August Bank Holiday weekend

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This past weekend was a bank holiday weekend here in the UK. This means we had Monday off from work. It was a nice break for me. I decided to do a lot of sightseeing and even picked out a nice bed & breakfast so I could have more time for sights. I ended up spending my time mainly in Kent and a little bit in East Sussex (which is in the south east of England).

I started out Saturday morning by going to Hever Castle. This castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the 2nd wife of King Henry VIII (she was beheaded by him). The castle then went through a bunch of different owners including William Waldorf Astor at the beginning of the 20th century. He was responsible for a lot of the renovations and restorations at the castle. I got there right before it opened, so I managed to be one of the first people through the gate. This was helpful because it meant I was able to get some pictures of the castle without people in them. :-) The castle didn't open right away, so I took some time to wander through the grounds. There is a yew maze that I went through. The gardens are also very beautiful. There is a lake, a water maze (which I didn't try because you were just about guaranteed to get really wet), and some ancient statues. The flowers were beautiful! After wandering the grounds, I headed for the castle. I got the audio guide, which was good. I was slightly disappointed with the inside of the castle since a lot of the rooms were 20th century decor, but that's understandable. They did have a good exhibit about Henry VIII and his wives, including some life size mannequins dressed appropriately. This year is the 500th anniversary of Henry ascending the throne, so a lot of places have special exhibits. After going through the castle, I went to a jousting exhibition. It was okay, not as good as I have seen in the past.

After leaving Hever, I went to Chartwell, which was the country house of Winston Churchill. The grounds are really extensive and beautiful. If I had had more time, I would have taken a long walk. As it was, I had time to go through the house, studio (where Churchill painted), and some of the grounds.

I then went to the B&B and got checked-in. I had dinner at a local pub, which was really good.

The next day, I went to Leeds Castle, which was just a few miles from the B&B (part of the reason I chose it). I started out by signing up for a segway tour. It was a lot of fun. The guide was really good. While on the tour, I met and chatted with some of the others. I got to know one group that I originally thought was a 3 generation family (grandmother, mother, son). However, it turned out that the older woman was a friend of the mother. They met while doing their history degrees at university (they just finished this year and will have their graduation ceremony in the Canterbury Cathedral later this year). After the tour, they invited me to hang out with them. I accepted since it is always more fun to sightsee with others. We decided to get some lunch since it was just after noon. We went to the restaurant on the grounds. During lunch, we decided to split up. The son (who is 14) and I wanted to go through the maze and underground grotto. Hazel, the older woman, couldn't walk very well, so she and Amanda (the boy's mother) went to the castle. It was a bit strange to think that this woman was trusting me with her son, but we had spent over 2 hours together by this time. He was a good kid and pretty smart. Anyway, we went over to the maze. It took us about 10 minutes to go through (average time is 20 minutes according to a sign). I have to admit that we had some help - a young boy was trying to get to the center and his family was already there helping to guide him. :-) From the center of the maze, you go to the underground grotto and get out through it. It was very interesting. There are decorations using shells and bones. Not sure if what kind of bones they are! After we finished there, we stopped to watch a falconry display. The falcon was very well trained and the trainer was really interesting. During one trick, a peacock wandered over and tried to befriend the falcon. It was kind of funny! We also saw another bird (sorry, can't remember what it is) that eats snakes. It kills them by picking them up and slamming them into the ground. It does this over and over again until it decides they are dead. The trainer had a rubber snake that he used to demonstrate this. It was hilarious! We then went through the aviary, where there are quite a few interesting birds. Unfortunately, right after that, the batteries in my camera died. 😞 So, I didn't get any more pictures of the castle. After going through the rooms, we met back up with Hazel and Amanda. Before I left the castle, Hazel gave me her phone number and offered a place to stay when I go to Canterbury!

I tried to find a place to get some new batteries, but couldn't find anything. I decided I was going to need to a photography store. I managed to find one that night on the internet. I called on Monday morning and thankfully, they were going to open at 10 AM. I wasn't sure they would be open due to the holiday.

So, after picking up some new batteries on Monday morning, I set out for my final day. I started at Bodiam Castle. I was slightly disappointed. The books that I had seen seemed to indicate that there was more to the castle than there really is. It is still a very interesting example of a medieval castle. And there are several stories that have survived. I climbed a LOT of stone stairs (and am paying for it now...my knees hurt so much, I am hobbling around!). I got some pretty cool pictures from the castle walls.

When I left there, I went to Bateman's, which is Rudyard Kipling's house. I even got to see his Rolls Royce, although I didn't get a picture because it was behind glass and there was a terrible glare. The house isn't that big, but has a lot of interesting things. I got to see the paperwork for Kipling's Nobel Prize. That was really cool and colorful. 😊

My last stop was Scotney Castle. This was inhabited until a few years ago, so there isn't much in the way of information within the castle. Up until the last person died, you could only visit the grounds. The interior is nice, but there is no information. I hope that this will change as they go through the conservation process. I really liked the library there. The bookshelves were beautiful and were alphabetical. Each column of shelves had a letter above it. The grounds are also extensive. And there is an "old" castle. But to get to it, you have to go down this steep hill. Of course, to get back to the car park, you have to climb UP the really steep hill. No wonder I was so tired...between the stone steps at Bodiam and the steep hills at Scotney!

After I left there, I headed home. I got in early enough that I was able to get some groceries and settle in for the evening. It was a little hard heading to work yesterday. :-) All in all, it was a great weekend. And I had good weather for the most part.

This coming weekend, I don't have a lot of plans. My sister arrives next week, so I will soon have a companion for sightseeing. :D

Here are the links to photos (I have separate albums because there are a LOT of pictures). Hope you enjoy!

Hever Castle: http://picasaweb.google.com/navygirl29/HeverCastle?authkey=Gv1sRgCJaG2KfXu563Fw#

Chartwell House: http://picasaweb.google.com/navygirl29/ChartwellHouse?authkey=Gv1sRgCKPpnurTnbLnswE#

Leeds Castle: http://picasaweb.google.com/navygirl29/LeedsCastle?authkey=Gv1sRgCJSlvMTCwdq9aA#

Bodiam Castle: http://picasaweb.google.com/navygirl29/BodiamCastle?authkey=Gv1sRgCN7rsL7j-Li7Yw#

Bateman's: http://picasaweb.google.com/navygirl29/BatemanS?authkey=Gv1sRgCP_T0YSdyMCPDw#

Scotney Castle: http://picasaweb.google.com/navygirl29/ScotneyCastle?authkey=Gv1sRgCIS377CO4JfmyAE#

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Comments

[Jenny]

Amazing
I can't imagine getting to explore and learn about such historic places. It sounds like you are having a wonderful time!