Littlebourne

Littlebourne is too small to have hotels of its own, but its location just four miles from Canterbury means a huge range of accommodation is within a very short drive. Canterbury has everything from historic coaching inns in the shadow of the cathedral to modern chain hotels on the ring road, plus a good number of independent guesthouses and boutique stays in converted townhouses. For something quieter, the villages strung along the Little Stour valley, including Wickhambreux and Ickham, have a handful of characterful bed and breakfasts in period cottages, often with gardens running down towards the river.

Because Littlebourne sits between Canterbury and the Kent coast, it also works well as a base for exploring further afield, with Sandwich, Deal and Dover all within half an hour's drive, and the Channel ports not far beyond. Families visiting Howletts Wild Animal Park at nearby Bekesbourne will find plenty of options close by too. Booking ahead is worthwhile in summer and around Canterbury's busiest events, but outside peak season this part of Kent is generally easy to find a room in, whether you want cathedral-city convenience or a quiet countryside retreat by the Little Stour.

Littlebourne itself is small, but it sits within easy reach of some of Kent's best-known sights and quieter countryside walks.

• Canterbury Cathedral — the UNESCO World Heritage cathedral and its historic city centre are around four miles away, an easy drive or cycle ride.
• Littlebourne Barn — a striking 14th-century timber-framed barn on the edge of the village, one of the oldest and largest surviving barns in the county.
• Little Stour Valley walks — footpaths follow the river through Littlebourne, Wickhambreux and Ickham, linking a string of pretty Stour villages.
• Howletts Wild Animal Park — a large wildlife park near Bekesbourne with gorillas, elephants and tigers, a popular family day out just south of the village.
• Kent Downs National Landscape — the chalk downland to the west offers rolling hills, ancient woodland and long-distance trails such as the North Downs Way.
• Wickhambreux and Ickham — neighbouring villages along the Little Stour, both worth a wander for their churches, mills and riverside cottages.

The village pub, a former 16th-century cottage with oak beams and open fires, serves as the local hub for food and a pint. Beyond the village, Canterbury offers a much wider choice of restaurants, cafes and traditional pubs, from riverside spots along the Stour to independent cafes in the historic lanes around the cathedral.

There are no formal campsites within Littlebourne itself, but the wider Stour valley and Kent Downs National Landscape nearby have a growing number of options for campers, from simple farm fields to small glamping sites with bell tents, shepherd's huts or wooden pods. As anywhere in England, wild camping remains illegal without the explicit permission of the landowner, so it is worth booking a proper pitch rather than pitching up on open farmland or downland.

The gently rolling terrain around Littlebourne, following the Little Stour through orchards, hop gardens and arable fields, makes for easy, pleasant walking and cycling between pitches and nearby villages, while the chalk downland further west offers more of a challenge for those wanting proper hill walking as part of a camping trip. Nearby Canterbury adds an easy day-trip option for campers who fancy swapping the tent for cathedral cloisters and city shopping for an afternoon.

Late spring through to early autumn is the best window for camping in this part of Kent, when the orchards are in leaf or fruit and the valley is at its greenest, though the Garden of England's relatively mild, dry climate means shoulder-season trips are often comfortable too. Glamping sites in the area increasingly offer heated pods, wood-burners and proper beds for a more comfortable stay, making a longer season viable for those who prefer not to rough it in a tent. Whichever style of camping you choose, book ahead in peak summer months, as sites near Canterbury tend to fill quickly.