Hop down with your little bunnies to Betteshanger Country Park, near Deal, for an energy-fuelled Easter weekend. The revelries kick off at 10am on Good Friday with the highly-anticipated annual Easter Egg Hunt.

On Friday, March 25^th, gems will be scattered throughout the 250-acre Park. Families are invited to hunt for the treasures and, on return of their riches to the Visitor Centre, will claim a chocolate egg. Easter attire is encouraged and a super-size egg will be presented to the best dressed participant. There is a small charge: £3.00 per egg hunter. Booking not required.

There’s no reason to sit at home filling up with chocolate when you can get out and get active (whilst still involving a little bit of chocolate!). Saturday, March 26^th sees Betteshanger’s inaugural Hot Cross Bunny Bike Ride. Riders will follow the bike trail and discover the Hot Crosses located around the Park. Any riders sporting bunny ears and/or tails will receive an extra prize!

Riders can follow the trail from Saturday, March 26^th to Monday, March 28^th. The trail takes approximately one hour and is suitable for riders of all abilities, aged 8 years and over. It is not suitable for tag-alongs or buggies. £3.00 per rider. Booking not required.

Test your skills daily with the Bunny Hop contest, Egg and Spoon Race and Egg Rolling, all starting from the Race Area at 30-minute intervals over the weekend; or get creative with Easter Craft Activities in the Visitor Centre. Suitable for all ages.

Easter Egg-stravaganza Pass – Take part in all Easter activities and save! Daily pass includes Spring Trail, Easter Craft, Easter Egg Hunt or Hot Cross Bunny Bike Ride, Bunny Hop Contest, Egg and Spoon race and Egg Rolling for just £7.00 per person.

Lorraine Cheesmur, Betteshanger Country Park’s General Manager, said: “We are very excited to be once again hosting our annual Easter Egg Hunt, as well as introducing some new activities for 2016, including our first Hot Cross Bunny Bike Ride.  It’s going to be a great value energy-fuelled weekend for all the family and a perfect start to the school holiday.”

Other events taking place through the Easter school holiday include:

Spring Trail (10am – 3pm, Friday, March 25^th to Sunday, April 10^th)

A fun spring trail takes place daily throughout the holiday. Follow the Easter Bunny around the Park, collect the letters and unscramble them to claim a prize. Fun in all weathers and a great way to explore the outdoors. Welly boots advisable! £1.50 per trail sheet.

Activity Days (11am – 3pm, Monday, April 4^th – Friday, April 8^th)

Older children will be thoroughly absorbed and entertained on an action-packed Activity Day. Participants will try their hand at archery, learning how to shoot a basic recurve bow, just like the ones used in Olympic competition; tackle the 20 challenges over the 530-metre confidence course; let imaginations run wild designing and building dens and take part in a high tech Geocache treasure hunt, locating the ‘caches’ hidden around the Park. Sessions will be led by qualified instructors and Hadlow College students. Each activity session lasts 45 minutes. If taking part in all activities, children can be dropped off on site and collected at 3pm. Parental consent forms will be required. Lunch is not provided. Suitable for ages 8–14. £4.00 per activity or an Activity Day Pass provides excellent value for money at £12.00 per participant. Pre-booking essential on 07824 569181.

School Holiday Cycle Club (10am – 3pm, Wednesday, April 6^th – Thursday, April 7^th      

School holidays can be a challenging time, especially for working parents. Betteshanger’s School Holiday Cycle Club on Wednesday, April 6^th and Thursday, April 7^th provides the perfect solution. Drop children off at the Park at 10am and they will be guaranteed an exhilarating, fun-filled day of cycling around the bike trails. They will learn some awesome cycling skills and conquer the Mountain Bike tracks. When they are collected at 3pm they will be tired, full of tales to tell and, most probably, muddy! Sessions are run by qualified British Cycling instructors and are suitable for ages 10-16. Sessions costs £30 per day and bike hire, helmets and a hot lunch are included. Sessions will happen whatever the weather – appropriate dress is vital. Pre-booking essential on 07824 569181.

Fossil Hunt (11am – 3pm, Saturday, April 9^th)

For a hands-on practical experience of an ancient kind, Geoconservation Kent is running a fascinating Fossil hunting day on the final weekend of the Easter holiday. Visitors will search for and select rocks likely to contain fossil material from the Kent Carboniferous Coal Measures and expose them for examination and collection. Tools, safety equipment and instruction will be provided.  It will be rough and rocky, expect to get dirty! Children must be accompanied by an adult; adequate footwear and weather-appropriate clothing is required. There is a small charge of £2 per person. Booking not required.

Visit www.betteshangercountrypark.co.uk for more information about Easter and school holiday activities or call 07824 569181 to book the Cycle Club or Activity Days.