Hever Castle: Kent, England

Number 34 - Hever castle

So, I had told Chloe to prepare for an early birthday surprise on 25th July. Though her birthday isn't until the end of August I have lots of friends and family in the final week of August, including Chloe's lovely little boy (my godson), so it's easy for her birthday to get lost in amongst all the excitement. 

The first (and main) stop of the day was Hever castle. It's near Edenbridge in Kent and is in the middle of nowhere. It's privately owned and I got the tickets online which was slightly cheaper than buying on the door. It also meant we bypassed the rather long queue when we got there.

Friday had been torrential rain, really horrid, but amazingly Saturday was sunny and lovely. Also, the grass had miraculously dried out so my picnic plans were still on track (though I had packed a thick coat and a rain mac just in case).

It turned out that the day we happened to be visiting was the same day that the Medieval festival was taking place. Chloe was incredibly excited when she discovered this piece of news, and was rather obsessed with watching the jousting. But to start with, it was lunch time and we needed grub so we made our way to a nice soft bit of green green grass, with a view of the castle, to devour the picnic I'd put together for us. 

 

At 2pm some Knights (in full armour) showed up outside the castle gates and then Henry VIII and Anne Boelyn made an appearance. I must say, considering Anne Boleyn was beheaded in her thirties, she was looking remarkably well for a woman in her forties. They made a little speech and then we joined the throng of the crowd as everyone marched to a huge field round the back. It really did feel like we were back in medieval times. The re-enacters outfits were quite amazing, but they must have been boiling. However seeing them up close made both me and Chloe think we'd like to try them on at some point. 

On the way to the jousting field, we approached a tree lined path and were alerted to a photo op with some of the re-enacters. Loads of kids kept jumping in before us, but we eventually got our turn to have a photo with Henry VIII and his Knights. The actor playing Henry was really in character, sleazy... despite the fact his wife, Anne, was standing right next to him. I guess when you're the King you don't need to worry about people judging your behaviour. He was obviously a method actor. I definitely think I could be in line for wife number 7. I also dared to have a picture taken with the Knights who had clearly not been around a woman for quite some time. They were very excited to see me. I shall leave it at that. 

We went over the hill and could see the jousting field. A merry little pipe played a tune over the loud speaker and Henry marched in followed by all the ladies in waiting and the Knights. There was a large amount of people, so getting close to the front was tricky. I decided now would be a good time drop our empty picnic basket and rug off at the car, as the field backed on to the car park. I left Chloe on the hill, and wandered down to the gate. At exactly this time, the Knights on horses decided to come through the very gate I was aiming for. Despite being a little startled, I was the only person there so got some great close up photos of the horses entering and galloping along. 

With picnic basket safely back in the car, and my arm coming back to life (it was heavy) we watched a bit of jousting which I have to say was very impressive. The horses were travelling incredibly fast and the riders were having to hit targets, and pick things up with the sticks. It was really impressive. After seeing a few people dramatically hurled from their saddles we decided it would be a good time to go and see the inside of the castle, as every other person visiting Hever was in the field watching the jousting!

From the outside Hever castle looks quite contained. I can't really use the word small when it's about a million times bigger than my house but it does seem small compared to the sprawling grounds. Once inside, the rooms didn't feel overwhelmingly big, they felt comfortable and quite normal. We both agreed we could quite happily live there, though we'd need a few servants to clean and what not.

We were both surprised by how small Anne Boleyn's room was, but I guess when she lived at Hever she wasn't anyone of importance yet.

As we walked through the castle itself it started off very traditionally with coats of armour, tapestries, and dark wooden bureaus but as we wandered further inside the house became more modern, giving an idea of what it would have been like for the later inhabitants.

One of our favourite rooms was a lounge / study area where there was music playing and a little old fashioned TV showing footage of some of the previous owners at the castle, they were called the Astors. There was also a phone, you could dial a number to hear a roleplay from a gardener or architect etc which gave more info about the castle. The gardeners one said he needed to hire 100 gardeners to make sure the grounds were kept in order. We're not sure how many gardeners there are now but the grounds are enormous so there must be loads!

We both loved the downstairs sitting room, it reminded me of my Nan's decor with pale mint and pink comfy chairs, and China on the mantelpiece.

There was a nice spiral staircase which we used on exit, I love a spiral staircase and this one was in good nic.

Out of all the castles we've visited so far I think Hever had the best, and most interesting, information about its history. Obviously the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is fascinating in it's own right, but it was very enlightening to read who had owned the castle at what point in history, and what they had done with it. Lots of family trees too so it was easy to contextualise things. Chloe was also impressed with the amount of staff on hand to explain the history, all of which were friendly and informative.

Though we found the information about Henry VIII and all his wives very informative, I did kind of feel it inappropriate to have portraits, information and even boats named after all the other woman Henry married once Anne had lost her head. Didn't feel like she'd have been too happy about that in her family home. Although, while walking round the castle we learned that one of Henry's other wives (Anne of Cleves) owned the castle at a later date, so I guess it made sense to have her portrait in there, but surely Jane Seymour shouldn't have made an appearance!

It turns out before marrying Anne, Henry slept with her sister and had her as his mistress. We also discovered that Henry's final wife (the one who survived him) went on to marry Jane Seymour's (his third wife) brother. I mean were there no other people to marry?! Also, Henry's first wife was his brothers widow, weird...

The time, effort and money that has been invested in this castle is clear. This investment was mainly thanks to William Astor who spent a lot on it in the early twentieth century. And the money spent on it must still be high as the gardens are off the scale, absolutely spectacular!

There was a Yew Tree maze near the castle itself which we decided to give a go. The more I experimented mazes the more I realise I. Do. Not. Like. Them. Nothing against Hever's which was well kept, but they just terrify me (visions of Cedric in Goblet of Fire).

Now I love flowers and gardens, and walled gardens in particular. There are so many magical spaces to explore and wander round. 

The covered archways looking out over manicured lawns were so relaxing. On the left as you walked to the castle was a wall, with moss, plants, lillies and little statues carved into the wall, and water trickling down into little ponds and pools of water. The sounds were mystical as well as everything there was to see.

 

The gardeners had shown their creative flair with lots of hedges shaped into different animals, some obvious, some not so obvious. 

My personal favourite was the snail, then there were various birds, a lady bird, a stag, a pig, a spiral. Lots of fun!

At one part of the walled garden the wall was divided into sections and it was like a mini garden was contained in each one. All quite different with varying plants and statues. We wondered if maybe each gardner at Hever got to do what they wanted with a different section. It was very individual and we really enjoyed admiring them all.

In the middle of the gardens was a large rose garden with a host of roses of all colours. Smelled amazing and looked glorious. 

I was quite partial to these lavender colour roses, I'd never seen roses that colour before But Chloe informed me she thought they were nearing the end of their life, and the colour should have been pink... oh well.

 

  

The gardens were meticulous; every angle and view had been carefully considered to inspire people.

When we were walking along the walled garden in the distance we could see pillars and archways which looked out over the lake. The whole view was stunning.

 

We had spotted a boat house on the way in, so decided to investigate the options, as we still had a bit of time before our next castle mission.

Though there was a queue of people we only ended up waiting about 10 minutes. The boat hut itself was adorable with lots of vintage props, and hiring a boar was very reasonable. £15 per boat for an hour and it gives you a fantastic view looking back at the gardens. 

We ended up being given quite a large row boat called Elizabeth I. We felt quite safe in her, being Anne Boleyn's daughter she obviously knew her way around the place. Chloe hadn't had much luck with rowing in the past so was a bit nervous and apparently her husband is like a drill Sargent when it comes to rowing. So we took it quite leisurely. 

Once we realised we'd been rowing the wrong way round, it all went swimmingly from there on in and we toddled round the lake at a nice pace. Chloe was obsessed with finding the bell buoy and ringing it, which we did. 

 

In the middle of the lake was a red Japanese looking hut. We discovered it was actually a Japanese Tea House folly. Visitors can walk around and sit under the veranda but the interior is closed to the public. I'm not quite sure why it's there or what it used to be used for, but we rowed right up to it and it was sweet.

There was lots of birds and wildlife on the lake including some lovely lily pads. When our time was up we rowed back to the boathouse. As we got out the owner asked if we'd rowed before as he was really impressed with how the two of us had manoeuvred "such a big boat". He asked if we rowed professionally. I don't want to jump the gun, but maybe me and Chloe should be in the Olympic rowing squad?

Cost: £15 for access to the castles and gardens, and just over £12 for the gardens only. You can easily spend the whole day at Hever, so £15 is actually quite reasonable for what you get. They also offer discounts for kids, family, students and older people.

Hints and tips: The car park is free and situated quite a way from the main castle, so if your lugging picnic stuff you might have to take it quite a way.

Though lots of people take picnics Hever does have a restaurant of its own that provides tea, coffee, cake and more substantial meals.

In the summer Hever have a theatre festival which has some great options for theatre, films and comedy.

There was the opportunity to buy plants near to the entrance. All of them looked beautiful and well looked after and you can leave your purchases there until it's time to leave so you don't have to lug them around the whole castle.

You can't take photos inside the castle.

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

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

Leeds castle, Kent, England

Number 32 - Leeds castle

Leeds is our first castle of 2015, and it's one we've had our eye on for a while. We knew it needed a whole day to take in the full splendour, so with a day booked off work we headed there in some lovely spring weather.

Chloe had her little boy in tow, it's his second castle. He was allowed in free as he's only 1.

The car park is a 15 minute walk to the castle itself. It's up a tree lined path, surrounded by lakes, ponds and rivers on both sides. 

Luckily for us, it turns out March is a great time to visit as the spring flowers were poking their heads out, lots of lovely crocuses and daffodils all over the place.

Sebastian loves birds, so he wanted to stop every 3 steps to admire them. This meant the walk took us significantly longer until the castle came into view.

But when we did finally reach the approach and see the castle, it was worth the wait...

What a stunner. I mean the weather was certainly showing it off in it's best light, but it was so tranquil. Some castles can look rather imposing, but I got quite a cosy feeling about Leeds. Although it was still huge, and could have fit a family of 100 plus, it felt lived in and cared for in a really nice way. The castle and grounds were so beautiful, the team at Leeds must work night and day to keep it all in such pristine condition. The view across the river/moat was really stunning.

The history of Leeds castle was originally the site of a manor of the Royal Saxon Family. it was a Norman stronghold, then became a Royal palace. Various Queens and Kings lived there for 300 years. In the1900s it was bought by Lady Baillie who lived there longer than anyone else, she restored the whole thing, luckily for us!

By the time we made it up the hill, it was lunch time and we didn't think Sebastian would be keen on waiting for his grub so we walked towards the maze and falconry (yes there are eagles etc) to find a nice spot to picnic. We picked a shaded area under the trees overlooking a huge lake.... at least I think it was a lake. Really peaceful, probably the nicest view I've ever had when eating hula hoops.

Once lunch was wolfed down, we decided to stay that end and tackle the maze. There was also a massive children's play area which looked like it was having some refurbishment done, but would be great in the summer.

Having barely ever been in a maze, I wasn't sure how i'd feel. Unfortunately I got a lot of flashbacks to my terrifying day at the London dungeons (which Chloe thought was hilarious) and flashes of the Goblet of Fire, in which the maze is quite terrifying. So, needless to say, I wanted to find the centre and get the hell out of there. Saying that, I was able to admire the neatness of the hedges which I imagine takes a lot of work.

As was to be expected, we got completely lost and had no strategy whatsoever. Eventually we spotted a lady who's partner had made it to the middle and was shouting her directions from his pivotal, all-seeing position at the top of the tower. We used Sebastian to win her over, and she let us follow her to the centre. Hurrah! There was a little tower you could climb which allowed you to look down at the maze tunnels but, what was more, was a shell grotto..... literally made of shells.

Upon entering we were slightly terrified to be confronted by a huge stone/shell face.

There was also scary music playing. I was worried Sebastian might burst into tears, but it seemed I was more frightened than he was. The grotto had a little underground passage filled with shell statues and shell ceilings. 

It really was quite something, no idea when it was made.... should have found that out. I was quite pleased when the secret underground passageway lead us out at the lake, rather than having to find our way back out through the maze. If this had been necessary, we may well have still been in there now.

We started the walk back to the main castle, going through a rather delightful walled garden. There weren't loads of flowers in bloom, but I imagine in the summer it's absolutely stunning.

On the way back we also took our imperative 'castle selfie' with the castle in the background to prove we were there together. A rather nice one I'm sure you'll agree.

Next up was the castle itself, and it's interior. What wonders were we to encounter? 

The gatehouse was in excellent condition, leading to an interior green space surrounded by other buildings. We made for the main castle area which sat at the rear. The ticket price included admission to the house and the staff/volunteers were really friendly. 

It reminded me a bit of Scotney Castle, in as much as a lot of the furniture was the real stuff and it all seemed rather sweet and homely. The owners at some point in time clearly loves birds as there were lots of statues and pictures of birds, which Sebastian couldn't get enough of.

There was an old pale blue chair I took quite a liking too, apparently it was the Queen's favourite too. I'm not 100% sure which Queen. But a Queen is a Queen so that's that. 

I really liked the feel of the castle, one of the cupboards upstairs had a full shoe rack showcasing some rather nice vintage heels, as well as an old chandelier. 

It felt like the sort of place I could live... if I was a millionaire. 

Mother recently suggested we do a turret score for every castle, we thought this was quite a fun idea and Leeds seems like a good one to start with as they were very good. Clean lines, in excellent condition and a good size.

By the time we finished walking round the main castle building, we'd been there for about 4 hours and were all absolutely exhausted. Sebastian was so tired he tried to go to sleep on the grass by the sun dial. So we decided it was time to head off.  We ended up carrying Sebastian as we didn't think any of us would stay awake long enough for him to stop and point at every bird we passed (a few thousand).

When we were almost back at the car, we came across a peacock who decided to fan it's tail, rather amazing. It's neck looked like it was blue velvet and the tail was just sensational. I also pointed out the little Peahens to Chloe that were pecking around nearby, but she wasn't that impressed. Not all birds can look like blue velvet. 

Utterly exhausted by the end, but a lovely day out with so much to do, and the prospect of going back bearing in mind the below ticket information. 

Cost: On the surface it seems quite pricey at £24 per adult, however once paying for the tickets we discovered they are valid for a whole year!!!! It's TRUE! So you can go back as many times as you want, walk round the grounds, take little people to the play park, try the maze (if you dare) as many times as you want across the next year, which we thought was very good value.

Hints and tips: Keep your eye on National Rail 2 for 1, Visit Kent and other discount websites as we found a buy one get one free offer which meant if we travelled by train and could show them the tickets we got 2 for the price of 1. So actually that was £12.50 each which seems much more reasonable when you think about it.

Turret score: 10 out of 10 (start low...)

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