A festive visit to Leeds Castle

On Saturday we woke up to the most gorgeous wintry weather - blue skies, sunshine and a frost on the ground. These are my favourite kinds of days! What with the nice weather, Rob and I were keen on visiting somewhere in the countryside for a walk, but with Christmas only a matter of days away now we also wanted to do something festive. As we've been house hunting in Kent over the past few months we've enjoyed exploring more of the county, or should I say "the Garden of England" which could become our future home. Back in April we visited Hever Castle, which made for a brilliant day out {definitely worthy of a future blog post} but Leeds Castle still remained on my list. So we hopped in the car and drove down into Kent...

Leeds Castle is situated just outside Maidstone in Kent, so it's an easy enough journey from London.  Over 900 years old, Leeds Castle was once the stomping ground of King Henry VIII and is now, apparently, one of the 'most visited historic buildings in Britain'. I can definitely see why!

After parking the car and purchasing our tickets, we followed the path up to the castle using the map we were provided with upon entry. There are a couple of paths you can choose from, all leading to the castle itself. It's about a ten minute walk from the ticket office to the castle and these paths take you through some lovely scenic areas of woodland and well maintained gardens, with trickling streams running through them. There are also large lakes, home to swans, geese and various types of birds and waterfalls too. 

We decided to start by visiting the inside of the castle itself. During the Winter months the last admission to the castle is at 15.00pm. I'll be honest, neither Rob or I are particularly interested in Medieval or Tudor history but that aside the castle is definitely worth a look around. The interior has been cleverly preserved so that each room appears as grand and elegant as it would have done all those years ago. A one-way Ikea-like traffic system means that you are taken throughout the entirety of the building before leaving, with clear, informative signposts along the way.

But what makes Leeds Castle such a memorable and magical experience in December is the way it has been decorated for Christmas!! All the rooms have been tastefully decorated with large, spectacular Christmas trees, carefully colour-coordinated with the castle's interior. Not a hallway, mantlepiece or window-sill is left bare. There are twinkling lights, roaring fires, pine cones and garlands.

The big event this Christmas at Leeds Castle is the 'Gingerbread Christmas'. If you have kids then they'll probably wish to join in on the gingerbread hunt to find numerous decorated gingerbread men which have been strategically placed around the castle and its grounds. And if that isn't festive enough, there's also the most incredible gingerbread display in which the castle has been reconstructed in gingerbread form. Amazing!

Once we had finished the tour of the castle, we walked back outside and admired the surroundings. We could not have chosen a better day to visit, the castle looked absolutely gorgeous in all it's glory, lit up by the afternoon sun. A large tranquil moat surrounds the castle and with the clear blue December sky, the moat was like a mirror lake with the castle's reflection on the water. It was so peaceful. Leeds Castle is open all year round and plays host to various concerts in the Summer months and fantastic firework displays in November. My parents' friends had their wedding here too - imagine getting married in such beautiful surroundings?! You'd feel like a Prince and Princess!

We then strolled over to the Christmas Markets which are open for the Christmas season. I'm doing well with Christmas Markets... this is the third lot I've visited in a two week period! Does this give me the rights to be an experienced Christmas Market critic?! Ha! Do not fear - we were rather impressed! A live brass band were playing Christmas carols and alongside all your traditional stalls selling mulled wine, crepes, gifts and foods there was also a ferris wheel, a carousel and a couple of small children's rides. Along with a large Christmas tree and plenty of areas to sit and enjoy the atmosphere.

Ahhhh... don't you just love Christmas time?! It was definitely time for some festive food! I had a pork & stuffing baguette, and Rob had a 'wild boar hot dog'...

What a perfect Saturday! 

The castle grounds are huge - as well as the castle and the gardens there is a large maze, a children's play area and a restaurant on site but we didn't manage to squeeze in the time to find these. Next time, eh! Oh, and we were also informed when leaving that there are some real life reindeer during the festive season. I'm secretly a little bit disappointed we didn't get to see the reindeer...

You can find all the information you need to about visiting on the Leeds Castle website here. Entry to the castle is rather pricey in my opinion (£19.00 for an adult & £16.00 for students) however you can opt to buy an annual ticket for just a little bit more (£24.00 for an adult & £21.00 for students) which means you can return as often as you like during the year using the same ticket. This makes it pretty good value really. And once you get over the initial hole in your wallet, it's an ideal spot for a family day out or a stroll with your loved one. We'll definitely be visiting again during the Summer for a picnic!

Lydia xxx