History & Heritage of Kent

Day 1 – Hever Castle & Gardens

Board our private executive coach at your preferred pick up points – stop at a convenient property en route such as Hever Castle and Gardens, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn and dating back as far as 1270 – check in at the 3* Best Western Abbots Barton Hotel in Canterbury.

Day 2 – Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral & Leeds Castle

Guided tour of the UNESCO listed city of Canterbury taking in the city walls – Canterbury Cathedral, dating back to 597AD when St Augustine established his seat in Canterbury, was the site of Archbishop Thomas Becket’s murder in 1170 and ever since the Cathedral has attracted thousands of pilgrims, as told famously in Geoffrey Chaucer's ‘Canterbury Tales’ – Leeds Castle, set in 500 acres of beautiful parkland and offering over 1,000 years of history, has Norman foundations, a medieval gatehouse, a Tudor tower and a 19th century country house, all of which were substantially refurbished in the 20th century by the last private owner of the castle, Lady Baillie, the heiress to an American fortune.

Day 3 – Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Great Dixter House & All Saints’ Church, Tudeley

The National Trust’s Sissinghurst Castle Garden is developed around the surviving parts of an Elizabethan mansion and provide outstanding design and colour throughout the season – Great Dixter House and Gardens was once the family home of the late Christopher Lloyd who devoted his life to creating one of the most experimental, exciting and constantly changing gardens of our time – All Saints’ Church in Tudeley is internationally famous for its twelve stained glass windows by the great Russian artist Marc Chagall.

Day 4 – Dover Castle & Walmer Castle

Guarding the Straits of Dover, English Heritage’s Dover Castle occupies a site that has witnessed more than 2,000 years of history and its Secret Wartime Tunnels played an important role in World War II – English Heritage’s Walmer Castle and Gardens was transformed from a Tudor castle into the elegant home and residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.

Day 5 – Ightham Mote

Stop at a convenient property en route home such as the National Trust’s Ightham Mote, a superb moated manor house and garden dating from 1330 whose main features span many centuries and include the Great Hall and Tudor Chapel with painted ceiling – return to our original departure points with comfort stops en route.