Hi and welcome to our road trip around Westerham, and the Weald of Kent
This is part 1 of a 2 part series
We're in the south east of England, in the county of Kent
This circular route is around 25 miles or 40 km
We're starting our journey from junction 5 of the M25, where we briefly join the A21 and A25
Our first stop will be the National Trust - Emmett Gardens
Then we will head on to National Trust Village of Chiddingstone
before completing part one of this journey at Hever Castle
In Part 2 well head onto Edenbrdige, before cutting across to Winston Churchill's former home Chartwell.
Then we'll head to Westerham and have a look around, as well as taking a look at Quebec House.
We complete the loop be heading back along the A25 towards Sundridge
So let's start on M25, heading south from the Dartford crossing
As we reach junction 5 we stay right in Lanes 2 or 3 heading on to the A21 towards Sevenoaks and Hastings
We are only on the A21 for around a mile before taking the A25 towards Westerham
The brown tourist signs guide you towards Chartwell
Remember, it's the 2nd junction, and it appears quite quickly after the first
We are now going to follow the A25 west for a relatively short distance
Stick to the left hand land, you have right of way, but be wary of vehicles approaching from the A25 that need to switch into your lane
We arrive on the outskirts of Sundridge a rather charming town on the A25 which we'll see more of in Part 2
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At the junction with the White Horse Pub we will be turning left into Church Road
A little additional information about this video. It was shot on a Thursday in Mid-March - hence the low winter sun.
and our visits to Emmetts Gardens & Hever Castle were captured at different times of the year
This half of the journey around 14 miles or about 23 Km
I will speed up the action in places, but I will slow down for the junctions to make it easier to follow.
You can drive this route in a day, and stop at maybe one or two destinations
or split it over several days to get the most of your visit to Kent
You will notice the route is popular with cyclists, and if you wish to pick up the loop then the only mainline station on it is at Edenbridge
Now, you may have noticed the road has narrowed
And this can lead to some interesting situations
All you need to do is find a convenient place to pass
That was easy enough
And then, in the blink of an eye, we arrive at the National Trust - Emmets Garden, just here on the right
I will pop a link in the description to the National Trust's page on Emmetts Garden Where you can find details on the current prices
So this was captured in a visit in late September.
and Emmett's is a great place to bring a picnic, of course it has a cafe too
One of the features of Emmetts is its rock garden, I just need to find the way in
A stroll through here and you find plants from around the world
and at this time of the year its beautiful Acers look amazing
Emmetts Garden was part of an Edwardian Estate purchased by Frederic Lubbock, a 19th century London Banker
He was also a keen plantsman, so set about creating his gardens with species collected from around the world.
After his death in 1927, Charles Watson Boise bought the estate, and in 1964 bequeathed it to the National Trust
Another must see area is the Rose Garden, the building on the hill is the original Emmetts house and is now privately owned.
Other areas to explore are the Alpine or North Garden, The Tulip and Cherry Tree Garden,
the South Garden with exotic shrubs, the Woodland Walks with bluebell banks which must look amazing in early May
And then there's those views over the Weald of Kent
Emmetts Gardens could soak up a bit of time on your road trip, so you will need to plan carefully
Heading back, we come across the Discovery Cabin again
which gives you further information on Emmetts Garden, and those associated with its creation
back to the ticket office and gift shop before continuing on our way
So we head out the gates and turn right, or continue straight on if you've opted to skip Emmets Gardens
It is now a relatively short hop to the village of Ide Hill
Which first appears in public records in 1250 and has grown a little over the years
I have to be honest I find the upcoming junction a little strange
can anyone explain to me why a mini roundabout is required when the only other road leads to the church?
Anyway, we will indicate left as we are taking the first junction
And time for a little fact, St Mary's Church is said to be the highest in Kent at 216M above sea-level
We now pass The Cock Inn on our left. Come on, you know you are better than that.
And now I am going to speed it up a bit
And now I am going to slow it down again as we reach the end of the road
We are going to turn right, and you need to trust me as there's no sign post
We're making our way to Chiddingstone village
You do need to take care if you are following signs because there's also Chiddingstone Causeway and Chiddingstone Hoath
Our destination is the National Trust village of Chiddingstone but not before crossing the Bough Beech Reservoir
We do need to take care and not miss this little turning on our left for Winkhurst Green and Tonbridge
And again another interesting junction, follow the road round to the right
Some information about Bough Beech Reservoir, it is owned and operated by SES water
and until recently was home to a nature reserve run by Kent Wildlife Trust
It still a wildlife haven and attracts birds and bird watchers alike
If you love exploring, I cannot recommend the OS Maps app enough.
Access to detailed maps, with public rights of way at your fingertips.
I'll pop a link in the descriptions so you can find out more
Our next junction, and a we're heading right. Again no sign post to assist us.
It is another short section before we turn left in front of this Kentish oast house.
That's the building with the conical shaped rood with a white top that would have rotated with the wind.
Once a common site in Kent and the south east of England, built for the drying and storing of hops using in the brewing process
Now more likely converted into homes
And our next turn, this time to the right, and signposted Chiddingstone, and a tourist sign for Chiddingstone Castle.
And now we cross the railway line that runs into Edenbridge
and today a very special train is running on this line The Flying Scotsman
Unfortunately no time for us to stop and catch a glimpse
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And now, another bridge, this one over the River Eden on its way to join the River Medway.
We will meet up with it again when we reach Edenbridge
On our right we're passing Larkin's brewery. A low volume independent brewery that grows its own hops.
And here's another Oast house
At this junction we're turning right
And now we reach the outskirts of Chiddingstone and we spot the first problem - parking
So let's drive through and see if we can find a space
So, as I mentioned, this is a National Trust village I'll pop a link in the description to their page on Chiddingstone.
The National Trust bought the village in 1939 and own everything except the school, the church and the castle.
The National Trust consider it as 'the best example of a Tudor village left in the country'
The original High Street would have continued straight on, but I will explain why we are now heading around to the right in a moment.
I think I have spotted a space. And this is 11am on a Thursday morning
And that is the Castle Inn
And this is St Mary's Church
It has 13th-century origins but was substantially rebuilt in the 14th-century with the west tower added in the 15th
A lightning strike in 1624 destroyed all but the tower. The church was rebuilt and rededicated in 1629
Of course we have to wander through the cemetery Anyone who knows Janis, knows there's no avoiding that.
It may not surprise you but Chiddingstone has made it into the movies. The most notable being 'A Room With A View'
There is something rather beautiful about this historic village
Now lets go an discover the Chiddingstone
Is this the Chiddingstone? I have heard it's an actual thing
No; this is the Chiddingstone But what is it?
legend has it it's a druid altar, and Anglo-Saxon boundary marker or a place of punishment for nagging wives
Who knows? I don't that's for sure
So what do we know about Chiddingstone?
Well, it was given to Bishop Odo in 1072, an ally of William the Conquerer And that it appears in the Domesday book
Anne Boleyn's father bought property in Chiddingstone, before the family fell out of favour
The Streatfeilds bought a house on the High Street 1584, that many, many, years later would become the castle
In the 1800s Henry Streatfeild changed the high street so the riff-raff would not encrouch on his property - The Castle
Hence the sharpe turn at the end of the street
This is the Castle Inn, where you can sample some of Larkin's beers. You know it hasn't travelled far
Actually I was good - driving an all - I missed the opportunity.
Let's go and take a look at the castle.
And I should mention it's not a real castle.
It was never build to defend anything. Just a a rather grand manor house
It's last private owner, Denys Eyre Bower, bought the castle in 1955 as a place to house his private art collection.
and when he died in 1977 he wanted to leave it to the National Trust, but they declined it as it did not come with an endowment
Instead, it passed to a charitable trust. It still houses the art collection, and you can visit on specific dates.
Once again I will drop a link in the description below with more details
And you may notice, at the end of the lake is a small bridge, we will be crossing that in a moment as I uncover a little tip for you.
So what do you think, is Chiddingstone worth a visit? Leave us a comment we'd love to know.
So we are back in the care again, and about to head on to our final destination of this half, Hever Castle
but let me show you something before we leave Chiddingstone
We are continuing in the same direction of travel
and we are now about to cross that small stone bridge at the end of the castle lake
If we continue up to the crossroads and turn left
Follow this road up and turn left again at the sign for Chiddingstone Castle
You will find an adequately sized car park, that is just a short walk from the village centre
There is an honesty box, with a suggestion for a three pound donation, I think that's fair don't you?
and why not treat yourself to a nice cup of tea and a slice of cake at the Castle Tea Room
Jeez, I am stary to sound like Worzel Gummidge now
Okay, time to get back onto our route
Heading back to the crossroads, and we are going straight across. If you have left the village you will be turning right.
That reminds me I must put together a video on sucking eggs
At the junction we will be turning left, following the signs for Hever, Edenbridge & Westerham
The next junction is not difficult, you just need to be aware of it
In essence we are going straight on, past the Wheatsheaf Pub So a left turn, of sorts
The menu at the Wheatsheaf looks good, but their website doesn't mention its beers - always an oversight in my mind
and there's another oast houses on our left
I am loving the open road on a day like today Just like the two motorcyclists up ahead
So are you tempted so far?
If not then we have one more place to show you on this half of the road trip, and that's Hever Castle
and it should be here over to our left
At busy times you may be directed to the overflow car park on the right
So another look from a previous visit, and I'll pop the full video for that up at the end. For now let's take a little look around
This was the Childhood home of Anne Boyelyn, and one of the places Henry VIII would have tried to woo her
I will pop a link in the description to the Hever Castle & Gardens site where you can find the ticket prices.
There are a couple of options, a ticket for the Castle & gardens, or just the gardens.
If you have not been before we would recommend the joint ticket, because the castle is certainly worth visiting.
but the gardens are also magnificent in their own right.
and if you do want to make this your stopover location then I'll put a link in the description to a couple of places that I'll think you'll love.
Anyway, that brings this half of the roadtrip to a close.
I really hope you like what we put together.
Don't forget to subscribe and hit that notification bell so you don't miss part 2
Until then, stay safe, stay well and happy travels