What to do in: Kent

Read ahead to hear about my wonderful day exploring the castles and vineyards of Kent...

Earlier this year my friend Rachel and I took a visit down to Kent, a county that aside from passing through on the way to Dover, I'd never visited.  Our first stop was Biddenden Vineyards. They are open to the public throughout the year with free admission and tastings! There is a self-guided tour route you can take through the vines and even if you're not a wine lover I think it's a beautiful stroll. There are guided tours available if you want to learn more about the history of the vineyard and the wine making process. They had a great little gift shop as well where we were able to pick up a number of treats to take home with us and there is a little coffee shop where you can grab a slice of cake.

Rachel couldn't resist

From there we drove for about half an hour and stopped at Tunbridge Wells. It was a beautiful town to stroll through and we stopped for lunch at a place called The Townhouse. We were very lucky to visit on a sunny day so took full advantage of their beer garden and sat outside with cocktails and some very delicious platters!

Another 20 minute drive took us to Hever Castle, a beautiful country house once owned by the Boleyn family. Their daughter, Anne, married Henry VIII as his second wife but ended up beheaded. The house ended up being given to Henry's forth wife, Anne of Cleaves. We purchased the tickets for £15.50 online which gave us entry to both the castle and the tickets.

Rachel tried the archery

My triumph at completing the water maze. Notice how I'm the only adult haha

The castle was really interesting; there was lots of see if you're interested in the life of Henry VIII. The Gardens were absolutely stunning and there was so much to happen on. Aside from having a traditional yew maze they also had a water maze, where if you took the wrong direction you'd get squirted from below! There was a lake, miniature model houses, archery; there really was something for everyone.

We ended the day at the nearby La Botte restaurant, a really nice Italian bistro. We had some lovely cocktails and I had a delicious ravioli. The staff were really friendly too. All in all it was a really fantastic day and I would recommend a visit to any of these places!