About 1 hour 30 minutes from London is beautiful Hever Castle.

Hever Castle was the ancestral home of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s second wife. The castle is not huge on the scale of the Tower of London or Windsor but a fortified house with a moat. In the early 20th Century the house was purchased by the Astor family and it was decorated to their tastes retaining much of the Tudor style. Allow about 1 hour 30 minutes to explore the house and beautiful gardens.

Which vineyard we visit may depend on guests’ preference and availability of winery tour. Gren Tours’ favourite Winery near Hever is Bluebell Vineyard Estates. It offers in-house tours and the all important tastings. Of the 10,000 acres of vines in Britain, a quarter is planted in East and West Sussex. These counties are on a geological area known as the Artois Wealden anticline which also cover part of northern France. With a similar geology and climate to the Champagne region, the south east of England is ideal for growing grapes that are used in sparkling wines that are winning international competitions. The Hindleap sparkling range from Bluebell include a classic Cuvee and Seyval Blanc. The Ashdown still range include a Bacchus and a merlot.