It's officially Easter week{!!!}, which reminded me of one of my favourite days out last year, a gorgeous sunny day out at the beautiful Hever Castle in Kent. Sitting down to write this post, I can't quite believe how quickly the past year has gone. It's zoomed by! And right now the weather couldn't make me feel any gloomier, so looking through these photos is making me pine for the Summer months...
Over 700 years old, Hever Castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, wife of King Henry VIII {before she was beheaded... don't you just love medieval history?!}. But whether you're a history boff or not, the magnificent castle makes for a perfect English day out with it's beautifully manicured gardens, restaurants, boating lake, a maze to get lost in and various medieval activities to join in with such as jousting and archery. The weather was set to be a winner so we packed the picnic blanket and drove down into Kent. We'd never visited Hever before but as we drove through the surrounding Kent countryside I had a feeling it was going to be pretty special. It's no wonder that the castle is situated where it is. Where else would be fit for royalty other than in the middle of Kent, The Garden of England, with its' beautiful rolling hills?
The car park at Hever is basically a big field, which is fine on warm days but I can imagine it's a total mud bath during the Winter?! After parking up and buying our tickets {£16 for adults, £9 for children, £13.50 for students ;)} we followed the castle map down past the Guthrie Pavillion and through the gardens.
The gardens at Hever are beautiful - you can purchase tickets just for the gardens if you aren't fussed about seeing the inside of the castle so if we go again during the summer I think that's what we'll do. We wandered around for a while, admiring beds upon beds of brightly coloured Spring tulips {in every colour you can possibly imagine}, camellias, daffodils and hyacinth. There are several different gardens to wander through, all lined with neatly trimmed hedges. My favourite was The Italian Garden with its' shaded walkways, a Trevi Fountain inspired sculpture, Roman style colonnades and a beautiful piazza in the centre. We walked through the walled rose garden which wasn't yet blooming in April but from June to September it is supposed to be beautiful and full of colourful roses. There's also a Tudor Garden with English herbs and shrubs and a Chess Garden next door with quirky topiary in the shapes of chess pieces!
The
weather was incredible that day, we couldn't believe it! It was only
April but as the morning went on I felt uncomfortably hot in my jeans
and I remember feeling thankful that I'd packed my sunglasses. I wasn't
going to complain though, it was the most perfect weather for a day out. With the sun shining we hired a rowing boat on Lake Hever and Rob took me on a romantic boat trip, like in the scene from The Notebook...
That last bit was a total lie. It wasn't romantic at all! Shortly after we posed for these photos, Rob decided it would be hilarious to row the boat near some swans. He knows how petrified I am of swans!!!! There was a lot of squealing from me and a lot of laughing from Rob. I nearly cried and we both nearly wet ourselves, for different reasons! That said, it's a lovely lake, as far as lakes go and if you don't fancy rowing your own boat then you can take a tour on the African Queen steamboat to the Japanese Tearooms.
After the chaos of our boat trip we strolled back up to the castle and went on the inside tour, to see Queen Anne's Tudor abode. It always amazes me that places like this have been successfully retained in their original style for so many years! One wing of the castle has now been transformed into a five star bed and breakfast, I've looked on the website a few times and thought how special it would be to wake up in one of their luxurious rooms, with these stunning views just out the window.
Just look at that bright blue sky! British weather can be such a treat sometimes.
Hever Castle holds various seasonal events - I'd love to go at Christmas next year to see the Christmas tree displays and the castle all lit up. At Easter they have their annual Easter egg hunt for children and families. With no kids of our own we didn't take part but outside the entrance of the castle itself there stood the biggest Lindt bunny I've ever seen, surrounded by bunting. Love!
After a scrummy roast dinner in the Guthrie Pavillion, we lay the picnic blanket on the grass, enjoyed some an obligatory ice cream and soaked up the crazy April sunshine. Heaven.
Such fond memories, we may have to go again this summer!
You can find everything you need to know on the Hever Castle website here.
Lydia xxx
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