Set in 500 acres of parkland and gardens, the oldest part of Leeds Castle is 900 years and was used by successive Queens of England. King Henry VIII did stay here at one time. It became used less and less by monarchs and the castle was last occupied by a woman known as Lady Baillie in the early 20th Century. The castle surround by the moat and gardens is a beautiful setting. There remain some medieval style rooms reflecting a little Tudor history but most rooms are decorated to Lady Baillie’s tastes in the early 20th Century.

Lunch en-route from Leeds Castle, it takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to 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.

About 1 hour 30 minutes back to central London.