Chilham Castle: Kent, England

Number 36- Chilham castle

We had planned our trip to Chilham castle for quite some time, mainly because it's only open the second Tuesday of every month from May to Sept. That's 6 days a year, so this needed advanced planning.

I booked a day off and travelled down to Chloe the night before so we could drive together across Kent together. 

After navigating a down a few small and windy roads and we found the centre of a tiny but delightful village. It was flanked by a pub on one side, a tea room another and the castle at the top. We donned our macs and wellies (well, in reality I forgot to pack wellies so was in very impractical patent brogues - oops).

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The entry was £5 per adult and Sebastian was let in free, what with him being only 2! 

The castle is a private residence, yes some lucky so-and-so's actually live there!! So our entry was to the grounds rather than being able to explore inside. 

This wasn't a problem for us as the gardens were extensive and pretty. Best to wear sturdy footwear (unlike me) as with he rain it was a bit muddy and slippery. 

We started by wandering round the edge of the house. The gardens had lots of levels with pretty things to catch the eye. Lots of steps and walkways to give you different views of various aspects. 

They had some pretty impressive sculpted hedges too. They weren't quite as good as the animal sculpture hedges at Hever Castle, but we loved them none the less.

There was a secluded part which looked like a little forest surrounded by red brick walls, with a statue in the middle and bluebells scattered around. 

We walked down a grassy verge to see the lake. Really beautiful and tranquil, but also wet and muddy so we opted not to walk round it on this occasion, though on a sunny day that would have been a lovely afternoon activity. 

 

There was a lovely kitchen garden mingled with various vegetables but also mixed with numerous with flowers. I'm not sure how much of it is used now to feed the owners, but in the olden days it must have been invaluable. 

Round the back of the main house is a very old looking building called 'the keep'. This is part of the original castle built around the year 709. Amazing that any of it is still standing really. The grey tower is all that is left of a medieval fortress that in the old days covered 8 acres of land. 

The castle itself has been owned by various people who didn't think much of it, and left it to rack and ruin. Eventually a woman called Mary, who had been left the castle in her dad's Will married a fellow called Dudley Digges. Dudley clearly realised Chilham could be a lovely place to live and built the "modern" castle that we see today, alongside the original keep, which he used for a variety of reasons. This building work happened between 1612 and 1616. Dudley sounds like he was much admired by everyone around; he was a merchant, an MP, and later on became a Judge.

The site is currently owned by the Wheeler family who took it over in approx 2002. They have spent a lot of time and money working on the house to ensure it lasts the test of time.

After our visit we stopped off for tea and cake in Shelley's tea room which is just outside the castle in the small square of buildings. It's a sweet old building and cake and scones were home made. 

 

Chloe and myself sampled the scones with plum jam and clotted cream, delicious! And Sebastian had a piece of squidgey home made chocolate cake. It was a sweet little place, with friendly service. Food and drink were a little on the pricey side, but we guessed they don't have many visitors as the village is so small, so they have to charge a bit of a premium. 

Cost: To wander round the garden it was £5 per adult and little kids get in free. 

Hints and tips: First and foremost, check the calendar of when Chilham is open, the opportunities are few and far between so you'll need to plan in advance. You can park for free in the village, but there wasn't much room.  Pack decent footware as there are some lovely walks. 

Turret score: I'm not sure which bit to judge, the old bit (no real turrets left) of the new bit (pretty darn good turrets) taking that into account i'd give them a solid 7 out of 10. 

Want to know why we visited Chilham castle? Check out my first blog.

Tonbridge Castle: Kent, England

Number 35 - Tonbridge castle

Following an absolutely delightful time at Hever Castle, our fun filled day was not over yet! We headed over 20 minutes in the car to Tonbridge castle.

I'd bought Chloe tickets to Luna Cinema's screening of Dirty Dancing at the Castle. This couldn't have been more perfect as we both LOVE the film, and it meant we got to tick another castle off our list.

Luna cinema do outdoor screenings all over the country and I'll definitely be investigating what else they have on offer.

We got to the venue three hours before the show started (we like to be early), and we knew the gatehouse opened two hours before the film started. There was a massive queue, so we were right to be prompt. 

We didn't get to go inside the gatehouse tower as it was shut once the event started. However it looks like a lot of work has been done to renovate it and normally you can go inside and have tours. The castle was first built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror and his comrades. It's a simple motte and bailey castle.


Once through the gatehouse, there was a grassy section surrounded by the outer wall. It overlooked the whole town and was a great vantage point. Such a contrast to Hever castle which was in the middle of nowhere, Tonbridge is in the middle of a bustling town, sitting on top of the hill looking over everything.

We set up our collapsible chairs, got out our quillows (my grandmother-in-law made me these, patchwork quilts that can fold into a pillow) and worked out what to eat. 

The event had some food and drink stalls, which we did sample. But to be honest, they were really pricey for what they were (even by my London standards). I would have taken a picnic, which most people did, but we'd already had one that day, so I thought double picnic could be over doing it.

The film started at 9pm when it had just started getting dark. 

Such a great atmosphere watching it in the castle walls, and everyone whooping whenever Patrick was on screen, understandably!

When the final scene started everyone was on their feet dancing and singing, so much fun! As soon as the credits started rolling we both pegged it to our cars, as it was late and we each had an hour journey home. But this was a really unique way to experience Tonbridge castle.

Cost: Because I had bought tickets for the screening we didn't pay a separate fee to go into the castle gatehouse itself. However if you want a tour of the gatehouse it's £8. The grounds are open daily and free of charge.

Hints and tips: There are car parks nearby which you can use and pay and display.

Turret score: The tower looked very impressive and robust so I would give the turrets a 7/10.

Want to know why we visited Tonbridge castle? Check out my first blog.

Portchester Castle: Hampshire, England

Number 33 - Portchester castle

Well I had been looking forward to Friday 26th June for quite some time, having discovered a few months ago it was National Cream Tea day... like we need an excuse to devour delicious scones. It was also my birthday and I knew Chloe was arranging a special surprise. I was very much hoping this surprise would involve a castle, and was pleased when I discovered it did.

A trip to Portchester castle was on the agenda, how delightful! The castle is based in Hampshire near Portsmouth and Chichester. We haven't done many castles in Hampshire, and we've been missing a trick because there are loads. 

I decided to get the train down and take the opportunity to start my new book, The Island by Victoria Hislop, which I'm reading as part of my book-club. So it was quite a leisurely journey. I met Chloe at Havant train station, though she was a little late thanks to activity taking place at Goodwood causing a huge traffic jam, blooming Goodwood. Anyway, once she arrived I hopped in and we headed to Portchester castle. 

You could see the castle on the approach, across the sea. It was very majestic and clearly well positioned to fight off enemies approaching from the water.

We parked in the small car park by the gatehouse (which was free) and headed inside.

The outer section of the castle is large and free to wander round. It has large walls with several entrances/exits. There is a mini moat to the left and the sea is straight ahead and forms a barrier to the right of the castle. 

There is also a church and little tea room in the middle of the first bit of the castle (more on these later).

We decided to head for the main castle ruin and tower to start our day. This is the bit you have to pay for (Chloe treated me as it was a birthday present, but I give you the price at the end) and it was well worth the money. You walk through a sweet little gift shop, and get the tickets here. 

The interior castle is surrounded by ruined arches and window frames, towers and segments of the castle where slaves were kept. There was lots to read about these parts of the castle, and a free audio guide you could obtain from reception.

There was a Roman Saxon shore fort built on the site in the 3rd century, and the castle itself followed in the 11th century. For a long time it was run by the Royals, and apparently King John used to hunt there. It can get very confusing with all the Kings being called Henry and John, so I'm not exactly sure which King John. I assume not the one that Robin Hood fought off...

Portchester castle is managed by English Heritage and they're doing a great job as it was in pretty good condition considering. I am always amazed how archways and window frames manage to hold their shape after all these years.

We then went into the main tower, which was huge with lots of things to read about the lives of the castle. It seemed to have been everything, a prison, a hunting fort, a house, a palace.

The tower itself was very wide, and had various exhibitions on some of the floors. We climbed to the to using new wooden stairs which took you up level by level. 

A few levels up we came across this wall which had fragments of red paint and writing. The information board told us that this was a mural which had been restored recently where teams of people stuck the flecks of paint back on. We couldn't really work out what it was, but clearly a lot of hard work had gone into it.

Once at the top of the tower we went out on to the roof and wandered round. It was a little scary as the walkway isn't very wide, but the views were incredible and well worth it.

On our descent we decided to take the spiral staircase which took us down a narrow tower. 

I won't lie, it was a little precarious. But there was a handy rope that went all the way down which we clung on to for dear life.

To keep our spirits up on the way down, Chloe recreated the famous 'terrified dungeon' pose first displayed when we visited the London dungeon and were both scared out of our skin! Anyway, her recreation always makes me chuckle.... as a result I almost lost my balance and tumbled to my demise.

Next we decided to exit the old part of the castle and head back into the bit in the middle - inside the outer wall but outside the inner wall....

We wandered down to the far exit which overlooked the sea and harbour area. It was all very relaxing and we walked round the right hand side of the wall. A really calm and beautiful setting.

After our seaside jaunt we headed back into the castle and explored the sweet little church that sits inside the grounds. It's a functioning church and there was an event earlier in the day.

With it being National Cream tea day, I had to have a scone. I had also committed, in advance, to having one half jam first, and the other cream first to decide once and for all how I prefer my scones. I always acknowledge that I think cream first look prettier, but I normally eat mine jam first. 

Portchester castle had a delightful little team room next to the church within the castle walls, so we headed there. Luckily for us there were two scones left. Perfect. I set up the experiment and then tasted each one in turn.

Drum roll please, the results are in! To be honest with you, they both tasted almost identical. Others may say differently, but I speak the truth. Though I acknowledge that a cream base with a red hint on top looks more appealing, i genuinely believe that jam was made to be spread and cream is more capable of being dollopped. So I will continue to have my scones jam first going forward.

Once the scone was devoured, we decided it was probably time to head home (sob sob) so headed for the car/train, but not before calling in on Chloe's grandparents (who conveniently live nearby) who served me a slice of birthday cake. 

Cost: It was £6 each to go into the inner part of the castle, which I would say was well worth it for the tower alone, but there were other bits to explore, and an exhibition to look at. 

Hints and tips: If you don't want to pay to go into the interior castle, you can have a really nice day out having a picnic in the outer part, walking along the harbour and devouring a slice of cake in the tiny cafe. I also wouldn't climb up or down the spiral staircase if you have any health issues, as it was quite narrow and quite a lot of steps. Go up the wooden steps in the tower instead.

Turret score: There weren't really any turrets to speak of so I will have to say N/A. However the tower was excellent.

Want to know why we visited Portchester castle? Check out my first blog.