Ash

Ash is a genuinely small village, so it does not have a hotel of its own, and anyone wanting a formal hotel stay will generally need to look to nearby Sandwich or Canterbury, both a short drive away and well stocked with everything from historic coaching inns to modern chain hotels. What Ash does offer is a scattering of bed and breakfasts, farm stays and self-catering cottages in and around the village, which suit visitors who want a quieter countryside base rather than a town-centre hotel.

Staying in or near Ash makes most sense for travellers who want easy access to Richborough Roman Fort, Sandwich's medieval streets and the beaches of Sandwich Bay, without paying town-centre prices or dealing with summer crowds. The village's position just off the A257 between Canterbury and Sandwich also makes it a convenient, low-traffic stopover for anyone touring this part of the Kent coast by car. Booking ahead is sensible in summer, when accommodation across the wider Sandwich and Canterbury area fills up with visitors drawn to the coast and the region's Roman and medieval heritage.

Ash is small, so most days out mean venturing a short drive into the surrounding villages and coast, but there is enough of interest close by to fill a stay.

• St Nicholas Church — the parish church dates back to around 1190, with a 15th-century tower and spire, an early 13th-century piscina, medieval brasses, and mural monuments to the Septvans family, one of the area's most prominent medieval landowning families.
• Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre — on Ash's eastern boundary, this English Heritage site marks the point where the Romans landed in AD 43. A reconstructed timber gateway, the amphitheatre remains, and a museum of finds make it one of the most significant Roman sites in Britain, and it's only a couple of miles from the village.
• The Chequer Inn — a 14th-century Grade II listed timber-framed pub at the heart of the village, saved and bought by residents through a community share scheme after facing closure; it's as much a village landmark as the church.
• Ash Heritage Centre — a small volunteer-run local history collection at Ash Village Hall, with photographs and records covering the village's older buildings, usually open Saturday mornings.
• Sandwich — one of England's best-preserved medieval towns, with timbered streets, town walls, a Guildhall museum, and Sandwich Bay's dunes and golf links, is a short drive or cycle away.
• Ash Walks — the parish council maintains a set of way-marked circular walks through the surrounding farmland and lanes, taking in the church, outlying hamlets and open countryside.
• Ash Cricket Club and village sports ground — the cricket club and the pavilion and green on Moat Lane are the focal points of village life through the summer, and visitors are generally welcome to watch a match.

The centre of village life is The Chequer Inn, a 14th-century timber-framed pub that residents banded together to buy and reopen as a community-owned pub after it faced closure; it serves real ale alongside a food menu with a Vietnamese influence. The Volunteer Inn is another village pub a short walk away. For a wider choice of cafes, restaurants and traditional Kentish pubs, Sandwich and Canterbury are both within easy reach.

The countryside around Ash is classic east Kent farmland — gently rolling, hedge-lined and largely arable, running down towards the flat, open expanse of Sandwich Bay and the coast. As with the rest of England, wild camping here is not legal without the landowner's permission, so any camping trip needs to be based at a proper campsite, farm pitch or glamping site rather than pitching up in a field or along the coastal paths. The terrain is gentle and easy walking rather than dramatic, which makes it a relaxed spot for families and less experienced campers rather than a wilderness destination.

The best months to camp here run from late spring to early autumn, broadly April through September, when the weather is at its most reliable and the days are long enough to combine a site-based stay with day trips out to Richborough Fort, Sandwich and the beaches at Sandwich Bay and Pegwell Bay. Being this close to the coast, Ash can catch a stiff sea breeze even in summer, so it's worth packing for changeable weather and choosing a pitch with some shelter where possible. Outside these months the ground can turn heavy and wet, and site facilities in the wider area are more limited.

Given how small Ash itself is, most camping and glamping options are found in the surrounding villages and along the coast rather than in the village itself, ranging from simple grass touring pitches to bell tents, pods and static lodges aimed at families exploring this stretch of the Kent coast. Anyone wanting a fully-serviced glamping stay rather than a traditional tent will find more choice by widening the search slightly to Sandwich, Woodnesborough and the coastal villages nearby, while still using Ash and its Roman and medieval history as a base for day trips.