Help with Kent itinerary
 

Our trip across the pond is rapidly approaching! We'll be in Kent for 4 nights, staying in Canterbury, and have narrowed down a list of places we'd like to visit. I'm hoping to get some help putting together our days. My husband and I have, in the past, been somewhat aggressive while touring the UK. This time, however, we'll have our 17 month old daughter with us.
So here's the list:

Scotney Castle
Sissinghurst
Bodiam
Hever
Penhurst
Dover Castle
Hatfield House -maybe

We'll arrive in the afternoon on the 15th and will take the rest of that day and the 16th to explore Canterbury. We depart the morning of the 19th so we have essentially 2 days to visit these places. Any help at all is greatly appreciated-TIA!

Do try to include Knole, that enormous pile with many, many rooms of interest.
But Hatfield House isn't in Kent; it's north of London, in Herts.

Hi Ani
A definite castle theme going on there! Being born and bought up in Kent I'm sure I have visited most of those at some point. Hever and Dover would probably be the best, but are in opposite directions.
You may well find that you can see all you need in Canterbury in your first afternoon and the next morning and then spend the afternoon at Dover Castle (about 30 mins by car, assuming you are hiring one - if not trains are direct to Dover from Canterbury). Have you considered Leeds Castle (near Maidstone - not Leeds which is about 300 miles away!), a very beautiful castle? Also Rochester may be worth half a day - castle/cathedral and lots of references to Charles Dickens who lived there for part of his life. The Charles Dickens centre and Guildhall in the High Street are worth visiting (http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Travel/.../Rochester.htm). Close by is the Historic Dockyard in Chatham where Nelson's Flagship HMS Victory was built (www.chdt.org.uk).
Avoid the rest of the 'Medway Towns'!

If your 17 month old is likely to enjoy the seaside then there is alot of nice coastline very close to Canterbury - Whitstable (15 mins drive) is a fairly typical old English fishing town.

Hope I haven't made an already busy schedule even worse!!!

Have a good trip
Doug

Thanks for the info on Hatfield House, Underhill...we'll scratch it!

Doug-Thanks for your input...our main interest is in Henry VIII, Eliz I, etc-mostly pre 1650 but thank you for your suggestions-we sort of feel as though we'll have a tough enough time trying to get all of those on our list accomplished as it is. We did consider Leeds but after reading so many slightly disappointed reviews thought we would pass.

Since your interest is in the late Tudors, try to get up to Hatfield House if you can: prime Elizabeth I territory, with the splendid "Ermine" portrait, if I remember correctly. It's worth the trip and not that far by the autoroute.

Near Knole, and better than it, is Ightham Mote. Also nearby, and not to be missed IMO, is Chartwell, Churchill's home...

Ani: even if you do want to concentrate on Tudor stuff -- Hatfield just doesn't fit. Save it for another trip when you can go there from London.

I'd do Canterbury the day you arrive and then wander around on the other evenings when you return from touring.

One terrific day would be Dover/Walmer/Deal. Dover Castle takes at least 1/2 a day but Walmer and Deal Castles are very close so you can easily do all 3 in one day -- and all are covered by the Great British Heritage Pass. Walmer and Deal were both built by Henry VIII. Deal is a fascinating round defensive castle. And Walmer is of the construction but was converted to a grand family home w/ gorgeous gardens.

Sissinghurst/Scotney/Bodiam and Byland Abbey can all be done on one day since they are very near each other - and all covered by the GBHP.

And Hever/Penshurst and Chartwell can all be done on one day (again, all GBHP properties) since they are practically neighbors.

Knole and Igtham Mote are also terrific - if you have 4 full days you have time to see them all.

Should read " . . . . Walmer is of the SAME construction . . . . "

De rigueur compliment to Penshurst Castle is nearby Battle, a cute town that was the scene of the battle of all times, at least as the future UK was cocnerned - the battle between William the Conqueror and the Saxon King Harold. Nice old abbey and park-like setting with lots of audio-guided stopping spots.

PalnQ: I think you are confusing Penshurst w/ someplace else. Penshurst is nowhere near Battle.

Could you mean Bodiam?????

Errrrr - Byland Abbey is in North Yorkshire Janis?

Oh - Duh! Of course -- now I sound like the pot calling the kettle black :)

I meant Bayham Abbey (I've been to both several times and know the difference but had a brain lock I guess)

Lol Janis - I was only teasing you coz you are always (well, almost always!) spot on!
M

Ani, We spent three weeks in the UK when our daughter was 18 mos old and quickly discovered that guided house tours plus toddler wasn't often a good combo. We devised a tag team scheme where one would entertain the baby while the other toured, then switch. It obviously meant that it took longer to visit each place than we'd meticulously planned. We also tried to maintain some minor semblance of a schedule for our daughter which also ate into touring time.

I'd plan to see the places as advised above but stay loose to incorporate the cranky child factor.

Have a great trip!

Thanks all!
Janis-super helpful info
obxgirl-thanks to you as well...have pretty much counted out trying to do anything that involves a formal tour, etc. Rileys' schedule will be totally shot, however, as she naps at 11am currently and is in bed at 6 pm. Clearly that's not going to happen. So we're planning on sort of playing that by ear.
Thanks again!

OOH - I forgot something you might enjoy. Not too far from Dover (maybe 15 miles) is the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park. It is a fabulous zoo in the 300 acre grounds of a beautiful house w/ gorgeous gardens.

BTW - it is also covered by the GBHP

Janis - yes a bad mistake from a bad memory - i was thinking of Pevensey Castle - Battle is still a great short day trip from Canterbury - never been to Pevensey Castle but pictures look great. Penhurst is just a few miles from Battle.

Janis-here's where I'm at now...
b/c we will be driving down from York we probably wont arrive in Canterbury and get settled until early afternoon at the earliest. We have the rest of the afternoon and evening to spend in Canterbury. That leaves us with 3 full days remaining. I want to do Dover and either Walmer or Deal AND the zoo on one of those days, Sissinghurst/Scotney/Bodiam on another and Hever/Penhurst on another. I'm HOPING that we'll have time either at the beginning or end of our day to explore more of Canterbury...do you think that would be possible or do I need to cut something out in order to get more time in Canterbury? Thanks again.

No - I think you'll be fine w/ that plan. None of the days are overfilled and of course things might change depending on weather, crankiness (of child OR parent :) ) or any number of things.

If you get an early start from York you can be in Canterbury before lunch, or just after if you stop enroute. So you'll have a full afternoon plus all the evenings.

As for your Dover/Walmer/Deal/Port Lympne day. You might actually be able to squeeze in all 4. Go to Deal and Walmer first. (a warning about the car park at Deal. It is a grass field right next to the castle and the entrance is just an opening in the fence w/ very small sign. easy to miss so be on the lookout for it) They are only 2 miles apart and only about 6 miles from Dover Castle. Then on to Dover around 11:30, have lunch there and tour the castle until about 3:30 or 4 p.m.. Then head to the zoo. The last zoo admission is at 5:00 p.m. but you can stay til after 6.

And on the Scotney/Bodiam/Sissinghurst day - Sissinghurst often (but not always) has timed tickets so I would go there first. If you can get right in, great. If not, buy tickets for later in the day and go to the other two before heading back to Sissinghurst.

Janis - to correct my reply - I said Penhurst is very close to Battle and it is - but it's just another village - when i indexed it on my Ordnance Survey map i mistakenly looked up Penhurst and it's a tiny village right by Battle and has a castle sign by it - but Penshurt is way over to the west nearer to London. Once again i correct a mistake, thanks.