Shingle Beach. Free parking along the front and side roads but this was very busy when we went down was lucky to get a spot or you could have a bit of a walk, not bad but if like me you have all the beach gear for the kids could be an issue. Toilets are at one end, not the cleanest. We were at the lazy shack end and was able to get some chips later on. Good beach if you want to just sit and read a book. Not the best for the kids I would say.

Hythe, located on the Kent coast, is a charming seaside town that offers a delightful mix of traditional English charm and beautiful coastal scenery. One of the highlights of the town is its picturesque beach, which provides a peaceful retreat for visitors. The pebbled shoreline stretches along the seafront, offering stunning views of the English Channel, and it's perfect for a relaxing walk or a quiet afternoon by the water. The beach is clean, uncrowded, and ideal for anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of busier seaside towns. The town also boasts a wide selection of places to eat, catering to a variety of tastes. Whether you’re in the mood for traditional British fare, fresh seafood, or something a bit more contemporary, Hythe has plenty of options. Local pubs and cafes offer cozy, welcoming atmospheres, while the restaurants along the seafront provide the perfect backdrop for a meal with a view. There’s something for everyone, from casual bites to more refined dining experiences. Hythe’s high street is another feature that gives the town its traditional feel. The street is lined with a variety of independent shops, boutiques, and local businesses, making it a great place for a leisurely stroll. You’ll find everything from artisan gifts and homeware to clothing and fresh produce. However, it is worth noting that there are perhaps too many charity shops along the high street. While these stores can be great for a bargain hunt, they do tend to dominate the shopping scene, which some visitors might find a bit repetitive. One of the most convenient aspects of Hythe is its parking situation. There’s plenty of easy street parking available along the seafront, and the best part is that it’s free, which is a rare find in many coastal towns. This makes it easy to access the beach and town centre without the hassle of finding paid parking or walking long distances. Overall, Hythe is a delightful coastal town with plenty to offer visitors. Its beautiful beach, variety of eateries, and traditional high street make it a pleasant place to spend the day. While the abundance of charity shops may not appeal to everyone, the town’s relaxed atmosphere, scenic views, and easy parking make it a lovely destination for a day trip or longer stay.

Nice beach. Pebbles. Couple of cafes/restaurant. Shops are all in town. Well kept beach

It's a shingle beach! At low tide, lovely small lagoon paddling for children inshore of rocky reef. Pity nearby Sandgate Hotel can't find its identity - fancy not serving drinks etc in the daytime! Never mind, Sandgate itself has lots of enticing cafes instead.

A lovely pebble beach. It was very quiet when we went and my children enjoyed finding stones and splashing in the water. There was a cafe at the end of the beach which had food, drink and nice clean toilets. If you are lucky you will get to see one of the fishing boats go out to sea.

Outdoor gents and ladies toilets were open and reasonable, shingle working beach with good fish and chip shop at one end and a couple of pubs and cafes dotted down the front. Parking free and unrestricted on the front with access over the sea defences to the waterfront

Such a wonderful place, lovely walks, interesting military history and the high street is old school and has some lovely places to eat and drink. Definitely recommend a visit here. If you can rent a place on the seafront like we did, that would be the icing on the cake!! Waking up to the superb Sea views is enough to start your day in a fantastic way!!!!

Really interesting to see that many skulls and bones at one place. The church also worth a visit, looks nice inside. There is a parking place next to the church. Check the opening times on their website, done by volunteers.

One of the very few ossuary in the uk and definitely the main one of those. A really friendly elderly man greeted us and gave us a phenomenal history of the place, for only £1! The place is well maintained with lots of bones and the church its attached to is very interesting as well. Really worth your time to come and visit and the town nearby is worth a little wonder.

The largest and best preserved collection of ancient human skulls and bones in Britain! The 2000 skulls of St Leonard's Bonehouse are from citizens of Hythe who were buried in the churchyard and then dug up in the 13th Century when the church was extended over their graves. Very informative guide who will answer any of your questions. The crypt is located on the steep hill, but it will be worth visiting. The crypt is currently closed and will reopen again to visitors next Easter.

What a fascinating collection, we got a little tour and very much enjoyed looking at the bones. Amazing… and pretty weird. The church is really impressive too, massive organ…

Incredibly interesting place, unfortunately didn't get the man's name in the ossuary but he was amazing. Very knowledgeable and engaging. Highly recommend a visit here!

A fantastic place to visit, an oddity to be sure, but fantastic, not expensive at all and I urge you to donate to the church fund to keep it open for generations to come. Don't forget to visit the church above. Limited disabled parking,

A fantastic and fascinating experience, I would definitely recommend.

Brockhill country park is near to Hythe in Kent It has a lake,wooded areas and open grassland and also the Brockhill stream. There are three marked paths, the blue route is 1.1 km and mainly goes around the area of the lake. The other two walks are around 2.5 km. There is a pay and display car park,a cafe is close to this area as well as toilets including one with disabled facilities. There are also picnic tables nearby. The park also has a kids play area. Dogs are allowed and can come off their leads in most areas. It's quite peaceful with the sounds of nature in the air, it's easy to spend a couple of hours exploring the area,longer if you take a picnic.

Brilliant place! great for a little wander around the lake and play in the park. The stream is great fun to jump over and although lots of the steep banks are now fenced off, there is still one that provides a climbing challenge for older children. There are things to look at/read dotted around and if you take paper and a crayons you can do rubbings in various places. The gardens are very well kept and there wasn't any rubbish. The parking is expensive but it's understandable for the upkeep of the park. the loos are free and the cafe is very reasonably priced...I can't remember the last time we had a cornetto type ice cream for £1 each! The free biscuit when you say the word written on the board is a lovely touch!

What a stunning place for a walk . Never knew it was there in all the times I have near Hythe. Two routes to walk and the red one takes you into a lovely valley. Very good cafe and clean toilets. £3.50 at weekends for all day parking.

Lovely park with an excellent cafe - by an ISKCON devotee. Well laid out trails - easy, moderate and tough. Restrooms and facilities available.

Bit expensive if youre just using it to run your dogs as its about a 30min lap. It benefits from a stream thats accessible in the large fields after the sheep enclosure. Parking is £3.60 on a sunday for all day. Theres no hourly rate so it you use it for an hour or 9-7 you'll pay the same which isnt good for quick visits. I came here before jumping on the leshuttle so the dogs they sorted. Good news there's toilets available. A cafe was there but closed 5pm on a sunday. Id avoid the car park and enter from the estate which I found blonde doing a lap of the park. Entrance here is ///paving.jiggle.flagpole (what3words) save yourself some money if youre not a fan of paying an all day fee visiting for an hour.

Lovely walk and great little vegetarian cafe. Really well kept All credit to the Gardeners.

Very nice, well mantained park. Excellent little cafe.

Fascinating church. Beautifully kept. Quite a steep walk to get to including many steps. The church holds a macabre history. The crypt is well worth a visit holding up to 4000 skulls of danish pirates killed in the battle of Hastings in 1066. Known as the church of skulls.

St. Leonard’s Church in Hythe is one of the most welcoming and inviting churches I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Every wedding service I’ve attended here is filled with effort and passion, making each celebration truly special. The warmth of the church community and the beautiful atmosphere create an unforgettable experience. I always look forward to returning for future weddings!

A beautiful church, I would definitely recommend visiting the the crypt.

Such an amazing holy place! The church overlooks beautiful town of Hythe and the sea. It is dedicated to St. Leonard, the patron Saint of Prisoners. It was originally built around 1090 and boasts many Norman features, as well as the largest and best-preserved collection of ancient human skulls and bones in Britain. The last ones located in the crypt. Crypt open hours are: Tuesday to Saturday between 11:00 to 4:00 pm ( with lunch break between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm . Sundays open hours between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. The church open hours are: From Monday to Friday: between 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. On Saturday: from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. On Sunday : from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm. Definitely recommend it!

Smaller than expected, with an eerie atmosphere. Worth a visit if you’re into medieval history.

I didn’t catch the persons name on the door but he was wonderful and incredibly knowledgeable, it was a joy to have him explain the ossuary to us. There are bones and history a plenty and when you’re done you can have a little wonder of the cemetery and pop into the church. Really worth the trip, especially as it’s one of only two in the uk. Thanks

Beautiful Ancient Church. Attended Sunday Service. Enjoyed very much. We being Hindus Attend Temples & Prctice & live in Hinduism. God is one but lots of different names. Message is the same for all the Religions of the world. All my family have visited this and sat few minutes in Silence inside. We feel the Spirituality & recharged our Body , Mind & Soul. We recommend for those who vist Hythe to go up the beautiful Scenic Steps & Admire & feel the beauty of this Ancient Parish Church. Every Sunday Service at 9 am till 10.30. Wonderful experience. Well maintained. Everyone welcoimg all. Best wishes from Jay, Chetan & Family.

A great walk with or without a dog. Just check it is 'red flag free' before you arrive.

A new development right next to the beach at Hythe down by the firing range. Loss of high quality apartments with parking, some of which are rented out as holiday lets in the Summer

We rented a apartment for a holiday, so it was nice. Sea view from the top bedroom. May come back some time.

It’s a lovely part of Hythe beach that also has a fishmonger on sight . And a cafe that does hot drinks and some decent snacks

Swim, eat, drink, fish and chill it has it all

Nice place, great hosts

It

Beautiful! Meandering paths with a large collection of azaleas and rhododendrons (planted in 1820) and even a couple of redwoods. It's a lovely way to spend a few hours and the visit can be topped off with a cuppa and cake from the little café. Uneven paths. £7.50pp children free.

Beautiful gardens and cute cafe. Entry price is £7.50, they prefer cash for entry and card at the cafe.

Absolutely divine! Well worth the entrance fee. Embarrassing that anyone moans when you can't even buy a pack of cigs for that sum. :-( Stunning gardens, lovely cakes and drinks and absolutely staff. Will be back! Good parking too.

Open weekends in May. Beware hefty entrance fee! A nostalgic sense of bygone family lives lingers across this rambling estate. Winding paths wend through a valley of exuberant rhododendrons, small streams, gunnera, Japanese knotweed. It's a relief to emerge onto a lawn with chairs, tables and a quaint, welcome tea hut. The 'garden' represents valiant attempts to tame this frankly neglected wilderness - American only in name. Previous clergy have cherished this place. It's sad to see it so under-gardenered.

Lovely wild garden perfect for an afternoon walk and a slice of cake after.

So glad that the owner decided to reply to a review from 10 months ago. I was about to myself but the owner did it so much better. The reviewer may not be a fan of the news but there is an international economic crisis caused by wars, global warming, scarcity etc. Costs and prices have everywhere gone up. A very few years ago the owners used to charge £3 entry to the garden. I was one of, doubtless, several people who told them this was ridiculously cheap. The reviewer, who seems to frequent cafes rather than gardens, should check other garden prices. Several private gardens in the NHS now charge £8. The writer would clearly have preferred the Folkestone Leas in the 50s with manicured grass and tulips and lobelia in regimented rows. A huge amount of work goes into maintaining the garden in the style presumably imagined by it's creators. They, like other plant hunters of the time, were trying to reproduce, in non mountainous Kent, the landscapes of the Himalayas and China where the plants originated. On a practical note and to comply with Google's request. They are happy to accept cards and cash. The "tea hut" is a small venerable pavilion common in many large houses of the time for those playing either croquet or tennis on the adjacent lawn. I would challenge you to find cheaper or friendlier tea coffee or cake in such idyllic surroundings. Yes, there are excellent rest rooms in another garden building. Very clean with hot water and lovely soap. For those who find the hill a challenge there is an easier side entrance from the car park. The garden offers season tickets, a bargain at £15.

This place is a hidden gem! In May my children and I come most weekends to spend time in the "Magical Forest" as they call it. The rhododendrons, azaleas, wisteria, together with the smell of damp earth and wild garlic all add to an amazing experience of walking down winding paths and hand etched steps, allowing to experience this deliberately "unkept" gardens from all the angles. The variety of plants is astounding too. It is impossible to feel unhappy while you're there. And the cakes served with a fresh brew of tea are just the cherry on top.

Did a wild camp here last night. The area is very overgrown with nettles so can see it very well as it is currently. Hard to get to from the way we approached as had to scale down a very steep and wet bank. There is also an old bunker next to it. The area around it is very good for walks and scenery.

Due to thick vegetation, going is quite difficult, especially in the summer. But once you are at the top, the view is beautiful. Walk from south towards the hill. If you approach from the uphill direction towards the downhill, there's no way to gain access.

The Roughs surrounding the sound mirror offer breathtaking vistas, with rugged terrain stretching as far as the eye can see. From the windswept cliffs to the rolling hills, the landscape is a tapestry of natural beauty. Whether you're admiring the majesty of the sea crashing against the shore or marveling at the vastness of the sky, the Roughs never fail to captivate with their spectacular views.

The Hythe Sound Mirror is a historical landmark, which is located in an area known as The Roughs. It is an example of unique warning systems that was built between about 1916 and the 1930s and was intended to provide early warning of incoming enemy aircraft in World War II. It is fenced off but you can still get close to it. Although, be prepared to face you walk in very overgrown area with nettles and thistles. The Sound Mirror is a little bit remote to find and lacks sign posting. We followed satnav indications and approached it from a field at the top of the cliffs. Needless to say, we needed to walk through the farm field , but we got there at the end! :) Awesome views of Hythe and the coast from there, so we didn't regret it at the end.

The walk from the cycle path alongside the canal was over the fence and a short walk up, however the further you walk the more overgrown it was with nettles and thistles. But in saying that you get a great view I haven't seen before of Hythe across the shooting range and further. But be warned, I couldn't even make it all the way to the sound mirror and it's fensed off anyway but even half way up that hill had great views

Needs a better access but very nice to see it still there. Beautiful views and interesting to go to the fallen over one just east of it.

Bit if a hike to get there from the canal side but interesting Disappointed that the smaller example by the canal bridge didn’t seem to work but another walker says it never has !!🤣