Things to Do When Visiting the Uk County of Kent

With so many lovely gardens to visit in Kent and an array of orchards and vineyards it is no wonder it is nicknamed the Garden of England.

Many of the historical houses, castles and gardens have some gorgeous flowers to walk through. It is these pretty flowers which florists around the area pride themselves on being able to supply.

But gardens aren't all you can see in Kent, there are a variety of entertaining days out for all ages and interests. Living in Kent for most of my life I have had an opportunity to visit quite a few and have put together a list of some favourites in this area.

Kent has several castles and quite a few churches and cathedrals so I have just chosen a couple of Castles and Cathedrals to add into your itinerary for a fabulous day out.

Rochester Cathedral is the 2nd oldest cathedral in England dating back to 604AD when it was founded by Bishop Justus. Famous author, Charles Dickens who had lived locally and described the town in some of his books had wished to be buried in the churchyard at Rochester. Instead, his body was taken, and buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey. Rochester Town Centre hold two Dickens Festivals each year one in June and another for Christmas in December to commemorate their link with Charles Dickens.

Canterbury Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in England the first Archbishop of Canterbury was St Augustine who travelled from Rome in 597AD under instruction from the Pope to minister to the needs of the Anglo-Saxons. St Augustine founded the cathedral in 602AD. The cathedral history is extensive but many remember the murder of Thomas Becket the Archbishop in 1170, King Henry II fought on many matters with the priest and is reputed to have said "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" in a moment of anger and the Kings knights took him seriously and murdered him in the Cathedral December 29th 1170. His shrine became a place of pilgrimage reputed to have healing powers and is still today visited by tourists coming to Canterbury.

Leeds Castle is on two islands surrounded by a lake and complemented by 500 acres of parklands. While there are many displays and events around the castle to enjoy one of the more adventurous activities to enjoy while you are here is Go Ape an exciting overhead assault course of rope bridges, swings like those used by Tarzan and zip slides. Just imagine the views of the grounds and castle from up there.

Dover Castle steeped in history of defence from the nearby coastline this castle has lots to offer, it is known locally for it's wartime tunnels used during WWII. In 1939 the tunnels were converted to provide protection as an air raid shelter, they were later used as military command centre and an underground hospital.

Hever Castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn 2nd wife of Henry VIII. When Anne Boleyn's father passed away it became property of Henry VIII a year later he used it as part of a settlement offer to his 4th wife Anne of Cleves following their divorce.

The county is also well known for it's Hop Farms. Hops could once be seen growing all over the Weald of Kent. Hops are grown trailing up and around poles and are harvested in September.

During the mid 20th century summer work on hop farms or in the fruit and vegetable fields was combined with a holiday to Kent. It is possible to join in with the hop picking at Kent Life Museum during there annual hop picking festival.

The picked hops were once dried in the Oast House kilns and used for beer making however these days this is all done industrially so many of the Oast Houses in the county have been renovated into homes. A working kiln can be seen at Kent Life Museum where the kiln is used for educational benefits.

Chatham Dockyard served the Royal Navy for several years, in more recent years the area has been made into an educational visitor centre.

When you visit the dockyards you can see one of the finest collection of 18th and 19th century naval dockyard buildings many of which are scheduled as ancient monuments. Opposite is a picture of HMS Victory made for the 1941 Hollywood film "That Hamilton Woman" starring Laurence Olivier.

A less known fact is that the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office of the White House which was built at he Chatham Dockyards and presented as a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879. 

Chartwell House close by to Westerham, Kent was once the home of Sir Winston Churchill former prime minister of Britain who saw the country through the years of World War II.

The home has lots of memorabilia and photos it also has lots of paintings by Churchill on display, there are also gardens to walk around Lady Churchill's Rose Garden and the Golden Rose Walk, were a golden wedding anniversary gift from their children. Chartwell House is now run by The National Trust as one of the many buildings in Kent they own and open to the public.

The former Royal Air Force base at Manston made way for Kent International Airport and commercial flights but there is still a museum based here showing planes of the past and regular airshows in the area take off from this airport base.

The most popular air displays being by the Red Arrows flown by pilots of the Royal Air Force who are picked and rotated from veteran pilots both males and females who having served their country can then also entertain us too.

As you can see from just a few choices I have given you there is wealth of activities available in Kent. Being in such an coastal area there is a huge amount of history surrounding the defences of the country and tunnels used during the times of war and the bombings of WWII where Kent got hit badly as pilots were flying in to bomb London. Out and about we have stunning scenery in abundance for those of you that like walking holidays or cycling holidays. Or for those of you visiting in the summer season when it may be warm enough for sunbathing with such an extensive coastline we have a plethora of beaches to choose from.

While you are visiting my hub why not drop by and see some others I have written

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