Back Roads Great Britain (Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

DRIVE 9: The Garden of England 107

DAY TRIP OPTIONS

Discover Kent’s history and country-

side from Hythe, Battle or Pluckley.

Coastal Marshes

In Hythe, 5 see its fine church, then

buy provisions and head to the

beach with a picnic. Next take the

steam railway to New Romney 6

and on to Dungeness for a walk on

the shingles and some birdspotting.

This trip doesn’t require any driving.

War and Peace

At Battle t, see the Abbey and walk

the field where the decisive battle in

the last successful invasion of

England took place. Next, head for a

peaceful lunch in the wonderful

house and gardens of Great Dixter

r, before climbing the battlements

of 14th-century Bodiam Castle e.

Retrace the driving directions to Great

Dixter and Bodiam Castle. To return,

head north-east to A21, then south.

Ghosts, Gardens and Castles

Stay in the haunted village of

Pluckley 4 , then go to see the

wonderful gardens and ancient

buildings of Sissinghurst Castle 0.

Drive through pretty Goudhurst q

to Scotney Castle and if there is time,

go to Bewl Water w for a lakeside

stroll or a cycle ride.

Head south out of Pluckley, turn right on

A28 and right on the A262. Retrace the

journey to return to Pluckley.

Above left Bewl Water, the largest reservoir

in southeast England Above right The almost

complete exterior of Bodiam Castle

EAT AND DRINK

GOUDHURST

Taywell Farm Shop inexpensive

Fabulous farm shop with home-made

produce and some delicious ice cream.

Stock up for the perfect picnic.

Cranbrook Road, TN17 1DY; 01580 211

881; http://www.taywell.co.uk

AROUND BEWL WATER

The Bistro inexpensive

This well-established restaurant in a

vineyard is open for breakfast, lunch and

cream teas. Try spit-roast chicken and

lamb shanks and take home local wine

and cheese from the shop.

The Down, Lamberhurst, TN3 8ER

(from Bewl Water turn left on the A21,

over the roundabout keeping straight

on for 2 km/3 miles); 01892 890 412;

http://www.lamberhurstvineyard.net

BATTLE

Nobles moderate

Good centre of town restaurant with

menus featuring local produce – try the

Romney Marsh lamb. It has a terrace for

sunny days and the set menus are great

value. Probably best to book ahead.

17 High Street, TN33 0AE; 01424 774

422; http://www.noblesrestaurant.co.uk

t Battle

Kent; TN33 0AD

At Battle Abbey (open daily) stretch

your legs with a stroll around the 100-

acre battlefield where the Normans

defeated the English in 1066: the

audio tour is excellent. The Abbey

itself was largely destroyed during the

16th-century Dissolution of the

Monasteries. The market town of

Battle sprang up around the Abbey

and merits a short visit. Go down

memory lane at Yesterday’s World

(open daily), a museum of social

history. A country market is held every

Friday morning in the memorial hall.

e Bodiam Castle
Kent; TN32 5UA
When it comes to castles, few live up
to the ideal as well as Bodiam Castle
(Feb–Nov: open daily; Dec–Jan: open Sat &
Sun). Built in 1385 by the River Rother
to defend the coast – now some miles
away – it saw little action. A square
bastion with corner towers and a
carp-filled moat, the castle has been
the backdrop to films such as Monty
Python and the Holy Grail. Re-enact
swashbuckling movie moments on
the battlements, spiral staircases, and
gatehouse with original portcullis.
ª From the car park turn left over the
river and take first left. At a staggered
junction turn left for Great Dixter
House and Gardens. Park in the free
on-site car park.

by Nathaniel Lloyd in 1909. He

transported another, similar Tudor

house from Benenden nearby and

commissioned the Arts and Crafts

architect Edwin Lutyens, to meld

them together and plan the gardens.

Nathaniel’s son, the garden writer

Christopher Lloyd, was born here in

1906 and made the gardens some of

the most inspiring in Britain, using

innovative planting techniques. Since

his death in 2006, Great Dixter has

been managed by a charitable trust.

ª Head back to town and take the A28

south. Turn right and follow the signs

to Battle. Park by the Abbey.

then turn right on the A229 and left on
the B2244. Turn left to Bodiam Castle,
signed and with on-site parking.

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under £25; moderate, £25–£50; expensive, over £50

r Great Dixter
Kent; TN31 6PH
A beautiful medieval hall house,
Great Dixter (open Apr–Oct: Tue–Sun;
garden 11–5pm; house 2–5pm) is in fact
the amalgam of two buildings. The
original half-timbered house, built
between 1440 and 1454, was bought