Visit the Historic Hever Castle in Kent UK, the Garden of England and Enjoy the Spectacular Gardens

It was a bank holiday weekend in the UK and the weather was beautiful and sunny. My husband and I decided to visit Tonbridge Castle in Kent as we couldn't bear to waste such a marvellous day staying inside. Kent is called the Garden of England and as we were admiring the beautiful country scenery while we were driving we could understand how it got this title.

When we drove to a roundabout in Kent just off the M25, our satellite navigation system started to act up and we got lost. We drove around the same area again and again at least three times and then we suddenly found a sign pointing the direction to Hever Castle. We decided to give up on our original plan and visit Hever Castle instead.

It was almost 4 o'clock in the afternoon, but there was still a big queue of people to get into the castle, it seems the castle is very popular and it was open till 6pm. The castle is set in beautiful and spectacular surroundings and has many gardens, fountains and beautiful water features as well as a small maze and a moat.

By visiting the Castle we learned that Henry VIII(1491- 1547) , the king of England's second wife's family as well as his fourth wife lived there before (obviously not all at the same time). Henry VIII is popularly known for his political struggles with Rome and is infamous for his ruthlessness and six marriages. He divorced his first wife, beheaded his second wife, his third wife died, he divorced his fourth wife, beheaded the fifth wife and the sixth wife survived.

We then visited the Italian Garden, which was awarded Garden of the Year in 1995. It's a spectacular garden with ponds, exotic plants and flowers, fountains and Roman classic architecture. The garden was followed by an island and a large fabulous lake where you can hire a boat for some romantic rowing. There is also a section where you could try your hand at some archery but we were too late for that so go early if you want to practice being Robin Hood.


We were so glad that we got lost and had this mysterious tour to Hever Castle that we had never planned to visit or even heard of. We had a fantastic day and as we were quite late to arrive, we were not able to see all the sites, we are planning to visit there again when more of the rose bushes should be in bloom. We were also fascinated about the lake, and as my husband use to be in a rowing team during his college time, he of course wants to show off his boating skills to me!

It is definitely recommendable to friends, families,or anyone who simply wants to escape to the countryside for fresh air, enjoy walking through some beautiful gardens and along the lake side to enjoy a fabulous weekend. It is also suitable for overseas visitors who want to visit an historical site and to enjoy the spectacular English countryside.