Anne Boleyn’s childhood home
Anne Boleyn was the second – famously beheaded – wife of Henry VIII. The rooms here are full of atmosphere, you can really feel them as they were in her lifetime. There are also beautiful gardens, paths with ancient climbing plants, a beautiful lake, a rose garden, an Italian garden, two mazes – one with hedges and one with water – and archery events and jousting with knights (in July and August). It’s an experience not to be missed, a real step back into history. If you have the time you can further enhance your visit by reading the book(s) of Felipe Gregory and watching the movie The Other Boleyn Girl before you come.
The local lord’s house
This is an ancient luxury estate from the Middle Ages where the local lord and his family still live, with royal halls and beautiful gardens. A number of movies have been filmed here, including some scenes in The Other Anne Boleyn Girl and the sword fight in The Princess Bride. Also the creaking floor sound in the movie Harry Potter was recorded in one of the castle rooms! It’s a wonderful place to visit, to see how the ‘other half’ in England live. There is a museum here of antique toys too.
Ancient and historical towns
Every town in this area has a fascinating history. There are many ancient houses from different historical eras standing crookedly side by side on winding narrow streets or on their own. There are also many many churches, old wells here and there, some quite wonderful country pubs (some are 600 years old and more – including a road inn from 1452), unique shops selling just about everything you can think of, the hunting lodge of King Henry VII, and lush gorgeous plants that adorn well-kept homes and beautiful gardens and, of course, everywhere the extraordinarily stunning green and leafy Sussex and Kent countryside – the ‘garden of England’.
Parks and breathtaking gardens
This is paradise if you love gardens and enjoy a bit of gardening. There are many many spectacular gardens to visit, with stunning views, centuries-old trees, bushes, flowers, lakes and bridges. In Spring and Autumn these gardens are beyond words, in Summer too. In Winter things are a bit more dormant, but there is a silence and beauty in those cold days that is unsurpassable.
Traditional English tea
You really must experience a beautiful and traditional special tea in this luxurious hotel, an ancient stately home dating from the beginning of the 19th century, surrounded by enchanting gardens. We can also visit more modest tearooms if you stay over for more than one day and you can experience what it is to live in an English countryside of Earl Grey tea, scones, thick jam and cream. You’ll be speaking all la di dah by the time you’ve finished.
Wakehurst Gardens
These extraordinary gardens are the countryside part of the famous Kew Gardens in London, the Queen’s gardens. In addition to a wonderful walk amongst many beautiful and rare plants and flowers the gardens host the largest seed bank in England – with the goal of preserving all plant varieties in Britain and 25% of the world’s plant species by 2020. This important research centre is open to the public. You can also see the largest Christmas tree in England.
The Enchanted Forest
This fabulous country estate was created 300 years ago and now hosts the Enchanted Forest site for children to enjoy. Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes, loved to spend time here and in one of his books he describes the spirits he encountered here on a walk (we can’t though guarantee you’ll see them too!) This is a children’s paradise – an adventure park set in a forest, with a long adventure trail that includes hundreds of meters of challenging passes and rope bridges (for five year olds and over), huge swings connected to trees more than 20 meters high, birds of prey, enchanted gardens, a maze, a short boat trip, a Zabromor (a cross between a Zebra and a donkey) and much more.
Winston Churchill’s House
As you are no doubt aware, Sir Winston Churchill was prime minister of England during World War II. This was his and his family’s favourite home and it gives you a real insight into the man as a warm and caring human being. Churchill was also a painter and you can visit the studio where he painted from 1924 until his death and see his paintings. They’re not Matisse in truth but they’re pretty good and well worth a look. The house remains as it was when Churchill lived there, including his books, photographs, personal memoirs and more artifacts that reflect his career and many interests. The view here is just astonishing.
The south coast and chalk cliffs – the Seven Sisters
The famous white chalk cliffs of the south coast of England very much include the beautiful Seven Sisters. On the way to these seven cliffs you have a spectacular view of the cliffs themselves and the English Channel as well as impressive ancient landscape ‘chalk art’ on the hills. You can take a walk on the ridge above the cliffs and descend onto the wild beach and enjoy the extraordinary coastline. At low tide you can walk among the rocks and rockpools and find crabs, starfish and beautiful shells.
An old luxury estate
This is a very old and very prestigious boutique hotel in a beautiful mansion built in 1598 in the Jacobean style. It has an fascinating history and wild beautiful gardens created by famous garden designer William Robinson in the 19th century. The food here is stunning and it’s a wonderful place to eat and spend some time relaxing. If your budget runs to it you can stay here too…it’s a fantastic place to be and a amazing place to sit back on your comfy chair and forget about just about everything!
The Bluebell steam train
Take a journey back in time to the age of steam – there are a number of authentic working steam trains, beautiful countryside to ride through and four stations to stop at, with attendants all dressed in clothes from another era. There is also an amazingly wide range of locomotives and wagons from 150 years ago to look at. The trains transport passengers every day – it is a very special experience to watch the smoke-belching trains enter the station and go to the locomotive engine itself and see the burning coals.
Horse riding in the forest
This is a wonderful experience, highly recommended, and there’s no need for previous experience. You can imagine just how it would have been for Henry VIII on one of his many hunting trips – in fact you are very likely to see some wild deer as you ride through the forest and across the heathland.
Winnie the Pooh
AA Milne, who wrote the Winnie the Pooh stories, lived on the edge of Ashdown Forest with his wife and son Christopher Robin. He was greatly inspired by the magical forest. You can visit the famous Pooh-sticks bridge, walk in 100 acre wood, and discover other places mentioned in his stories. You can really feel the atmosphere. There is also a charming souvenir shop and Piglet Tea House where you can buy all sorts of Pooh memorabilia.
Brighton
This beautiful and vibrant seaside city with a famous pebble beach and pier was a luxury resort at the beginning of the twentieth century. It’s a town full of art, good food and music, and has amazing Indian pleasure palace – the Brighton Pavilion (a great place to visit) – built by King George IV. It is lovely to get lost wandering the winding ancient alleys of The Lanes with their unique and interesting shops and the very quirky and extremely trendy North Laines. It’s a definitively cool place to be. During the May festival artists open their homes to the public and the streets fill with performers, music, beer and good food. From November to January there is iceskating outside the Pavilion.
Kayaking
If you enjoy getting out on the water you can visit a large beautiful lake set in a beautiful wooded area and go kayaking. The kayaks have a unique design that prevents them from turning over. It’s a great experience.
Wildlife – from the area and from further afield
There is a small zoo you can visit with many attractions for all the family. There’s also a beautiful wildlife park which contains English animals such as badgers, foxes, wild cats, beavers (they are being reintroduced into the wild here), owls, Red Deer and more. In addition there is a charming farm with animals that can be stroked and held and lots of original play options for children of all ages.
Castles, grand houses, art galleries, open air theatres, gardens, walks, pubs…there’s so much to do
East Sussex and Kent are very special counties, magical and full of history and so many interesting and quirky things to do. There is so much that I just can’t add it all here, but do tell me your interests and I can come up with a tour that is tailored precisely to you.
