This guide covers Tonbridge in order of how much of the day each visit takes: a castle in the town centre, a riverside park nearby, a country park west of the town, a long-distance footpath that starts nearby and an indoor climbing centre. The cards below link to each place’s InKent page, and the guide says where a price or time is the operator’s own.
Tonbridge Castle
Tonbridge Castle is on Castle Street. It is a Norman motte-and-bailey site with a 13th century gatehouse, an audio tour, a gift shop and a bailey lawn where picnics are possible. The castle’s own site lists opening Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 4.30pm, and weekends and bank holidays 10am to 4pm, with last entry an hour before closing. Prices listed from April 2026 are adult £10.90, senior (67+) or child (5 to 15) £7.80 and family (2 adults and 2 children over 5) £33.30, with under-5s free. Carers accompanying visitors with additional needs go free, and the audio tour is free.
The council lists an accessible entrance for wheelchair users and disabled parking in the pay and display car park close to the castle grounds. Kent Attractions says disabled access is limited to the ground floor, that the tour involves climbing many steep steps and that the castle is dark in places.
Racecourse Sportsground
The Racecourse Sportsground is a 69-acre council-run open space between two branches of the River Medway in central Tonbridge. The council lists a large play area, skate park, outdoor gym, ball court, bowling green, tennis courts and a seasonal miniature railway, plus a kiosk for drinks and snacks and mini golf and tennis equipment hire in summer. The seasonal items may not be running in winter. It is open every day of the year and no entry charge is listed. The council says there is no direct access by car, and the nearby town centre car parks are pay and display. It lists wheelchair-accessible pathways and accessible toilets near the main entrance and at the Bowls Club and Sports Pavilion.
Haysden Country Park
Haysden Country Park is on Lower Haysden Lane, west of Tonbridge, and is a council-run country park and local nature reserve. It has two lakes, paths beside the River Medway, a play area with sculptures and totem posts, and a cafe. The council lists it as open every day of the year from 7.30am, with a winter closing time of 4.30pm from 26 October to 7 February, and closing times vary through the year. Parking is pay and display, with a two-metre height barrier at the main car park. No entry charge is listed. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, and fishing is by day ticket from the bailiff at Barden Lake.
Compacted-surface paths run around Barden Lake, and a shorter walk leads from the car park past the Stone Lock. There is a disabled toilet near the main car park, which needs a RADAR key, and Blue Badge lakeside parking, also with a RADAR key. The play area has limited access for wheelchair users.
Medway Valley Walk
The Medway Valley Walk is a waymarked long-distance footpath that follows the River Medway to Rochester. The Kent Ramblers route page gives the length as 28.5 miles, and other sources give figures from about 28 to 30 miles. It starts at Tonbridge, near the castle, and can be walked in short sections from the towns and villages along the way. It is a public footpath, open all year, with no charge listed. No access statement is published for it, so check the surface of any section you plan to use.
Clip ‘n Climb
Clip ‘n Climb Tonbridge is an indoor climbing centre at Unit 4, TON Business Park, 2-8 Morley Road. It has individual and multi-climber wall challenges, a cafe and three party rooms. The minimum age is 4, and the vertical drop slide and Stairway to Heaven need a minimum height of 1.2m. The operator lists a standard session at £19.00 per person, made up of a 30-minute briefing and 60 minutes of climbing. The centre lists term-time opening of Wednesday to Friday 2pm to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 7pm and Sunday 9am to 6.30pm, closed Monday and Tuesday, and 9am to 5pm daily in school and bank holidays. Book online and check with the centre before you go.
Choosing between them
- Indoors: parts of Tonbridge Castle, and Clip ‘n Climb.
- Outdoors, no entry charge listed: the Racecourse Sportsground, Haysden Country Park and the Medway Valley Walk.
- Ticket or booking needed: Tonbridge Castle and Clip ‘n Climb.
- Winter visits: Haysden closes at 4.30pm until 7 February, and the sportsground’s miniature railway is seasonal.
Getting there
The Racecourse Sportsground has no direct car access, so use the town centre car parks, which the council lists as pay and display; the council also lists a pay and display car park close to the castle grounds. Haysden has its own pay and display car park. Use the train operator’s journey planner for services to Tonbridge.
Frequently asked questions
Is Tonbridge Castle open every day?
Its site lists it as open daily, with shorter hours on Friday and at weekends. Check before you go.
Can young children climb at Clip ‘n Climb?
The minimum age is 4, and two of the challenges need a minimum height of 1.2m.
Where does the Medway Valley Walk start?
At Tonbridge, near the castle. The Kent Ramblers route page describes the walk as running between Tonbridge and Rochester.
Are dogs allowed at Haysden Country Park?
The council lists well-behaved dogs as welcome.