I bought the Ordnance Survey Map App which lets me view the footpaths, cycle routes and horse tracks which surround Ashford and beyond. It means I can always find a great route to walk with my husband Ben, and our dog Jura, before we tuck in to a Sunday roast!
I also enjoy netball and joined the Flame Throwers team soon after moving to Ashford. We’re part of the local netball league which runs most nights of the week. If you have creaky knees or don’t like running, there’s also a walking netball league called the Ashford Ramblers.
Other local sports clubs include a football club, a hockey club and a rugby club, all located near Orchard Farm in Kennington and, to the south of Ashford, in Kingsnorth, a cricket club!
Alternatively, if you fancy being the next Roger Federer or Serena Williams, you can book free tennis courts at Spearpoint Recreation Ground also in Kennington.
The Elwick Club is a private members club in the centre of Ashford which has a squash court or, for the less energetic, a snooker room, inside their members area. They also have a subsidised bar and snack menu which sounds like a perfect hangout if you ask me!
Every week my husband and I take our dog, Jura, to a local dog agility class near Biddenden. Throughout the summer, the agility set is outside in a paddock and in the winter it’s run in a refurbished horse-riding arena. The dogs (and owners) are all different sizes - from a toy poodle to a large labrador! It’s always great fun and it keeps us all very fit. Rita who runs the classes doesn’t have a website or social media - she gets all her clients through personal recommendations. Get in touch if you’re interested in joining!
Another animal-themed activity which is popular in and around Ashford is horse riding. There are quite a few places that offer lessons including The 4 Gaits Riding School in Bilsington, south of Ashford and Blue Barn Equestrian Centre at Great Chart.
Although we haven’t been recently, Ben and I got into wild swimming over the Covid lockdowns. From Ashford, it’s a twenty-minute drive to Hythe where you can park just on the other side of the sea wall, with free parking in the winter. If swimming in a heated pool indoors is preferable, Ashford has a few pools including those located at the Stour Centre, Ashford International Hotel, Bannatyne Ashford and Eastwell Manor. There’s also a swimming pool in Faversham that offers an indoor pool for all ages, seven days a week, and adults only sunset and Sunday swim sessions in an outdoor pool.
Other watersports in Ashford include the sailing club at Conningbrook Lakes and The Pirates Canoe Club has a Wednesday pool session in Ashford Prep’s Great Chart swimming pool. They boast 150 members.
Close by, Hythe has a sailing club that offers sailing, windsurfing, paddle boarding and windsurfing and offers yoga and pilates sessions in their club house too.
I recently found out that there’s a Parkrun in Victoria Park every Saturday morning. It’s a 5 km run which anyone can join in. I ran it a few times in Richmond Park, London, when I lived near there. If you take it more seriously than me, you can create your own member code which is scanned when you cross the finish line. It allows you to keep a log of your run times so you can try to beat your personal best! I believe there’s a coffee meet-up post-run in the Picture House Cinema in Elwick Place if you also enjoy the social aspect of being active.
If running is your way to improve your mental health as well as your fitness, you may want to check out Ashford Striders which looks like a fabulous running organisation and if you have a dog - there’s the local Canicross Club where you run around the countryside with your dog attached to a harness which is strapped to your body!
If you’re looking for more indoor activities, there are adult dance lessons available with Dance Visions, held in their studios in the Henwood Estate. They host salsa, ballet, contemporary jazz dance and many more styles of dance, specifically for adults. I’m definitely tempted to try one of them as the reviews look fantastic! I’ve also seen videos of the Bounce sessions which are held in Singleton Village Hall. Essentially, you dance along to current pop music but on a mini-trampoline which improves fitness, strength and balance.
Next to The Stour Centre and Civic Park, there’s a well-used skate park which is run by Sk8side Youth Centre. They’re also involved with the new developments in Victoria Park which will see a new pump track being built - perfect for practising bike tricks
Further afield, Folkestone51 has recently opened. It’s a four floor mecca for wall climbers, skaters and boxers. They’ve started doing women-only and LBTQ+ nights where you can boulder, climb and skate with like-minded people. It’s never too late to start up a new hobby, and bouldering does wonders for upper and lower body strength.
We’re very lucky to have such a breadth of choice around Ashford to keep fit. Writing this blog has certainly made me want to try out a few more activities!
Hannah
We're pleased to share this blog by Hannah, the daughter-in-law of Adam Roake and Catriona Campbell, partners in Orchard Farm.
