Ashford

A view of Ashford

Ashford, Kent; described as the fourth best place to live in the UK in a recent survey, sits in the heart of the Kent countryside, and is often described as the gateway to Europe. Ashford is a traditional market town, but has recently started some major development projects. In the town centre, you’ll see a seemless blend of old and new combined to produce a unique shopping experience. The town centre accommodates three totally different retail areas: the High Street, Park Mall and County Square, where you’ll be able to find both global brands and small local businesses.

Further out of town, close to Junction 9 of the M20, there is the Eureka Entertainment Centre; a collection of restaurants, hotels, cinemas and health spas to give you a great day out. You’ll find a multi-screen Cineworld, a Bannatyne’s Health Spa, Franky & Benny’s and Beefeater to name but a few attractions.

Ashford’s Designer Outlet

Just a two minute bus journey from the town centre is the imposing tented structure, which is the Designer Outlet. Forming part of Ashford’s skyline since 2000, the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet houses over 100 of the largest brands in the world at heavily discounted prices. It already attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors per year, who enjoy the wide range of fashion, technology and food stores at the Outlet.

Ashford’s Shared Area

Ashford's Shared Area

In Spring 2008, Ashford Town Centre’s ring road was converted to a shared area – a concept aimed at integrated use of public spaces (cyclists, cars and pedestrians use the same space). There was early criticism of the shared area (including from Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson), but recent statistics have shown that the scheme has vastly improved safety records since it opened. Several UK cities and towns, including Edinburgh, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Oxford, Blackpool and Staines, are considering redesigning their urban streets using the principles of shared space - using Ashford as a model for success.

Ashford Transport Connections

The tagline for Ashford is currently: Ashford – Best Placed in Britain. Ashford is the only town to have a high speed railyway connection and Eurostar platform all in one station.

The High Speed Rail Line, also known as the Javelin Train, was built in 2009 and is the UK’s first high-speed commuter rail service. The train will go at a speed of 140mph, meaning that you can go from Ashford to St Pancras (London) in just 37 minutes. Normally, this journey would take around an hour. The line is so fast that Southeastern Railyway has decided against a trolley service on the presumption that passengers will barely have time to contemplate breakfast before pulling in to St Pancras!

Ashford  International also has a Eurostar terminal, taking you from Ashford to Paris, Brussels, Lille, Avignon, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris and the French Alps. It’s the fastest way to visit multiple cities and resorts on the continent. Many visitors from France and Belgium take advantage of the fast, easy train journey to come and visit Ashford’s Designer Outlet and other local attractions.

Leisure

Ashford has a wide variety of days out and leisure activities to please anyone of any age, including sports clubs, music festivals and family outings.

There are a large amount of different sports clubs in the Borough of Ashford. These include football, cricket, tennis, hockey and athletics. Ashford Athletics Club meet at The Julie Rose Stadium, named after a local middle-distance runner who was killed in an air crash in 1985. The stadium is a state of the art sports facility with an International standard 400m running track and is now regarded as one of the finest athletics facilities in the country. It will be used during the 2012 Olympic Games as a training area for International Athletes.

You may also be interested in visiting the Great Chart Golf Complex – it’s no longer just a golf club. It’s a family day out. The complex includes a 9 hole golf course, a driving range, a pitch and putt course, zorbing, archery and beach volleyball.

If you’re looking for something different, you could attend Ashford’s Create Festival – an annual music festival put on by Ashford Borough Council to celebrate the best of local talent.

You can find out more about events, activities and days out throughout MyAshford.com’s website.

Villages

There is more to the Borough of Ashford than what you may see within the town centre. Venture further out into the countryside and you will find quaint, traditional English villages and beautiful natural countryside. At MyAshford.com, we’ve added a profile for the major villages around Ashford, which you can find here.

Going out in Ashford

Ashford has plenty to offer for anyone looking to have a night out. Whether you want a quiet meal at a top restaurant or a drink at a pub or night club. The town centre includes many restaurants, of which many have won awards for their food and service. You will have a large choice depending on what type of food you like, too. All restaurants in the town centre are within walking distance of the train station, and other amenities such as pubs and night clubs. For anyone looking to eat out away from Ashford’s town centre, there are many rural pubs which have a high quality service. We’ve set up an area dedicated to restaurants here.

If you’re looking to have a quiet evening in a pub, again, Ashford town centre has a choice of around eight pubs, all within walking distance of popular nightclubs Liquid and Hustle. For more information on these pubs, please visit our directory.

Ashford has three main night clubs: Liquid, Hustle and Arena. Liquid and Hustle are both located in the town centre, and Arena is located at the Eureka Park – along with Cineworld, Frankie & Benny’s, Pizza Hut and Beefeater.

We hope this brief guide to Ashford has helped you! We have plenty more detailed information about Ashford throughout MyAshford.com.