going local: an afternoon at scotney castle in lamberhurst
Some places are beautiful and worth a visit all year round, and Scotney Castle in Lamberhurst, Kent in the South Eastern part of England is one of those places. The estate is 770 acres with lovely walking paths, a beautiful Victorian manor, gardens and of course the old, ruined 14th century castle with its moat – not to forget a lovely little tea room and a cute shop, or activities and education center for the kids – so much to see and do here!
There are also walled gardens, which they are still restoring, but worth a visit with the little ones as there are also chickens there. Book a good 3-4 hours for the place, then enjoy a cream tea and maybe even visit the Bayham Old Abbey nearby, which is part of the English Heritage buildings (note: although Scotney Castle is open all year round, the Bayham Old Abbey is closed between October and March).
As we liked this place a lot, we also made a little photo video on Youtube, where we have even more pictures of the Lovely Scotney castle and estate: see the link to the video here.
Cute entrance to the Victorian manor, the gardens and a 14th-century ruined moated castles through the little shop and cafe building
Outbuildings with an adorable clock tower
Entrance to the Victorian manor
The entrance is very ornate
A walk thought the house transforms you back in time with its beautiful interior
Dining in style in the formal dining room
We wondered if these guns were ever used in battle…
The house has impressive views over the valley as it in elevated position
We spy the old castle and moat!
Down we walk towards the quarry garden and the little lake
Early bloom in quarry garden – the gardens are known for azaleas and rhododendrons in late spring
Snowdrops everywhere
Old castle – the part with the turret is still accessible
I wonder how this corner looked like before…
Romantic old ruins
Walk through the ruins…
…and around them to reach…
…to a pretty corner by the moat
Historic kitchen in the old castle
Boat house over the water
A romantic view of the old castle from a tree-covered pathway
Scotney Castle is one of the most picturesque gardens in England
These paths just call for exploring and walking around!
Stroll around the lake – the castle is always visible
Rolling down a steep hill – girls competing a task from the National Trust’s kdis booklet “50 things to do before 11 3/4”
A beautiful place to take a break and enjoy the sweeping views