COUNTRY
COUNTRY
Entire counties don’t get pronounced the ‘Garden of England’ for no reason, and Kent’s bucolic
moniker hails back to around 400 years ago when Henry VIII declared it so after allegedly sampling
a bowl of cherries produced in the county and becoming overwhelmed by their delicious flavour.
Unlike many other English counties that have fallen prey to developers with voracious appetites
to build on green space, Kent still has a vast and cherished countryside to be proud of.
S
tretching from Kent’s famous White Cliffs to Surrey,
the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
is one of the most enchanting landscapes in the whole
of southern Britain. One of only 15 designated National
Trails in England and Wales, the 153-mile long North
Downs Way follows in the footsteps of pilgrims past over
hills and grassland, through valleys and ancient woodland
and along the White Cliffs to the Dover coastline. An
immediate and tranquil escape from the daily grind, you’ll
find everything from archbishops’ palaces and cathedrals
to Roman and Napoleonic forts and medieval castles along
the main route.
eyes on the UK’s largest elephant herd and prowl
with the monkeys in an open-top enclosure, and
of course Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve, famed
for its safari rides on which you’ll spot giraffe and
wildebeest before getting up close and personal with
lions, tigers and cheetah. Run by renowned animal
conservation charity, The Aspinall Foundation, both
parks focus on education and endangered animal
conservation, but in a really fun fashion, making a
visit to either (or both!) a brilliant, child-friendly
introduction to the importance of conservation.
Conversation of an entirely different kind can be
spotted all over Kent in its beautifully preserved
castles that spring up across the sprawling
countryside. Truly majestic and one of the most
beautiful spots in the whole county, Leeds Castle
appears to rise from the still waters of its moat
amongst a staggering 500 acres of parkland and
gardens; Sissinghurst Castle is as historic as it is
romantic having been fallen in love with and nurtured
throughout the 1940s by poet, Vita Sackville-West,
who cultivated a world-renowned garden there;
and double-moated Hever Castle – the childhood
home of Anne Boleyn – contains priceless furniture,
tapestries and antiques alongside one of the
country’s best Tudor painting collections.
Pairing walking and wildlife, at over 220 acres, Blean
Woods National Nature Reserve (NNR) is the largest
ancient broadleaved woodland in southern Britain. With
four nature trails weaving their way through brambles,
bracken and bluebells, you can spot all manner of forest
birdlife such as woodpeckers and tree creepers along
accessible routes ranging in length from 1.5 to 13km.
Likewise, Stodmarsh NNR just outside Canterbury is
a hotspot for breeding birds and a place to seek out
shining ramshorn snail and water voles, which are both
very rare in Europe.
Encounters with more exotic animals can be had
at Howletts Wild Animal Park, where you can lay your
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