Paddington Bear at Betteshanger

Collier’s Gate opens 30 minutes after the main gate and closes 1 hour before the main gate.

Cycle Hire
Our Cycle Hire facility is open every day from 10:00am.
Last hire is at 3:00pm ( for 1 hour ) All bikes must return by 4:00pm

Restaurant
Food and drinks will be available from The Lamp Room Kitchen and Bar. Open 9am – 4:00pm every day.

Closures
From time to time areas of the Park, including our tarmac track or mountain bike trails, may be booked for exclusive use. Please check our track closure page before your visit

We operate a barrier-less admission system which uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology.
There is an admission charge of £3.50 per vehicle.
Charges apply all day, every day. No ticket is required. You can enter Betteshanger on foot or by bicycle for free.
There are no charges to use the cycle tracks, trails or the play area.

Paying your admission fee

Pay Online

You can pay at any time during your visit or online at www.parkwithease.co.uk up to 48 hours after your visit.

Before you leave, enter your full registration number at the pay kiosk and your fee will be shown on the screen. Our machines take cards and coins.
Your admission fee is valid for one visit only. If you leave and enter the Park again within the same day, you are required to pay admission for each visit.
If you’re a Betteshanger Member, you do not need to enter your registration details. You can come and go as you please.

Admission

Charges apply to motorbikes, cars and minibuses (up to 17 seats), all day, every day. Coaches are free. You can enter Betteshanger Park on foot or by bike for free.

Blue Badge holders are exempt from charges but are required to take their badge to a member of staff at Reception in order to have their vehicle registration removed from the ANPR system.

If you use the Park regularly, you’ll find our Annual Membership provides significant savings.

Where payment is not made or membership details have not been submitted 48 hours after your visit, the relevant tariff shall be £50 and shall be due at that point. This is to be paid within 28 days but will be reduced to £25 if paid within 14 days. The car park system is operated on behalf of Betteshanger Park by Park With Ease Limited.

Any profits made from admission/car parking (not including fines) and membership go straight back into looking after Betteshanger. So every time you visit you know you are helping to look after the Park, preserve its heritage and promote a sustainable future.

Free teacher and group leader places
Betteshanger prides itself on providing a safe environment but we ask that children are supervised at all times. Accompanying teachers benefit from complimentary places up to the number of children within the group.

Safety and care
We will ensure your visit is as safe, rewarding and fun as possible. All our activities are risk assessed and relevant forms will be provided in advance of your visit. We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. We ask you to read our Policy and agree to meet the same standards as those expected of our staff.

Our introduction to archery is perfect for beginners or seasoned professionals to test their skills.

Your class will go through the rules of the range and have a full brief on the safety precautions and how the equipment is used to remain safe.

Our coaches will start from the basics of how to hold the bow and what position to stand.  After the basics are covered will have small competitions or games using their newly acquired skills!

This activity is perfect for improving hand eye co-ordination and working as part of a team.

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Who is it suitable for?

Anyone who can ride a bike without assistance, usually 8 years upwards. If you have any specific needs please get in touch and we can do our best to cater a ride for your group.

National Curriculum Key Stages: 1 to 4

What should we wear/bring?

Suitable clothing for the weather, if it’s wet you will get muddy so bring warm clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Also a drink, especially when it is warm.

Activity description:

You will ride the mountain bike trails which takes in twists, turns, lumps ‘n bumps and small hills. Don’t panic if you are new to this
though, our expert coaches will always be assessing the ability of the group and match that to the trails making sure you are always having fun rather than worrying about what lurks around the corner.

Whilst on your rides you will be able to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and the natural flora and fauna at Betteshanger Park.

Thanks to our heritage as a former colliery, Betteshanger is bursting with fossils. Your class will be able to find plenty either lying on top of the spoil heap or by digging down into the spoil.

Using brick hammers to carefully reveal hidden fossils you will learn what types of rocks are in our quarry and what each type of fossil comes from.

All tools and safety equipment are provided. You may even get to keep a souvenir if you are lucky enough to find a fossil!

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Who is it suitable for?

Ideal for teams of 3-5 people aged 8 upwards. It involves GPS reading, communication skills and good for improving directional skills.

National Curriculum Key Stages: 2 upwards

What should we wear/bring?

Clothing suitable for the outdoors, with sturdy boots or shoes. Be prepared to get a bit muddy.

Activity description:

Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a high tech treasure hunt using a handheld GPS receiver to navigate to the ‘cache’ (treasure) locations.
Multiple caches are hidden around Betteshanger Park, for teams to locate and complete the activity sheet along the way. Geocaching combines outdoor play with team building, problem solving and other valuable educational outcomes.

For more information on this worldwide game go to http://www.geocaching.com/

Who will take us?

This activity is instructed by Betteshanger Park activity instructors. They will talk your group through how the activity works, how to operate the GPS and check your results on return to base, there may also be prizes for successful teams.

Who is it suitable for?

All ages and abilities.

National Curriculum Key Stages: 2-4

What should we wear/bring?

Ordinary outdoor clothing or jogging kit with sturdy shoes or trainers. Be prepared to get bit muddy if wet. Bring a pen or pencil to note the control codes and a watch. A compass is also useful.

Activity description:

This is a self-led activity with prior knowledge of orienteering or map reading an advantage.

Orienteering is the adventure sport for all. Participants walk or run around the park finding your route between marker posts (controls) using the special orienteering map. Develop skills of map reading, compass use, observation of the terrain and distance estimation as well as enjoying fitness and fresh air. As a group activity it can be done singly or in pairs (better for beginners) and is normally be done as a “Score” event. Each pair should be issued an orienteering map of the park, compass, pen/pencil and paper and must have a watch or timer.

They should be given a short briefing to introduce the map (where we are now, scale, how to orientate using a compass), how to recognise the control (red and white marker with check number to match the number on the map and two-letter code to prove you have found it) and finally what time they must return (usually after 45 or 60 minutes). The rules are simple; they must use the map to find as many control points as possible (noting the two-letter code.