Pretty beaches, outstanding coastlines, historic castles, iconic white cliffs, beautiful gardens and a lot of history– these took us to Kent, and we were not disappointed! Kent is known as the “Garden of England”, a title rightly deserved because the countryside is so pretty – a true AONB (area of natural beauty).

Kent is the most South-Easterly county in the United Kingdom. A car is the best way to get around because the roads are excellent and distances short.

Kent Sussex drive route map
Kent map showing south east end

Our 10-day road trip started with a 2-hour drive from London to Hever Castle.

HEVER CASTLE AND GARDENS

Hever Castle gardens
Tulips at Hever Castle, Kent
Hever Castle gate

Hever castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, the unfortunate second wife of the infamous King Henry VIII, who lost her head on the scaffold at the Tower of London. The 800-year old edifice, protected by double moats, is a pretty 13th-century castle full of old paintings, furniture, tapestries and treasures. Perhaps even a bigger attraction is the magnificent garden featuring artistically sculptured shrubs and intriguing mazes. If the weather is kind, a walk through the gardens will be a delight.

DOVER 

Dover was our next stop.  It has two impressive attractions to check out. 

THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER

White Cliffs of Dover

The iconic White cliffs of Dover, the first sight of England to people from the Continent who crossed the English Channel since the Roman times, maybe even earlier. Yes, the cliffs are majestic, but hard to see from land and probably even more impressive from the sea. We discovered later on in this trip that the entire coastline of Kent is full of white cliffs, some of which are much more approachable than those at Dover.

DOVER CASTLE

The magnificent Dover Castle is not to be missed. 

Dover Castle - view from the top
Admiral Ramsay statue facing far away lighthouse and sea
The Roman Pharos lighthouse and Anglo-Saxon Church

It took us almost an entire day to explore all around this castle, which has guarded the seafront for over nine centuries. The Great Tower, medieval interiors, secret war-time tunnels and the Museum are all worth a visit.

The whole property is full of steep slopes and just exploring this castle and its buildings is enough to give you a good workout!

ST. MARGARET’S BAY

White cliffs at Saint Margaret's bay
St Margaret's bay and cliffs viewed from other end
St Margaret's bay and cliffs

Another place to visit while in Dover is the beautiful St Margaret’s bay. This bay is a secluded beach tucked away behind a quaint village – “St. Margaret’s-at-Cliffe”, on the South Foreland Heritage Coast. The sandy and pebbly beach has soaring white cliffs on one side, close enough to touch, and the sea on the other, beyond which you can almost see France. A walk on the beach, gazing up at the cliffs, followed by tea at the beach café looking out to the sea– what a delightful morning!

Next, we drove northwards to explore the north-east part of this beautiful county.

 

WALMER CASTLE AND GARDENS

Walmer Castle, Kent
Walmer Castle gardens
View from the terrace

Walmer castle, and the nearby Deal castle, were beachside artillery fortresses built by Henry VIII to protect the coastline from invasion. Walmer Castle was used by Churchill during WW2 to keep an eye on France. It is a beautiful castle and grounds. We enjoyed the lovely sea views from the terraces.

It was lovely to walk around the extensive grounds and gardens and take a peek at the pebbly beach that leads to Deal castle, not far away.

 

DEAL PIER

Deal Pier entrance
Deal Pier and the cafe at the end
Deal Pier

The 1950’s Deal Pier is impressive and worth strolling along to the café at the end. It offers great views along the coastline and out to sea. The walk back was pleasant with views of the old town.

RAMSGATE, BROADSTAIRS AND MARGATE

Further north lie Ramsgate, Broadstairs, and Margate – full of spectacular coastlines and white cliffs too! These three places form a charming trio of coastal towns at the North-eastern tip of Kent. There is so much to see here – quaint boats, secluded white cliffs, and “blue flag” beaches – that it is difficult to take them all in, or even describe them deservedly.

Ramsgate – a quintessential British seaside town. It has white cliffs, beach huts, coastal walks. We went for a long walk along the winding coastal path from Ramsgate Port to Broadstairs’ Viking Bay.

Broadstairs – is situated between Ramsgate and Margate with quirky little lanes, tiny flint houses and fishermen’s cottages.

DUMPTON GAP

Dumpton Gap dramatic view
Clifftop walking path at Dumpton Gap
Beach huts in Dumpton Gap

Dumpton Gap is a beautiful secluded windy bay with soaring chalk cliffs, a small café and beach huts. The clifftop lawns are spacious with benches facing the bay. We had a choice between walking to Broadstairs in one direction and Ramsgate in the other. We chose Broadstairs because we had seen views on Netflix. Either direction would be great for walking the dog, if we had one.

Neptune’s tower  is one of the few follies (towers and mock-Gothic ruins) at the very northeast tip of Kent with Kingsgate Castle at one end and Captain Digby at the other – popular place for its good drinks and bites. Quiet beaches with lovely stretches of clean sand offer great walks. 

BOTANY BAY

The Botany Bay restaurant
Chalk cliffs at Botany Bay at sunset
Botany Bay path, Broadstairs, Kent

It is the most northerly bay and it is unique with the positioning of its chalk cliffs. Being a blue flag beach, the water quality is guaranteed and it is ideal for great coastal walks.

Above all it is a photo buff’s delight because there are so many ways to capture the unusual character of this bay that you will be torn to decide which angle is the best. The cliffs are full of nooks and crannies and the waves swirl among the many rock pools.

The Botany Bay bar and restaurant is the perfect place to sit down with a glass of wine after the walk. 

RECULVER TOWERS AND HERNES BAY

Reculver Towers and Hernes Bay
Ruins at Hernes Bay
Sweeping view of Hernes bay at Reculver

This is the best of the lot! The towers situated on a cliff offer panoramic views of the bay and a long way beyond!

At Reculver we found the remains of a Roman fort, built to protect the shoreline against Saxon invaders, which fell into ruins and was converted into a Church a millennium later. What remains today are the twin towers of the Church, a looming landmark on the north Kent coastline that serves as a navigation guide even today. Sea erosion has changed the coastline over the centuries and the Towers now totter at the edge of a cliff. The charming host at a delightful café fed us the history of this place along with delightful tea and muffins.

This is a great place for a good workout with the ups and downs of the cliff and long stretches of coastline.

Kent (and Sussex) is also full of lovely gardens. Two of them are totally worth checking out. 

MOUNT EPHRAIM COUNTRY HOUSE AND GARDENS

It comprises of over 800 acres of woodland, pastures and gardens. From the imposing main house a path leads through terraces of flowers to an enchanting Japanese rock and water garden surrounding a small lake. There are many beautiful mature trees, orchards, an arboretum, a fruit farm and wide green pastures – lots of places to wander around. From the main house, which has a cosy café, we could get a great view of the surrounding countryside.

Mount Ephraim gardens
Colorful walking paths at Petworth gardens
Lovely cafe set up at Mount Ephraim

PETWORTH HOUSE AND GARDENS

This National Trust property is a bit different from others in that it is built next to the town of the same name. It is a treasure house full of art and sculpture, mainly from the 18th century. It has a unique gallery for sculpture and paintings and a long hall full of amazing wood carvings.

It has extensive grounds (700 acres) surrounding a fabulous house with an outstanding art collection and huge servant quarters that offer a glimpse of life “downstairs” or ‘”below stairs” with staff suitably attired in period costume. The gardens were vast and beautiful, full of golden yellow fields in spring.

Right at the end of our road trip, we decided to stray into Sussex for a day and checked out its popular Birling Gap and Seven Sisters. 

BIRLING GAP

It  is a pebbly beach alongside the towering Seven Sisters – seven white cliffs in a row. You can walk down a metal staircase to the beach. You can also do the cliff-top walk and get some grand views. Please stay away from the cliff edge, it is known to crumble suddenly! The official warning says to keep 5 metres away from any cliff edge – regularly ignored by summer tourists.

Seven sisters, Birling Gap, East Sussex

BEACHY HEAD 

Beachy Head in East Sussex

Beachy Head is the highest sea cliff in Britain (531-feet). It is situated a short drive from Birling Gap, reached by a lovely clifftop walk from Belle Tout Lighthouse.

We took the beach road for a lovely drive past green meadows and sheep.

There are two lighthouses – a red and white striped lighthouse seen below the cliffs and the Belle Tout lighthouse which is now a B&B.

Alas, our ten days were over, and we drove back to London. We came back satiated with natural beauty, man-made creations, history and good exercise (all that walking !!) and agreed that Kent was absolutely worth the visit. Maybe again?

Kent, Southeast England, UK
Kent pictures

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