great egg detective, as he tries to crack the case of the Easter Bunnies missing eggs!
The performances are presented by Radtastic Entertainment and begin at Tunbridge Wells West station when everyone is introduced to the great egg detective and his sidekick before travelling to Eridge station. The heroes will be handing out activity packs to children while on the train and on arrival at Eridge, everybody can look for the missing eggs on the platform! On the return trip sweet treats will be given out to children. The experience is approx 1 hour and 30 minutes and tickets will also allow passengers to travel up and down the line as many times as they like on the day of their event. Shows will start at 9:45, 12:15 and 15:10 and trains will depart 15 minutes after each show.
To guarantee tickets for special events please book in advance on the website where you can also see the train timetable and details of all the railway’s events visit www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk
Tickets for standard train travel can usually be purchased on the day of travel from Tunbridge Wells West, Groombridge or Eridge stations but purchasing tickets online is the easiest and quickest option.
Adult – £16,
Senior (60+) – £15
Child (2-15yrs) – £9
Family (2 Adults + 2 Children) – £41
Snacks, drinks and ice cream can be purchased from the kiosks at Groombridge station and Eridge. There is also a drinks machine offering hot drinks including coffee and hot chocolate in the shop at Tunbridge Wells West.
Don’t forget you can hop off at any of the stations with all day ticket to enjoy walks, a visit to one of the nearby pubs or a visit to the play park in the village of Groombridge.
Ugly – Spa Valley Railway
National Trust Easter adventures in and around Sevenoaks
Get ready to spring into action; it’s time for an Easter adventure at National Trust places in
and around Kent. Roll-up for Edwardian circus-inspired games at Emmetts Garden, chase
the chooks at Ightham MoteWith Easter trails also available at Scotney Castle and Knole plus a whole host of family-friendly activities visitors are bound to find something to tickle their fancy and their tastebuds this Easter.
Packed with outdoor activities, games, and crafts, every family Easter trail is different,
inspired by nature, beauty, and history. Each one comes with a pair of bunny ears, a map to
find ten activity stations, and an activity card to take home.
Every Easter adventure ends with a chocolate egg or a vegan ‘Free-From’* chocolate egg, made here in the UK using Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa. *Suitable for people with milk, egg, gluten, peanut, and tree nut allergies.National Trust Easter egg trails cost £3.50 per child, plus normal National Trust
admission/free entry for National Trust members and under 5’s.Ightham Mote, Sevenoaks
29 March to 21 April, 10am to 5pm – Easter Adventures – Chase the chooks around the
gorgeous spring gardens at Ightham Mote and complete ten fun activities and challenges to
win a chocolate egg.10 th April – Welly Peg Craft – Join our volunteer team to turn simple wooden pegs into cute
chickens and sheep, perfect for keeping wellies together after splashing in muddy puddles.
£2 per person. Plus, enjoy family walks, trails, a natural play area, and acres of nature. Practice your
balancing skills, create mud pies, or make sweet music. Come rain or shine, just let your
imaginations run wild.Scotney Castle, Tunbridge Wells
29 March to 21 April, 10am to 5pm – Easter Adventures – Visit Scotney Castle, put on
your bunny ears, complete the challenges, and hop along the buggy-friendly Easter trail as
little legs eggsplore a fun-filled day for the whole family. Plus, the gorgeous gardens include lots of buggy-friendly trails and heaps of family-friendly activities. Visit the Badger and Pepper play area complete with a mud kitchen, ball run, playhouse, toddler swing, and natural drum kit. For older children, find the Wilderness Camp in Colliers Wood, the perfect place to get back to nature, make dens, and play amongst the trees.Chartwell, Westerham, Nr Sevenoaks
5 to 21 April, 10am to 4pm – Easter Adventures – Learn about the fascinating world of
honeybees and discover how honey is made as you buzz along our Easter trail before
collecting your sweet treat.
3 March to 25 April – Highlight Tours – Enjoy a guided Leadership and Legacy highlights
tour around the house. Running Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) our knowledgeable volunteer guides will talk through the life and legacy of Winston Churchill’s family home. Pre-booking required. £7.50 per person. Plus, you’ll find plenty to keep the whole family entertained. Scale the two-storey tree house in the woodland. Play on the swings and seesaws in The Old Quarry or plot an adventure in the Canadian camp. Join us during school holidays for family trails, fun activities and lots to explore.Emmetts Garden, Sevenoaks
5 April to 21 April, 10am to 4pm Easter Adventures – Roll up, roll up! This Easter, we’re
bringing the magic of an Edwardian circus to Emmetts Garden with our circus-inspired
activities.
8, , 10, 15, 17 April – Punch and Judy on the Meadow – As part of the Easter Circus Fete this
April come along and enjoy performances from one of Britain’s most famous puppets on the
meadow throughout the day. The shows are free with general admission. Plus, enjoy the ever-changing beauty of the gardens, fresh air, and wide-open views at Emmetts Garden. Explore the Wild play area where kids love scrambling over the climbing frame and play net, walking across the balance beams, and crawling through the tunnels or visit the games shed and have a go at giant Jenga, hula-hoops, quoits, and more.Knole, Sevenoaks
5 April to 21 April, 10am to 5pm – Easter Adventures – Make your way along the trail
and enjoy fun activities for the whole family. Highlights include a Gatehouse Tower maze,
butterfly spotting, tin can alley, and nature’s musical instruments. Pre-booking admission is
essential.16 April – Lord Sackville’s private garden open day – Featuring sprawling lawns, a walled
garden, an untamed wilderness area, and a medieval orchard. Visitors can explore the 26-
acre garden and stunning views of the house on these special event days throughout the
year. Pre-booking recommended. £5 per adult, £2.50 per child, under 5’s free.
Selected Dates – Attic Tours – Hidden above the grandeur of the showrooms lie Knole’s
attics – sometimes inhabited but more often used for storage, these spaces have evolved
over the centuries with each generation. These behind-the-scenes tours will take in the
decorated ceilings, graffiti, witchmarks – also known as ritual protection marks – and artefacts
found in the Retainer’s Gallery, South Barracks, and Upper Kings Room. Pre-booking
required. £7.50 per person. Children welcome at parent’s discretion.
Godstone Farm, Godstone
A bit further out but worth the drive for the animals once travel is allowed. At this time of year you might be lucky and see lambs, chicks and other baby animals. You can read our review from a while ago here
The Great Easter Grotto EscapeSo much fun to be had at Godstone Farm this Easter 2023! Book a time slot to visit our Easter Grotto and help us save Easter! Find the Easter Bunny and collect a treat along the way. If you are visiting us for our Easter Grotto Experience, please note the time slot selected is for your experience. You can visit the farm anytime from 9.30am on the day of your visit, but we ask you to arrive at the Easter Grotto entrance 5 minutes before your time slot. Entry to the farm is included with your ticket.
You can pre book tickets here
When: 1st to 16th April
Price: From £13.25 – includes farm entry as well as grotto
Godstone Farm, Surrey
Sevenoaks Playgrounds
For a quick and free way to let off some steam there are plenty of free playgrounds in Sevenoaks, including 2 in Pontoise Close. There is also Greatness, the Environmental Park behind the leisure centre, Otford, Hollybush and a little one on the Vine next to the lovely cafe.
For a free wander there is always Bradbourne Lakes, opposite the Wildlife Reserve on Bradbourne Vale Road. Take some porridge to feed the ducks – there might be some ducklings too
The playground at Buckhurst – behind the leisure centre
If you have any events that you would like me to add to this or include in future round ups please email me erica@theincidentalparent.com
Loads of fantastic things to do!
Thank you!