From driving steam trains to climbing trees, Father’s Day is an active affair across the county. Chris Price rounds up the action.

Bodiam Castle

See the birds of prey from the hawking centre and fathers can get the chance to fly a bird themselves. Also head to the Terrace Room for a two-course lunch combined with the falconry experience.

When: Saturday, June 16 to Sunday, June 17 from 11am to 4pm.

Cost: Gift Aid admission £7, children £3.50, families £18.60 plus £2.50 for falconry or combined with lunch £25, children £10.

Address: Bodiam, near Robertsbridge, East Sussex TN32 5UA

Contact: 01580 830196 or www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Chiddingstone Castle, near Edenbridge

Fathers can enjoy a pint of Chiddingstone’s Larkins ale and a barbecue before taking on their family at a game of croquet. Children can also try building a camp in the woods with dad. Then look at the Japanese swords and armour or the items recovered from the tombs of the Ancient Egyptian pharaohs inside the castle’s rooms.

When: Sunday, June 17 from 11am to 5pm.

Cost: Adults £8, children £4, under fours free, families £21.50.

Address: Chiddingstone Castle, Hill Hoath Road, Chiddingstone TN8 7AD

Contact: 01892 870347 or www.chiddingstonecastle.org.uk

Entry is £1 for all fathers to the home of the Hornby, Scalextric, Airfix and Corgi archives. There is also a 30% discount on all products. Then, track the history of Hornby’s model trains from Frank Hornby’s early home-made toys in sheet metal, through the development of Hornby ‘O’ gauge and Hornby-Dublo.

When: Sunday, June 17 from 10am to 5pm.

Cost: Adults £5, children £2.50, families £12.50 but fathers £1.

Address: The Hornby Visitor Centre, Hornby Hobbies LTD, Westwood Industrial Estate, Margate CT9 4JX

Contact: 01843 233524 or www.hornby.com/visitorcentre

Ightham Mote, Sevenoaks

Enjoy a fun day for all the family with classic cars, model boats, fishing in the Mote, biscuit decorating, beer tasting and games on the lawn.

When: Sunday, June 17 from 11am to 4pm.

Cost: Gift Aid admission £11.50, children £5.75, families £29.

Address: Ightham Mote, Mote Road, Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks TN15 0NT

Contact: 01732 810378 or www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Kent and East Sussex Railway

A ploughman’s lunch or a cream tea awaits for fathers on the 10 and a half mile route between Tenterden and Bodiam. Families can reserve tables with a bottle of the railway’s own Dad’s Delight beer and tickets include a glass tankard to take home. Then relax as the train chugs through the Wealden countryside. Families can extend their day at the Mill Toy and Pedal Car Museum opposite Northiam station or check out nearby Bodiam Castle.

When: Father’s Day trains depart at 1.15pm and 3.30pm on Sunday, June 17.

Cost: Dads £24.50, children £10, adults £15, seniors £14, families £42.

Address: Tenterden Town Station, Station Road, Tenterden TN30 6HE

Contact: 01580 765155 or www.kesr.org.uk

Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst

Dads can re-live their childhood in the tree climbing competition. They race to see who is the quickest to ring the bell suspended in the tree.

When: Sunday, June 17 from 11am to 4.30pm.

Cost: Gift Aid admission £14, children £7, families £35.

Address: Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst, Tunbridge Wells TN3 8JN

Contact: 01892 893868 or www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Take a tour of the brewery, followed by tasting sessions and a pint over a traditional Sunday lunch or homemade brewer’s tea. Beer has been produced in Faversham for more than 850 years and visitors can see how modern technology is combined with history and heritage to make award-winning Kentish ales inside this medieval hall house.

When: Sunday, June 17 at 10.45am, 11.30am, 12.15pm, 2.15pm and 2.30pm.

Cost: Adults £27.50, seniors £25, children £26.50.

Address: Shepherd Neame Brewery, 17 Court Street, Faversham ME13 7AX

Contact: 01795 542016 or www.shepherdneame.co.uk

Sissinghurst Castle, near Cranbrook

Giant children’s games such as Jenga and Connect Four are matched with a beer tent with a range of Kent and Sussex ales, ciders and wine for the ultimate dad’s day out. Mum can wander the Rose Garden and White Garden if all the horsing around gets a bit too boyish.

When: Sunday, June 17 from 10.30am to 5pm.

Cost: Gift Aid admission £11.50, children £5.50, families £29.

Where: Sissinghurst Castle, Biddenden Road, near Cranbrook TN17 2AB

Contact: 01580 710700 or www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Rochester Castle and Upnor Castle

Dads get free entry with a full paying child to the two Medway forts. Rochester Castle is one of the best-preserved examples of Norman architecture in England, while Upnor Castle is a piece of Tudor heritage and the first of many defences built to protect the Royal Dockyard at Chatham.

When: Sunday, June 17 from 10am-6pm.

Cost: Adults £5.65, concessions and children £3.60 but fathers go free with a paying child.

Address: Rochester Castle, Castle Hill, Rochester ME1 1SW or Upnor Castle, High Street, Upnor, Rochester ME2 4XG

Contact: Rochester 01634 402276, Upnor 01634 718742 or www.english-heritage.org.uk

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

Every little boy dreams of being able to drive a train and fathers realise their childhood fantasy as they get the chance to ride on the footplate of the steam train.

When: Throughout the day on Sunday, June 17.

Cost: Romney Rover tickets £15, seniors £13, children £7.50, families £39.50.

Address: Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, New Romney Station, New Romney TN28 8PL

Contact: 01797 362353 or www.rhdr.org.uk