europeannovice

Okay--I am trying to narrow down our "must see" list and I realize we will not be able to see all the things on my list in Kent/East Sussex so I am asking for help again. There are just too many places to choose.

Between Hever Castle and Sissinghurst--which do you recommend keeping on our list?

We can allocate a day to do Rye, Bodiam and Battle and then another for
Chartwell and Hever but that would leave Sissinghurst out in this scenario. Have other things planned for other days that are not in the same or nearby locations. I am trying to group things geographically or close enough in proximity.

Instead we can do Rye, Bodiam and Sissinghurst and keep Chartwell and Hever paired together for a different day and leave out Battle? However, I think DH would like to visit Battle and listen to the audio guide.

So my next thought is to combine Chartwell and Sissinghurst and then keep the Rye, Bodiam and Battle day leaving out Hever. However, I read that the gardens at Hever are great and the grounds extensive with a man made lake etc. although the castle is small in comparison to others. Please help to sort this out so I can get good combinations and not feel like we missed a really great sight.

janisj

Of all those properties I'd put Battle at the bottom of the list . . . but your husband's 'must list' should probably take precedence.

The order of my "Musts" from this short list would be
1) Sissinghurst (<u>especially</u> if you are into Gardens)
2) Chartwell (especially if you are into WWII and Churchill)
3) Bodiam - just a lovely place. (But I might squeeze Scotney Castle in here since it is in the same general Bodiam/Sissinghurst area)
4) Hever or Rye (mostly depends on which part of the county I am in at the time) Hever would just slightly be on top.
5) Battle

anicecupoftea

There isn't a lot to see in Battle - a small visitors centre with a few artifacts and a video, then walk round the grounds of the old Abbey with an audio guide. It's up to your imagination when standing on the path overlooking the valley to conjure up the picture of the battle. And there is dispute over whether that was the actual site. The town itself is sweet, but nothing special. If you have free time, it's worth an hour or so, but not at the expense of great houses and gardens.

europeannovice

Okay I will speak to DH and get his opinion of course. We do want to visit Sissinghurst and we do have an interest in WWII and Churchill (We loved the Cabinet War Rooms and Blenheim Palace) and are looking forward to visiting Chartwell.

Are these then doable over a two day span?

Chartwell and Hever (squeeze in Penshurst if possible)

Rye, Bodiam and Sissinghurst--is this combo doable in a day?

Certainly would't be able to also see Battle here, right? Too much for one day I would think. Two things are certainly possible, three maybe depending on how much time you spend on each but four just doesn't sound feasible at all unless each item takes only a short while. From what I read Sissinghurst is good for at least 2-3 hours, Bodiam 1-2 or maybe longer if they have something going on that day and then Rye another 2-3. That is a full day right there without counting travel time between the sites.

europeannovice

Another possibility so DH can get to hear the audio guides of theories of the battle that formed England and visit the Battle site is this:

Chartwell and Hever
Sissinghurst, Bodiam and Battle and leave out Rye?

We will have both a National Trust Pass and an English Heritage Pass--Hever is on neither and I don't know if that should factor into the equation? Decisions, decisions. Appreciate all your feedback.

nini

We visited the Kent area last September and Chartwell was at the top of our list. Stayed at Sissinghurst (there is a B&B there) for two nights. We saw Scotney, Knole, Bateman Cottage but did not see Hever. What we experienced was slow driving in the area( villages with narrow roads and cars parked on both sides) and in the late afternoon traffic from those commuting home from work in London. We had hoped to see more houses and gardens but in the end just had to slow down and scale back our plans.

anicecupoftea

Have you discounted Ightham Mote? I'd put that ahead of Hever. I'd drop Rye - yes it's full of ancient shops and houses, but there are loads of Kent and Sussex villages which are just as pretty and quintessentially English, but far less crowded, eg Chiddingstone or Cranbrook.

So, an alternative suggestion:
1. Chartwell and Ightham Mote.
2. Whistlestop tour of Battle, then Bodiam, and Sissinghurst.

Your first day is houses, 2nd days is history, castle and gardens. To get the village feel, add either Chiddingstone to day 1 or Cranbrook to day 2.

europeannovice

Ightham Mote is on our list but as of now I have it paired with Wisley on arrival day. That may be overly ambitious and may not be feasible. We might have to drop Hever and pair Chartwell with Ightham instead on another day. Thanks, that sounds like a good option. Would also like to see Penshurst Place too but as we all said before--we can't see everything.

I think to accommodate DH "must see" list we may just drop Rye as you suggest and do Battle, Bodiam and Sissinghurst.

Anicecupoftea--You and Annhig I believe have recommended Chiddingstone---I have to do some more research on that.

I also read that there is a Bodiam Boating Station or the Kent/East Sussex Railway that you can take to Bodiam Castle as well. Adds more time but might be interesting too.

PalenQ

Rye I thought was exceptional, more so than the other places you list IME.

I really liked Battle - the tiny village and the evocative battle field you can walk thru with interpretative signs - a romantic ruined abbey hovers over it.

I've been to Sissinghurst and Hever and both are neat but not IMO real awesome - but they do not take long if you are by car. If I had to chose I'd take Hever, in a more bucolic setting than suburban-like Seven Oaks.

europeannovice

Pal--You are making the decisions difficult

I want to see it all but obviously we won't have time for everything and something has to give. I would like to see Rye but since DH is keen on visiting Battle--and we all want to visit Sissinghurst and Bodiam Castle--it is hard to squeeze it all in. There are just so many wonderful choices!

PalenQ

european novice - I had a brain malfunction - I have not been to Sissinghurst but got it mixed up with Ightham Mote, which is in Seven Oaks and which IMO is nice but not nearly as awesome as say Bodium Castle.

AlReady2Go

We did both Chartwell and Hever Castle last September and loved both. We did it at somewhat of a leisure pace. We took the train from London to Edenbridge and had a taxi (Edenbridge taxi/car service) picked us up there. Steve was a wonderful driver and resource for the area. He delivered us to chartwell and kept our luggage in his car. When we had finished a lovely visit and a nice lunch on the terrace restaurant at the visitors center, we called Steve and he was quick to pick us up. Took us on a brief sightseeing tour on our way to Hever Castle which included a few local tidbits about the area. We had booked rooms at Hever Castle...the Tulip Room was our favorite. After checking in we did a tour of the castle..lovely and interesting history. After a brief rest we walked about 5 minutes out the main gate and had a very lovely dinner in the Henry VIII pub. Food was very good and the candle lite atmosphere very inviting.
The next morning breakfast was served in the beautiful Tudor dinning room of the castle and it was truly a gourmet breakfast in an outstanding setting. After breakfast we toured the gardens of the castle for about an hour or more before Steve picked us up for our ride to Seven Oaks train station and our return to London. We had planned to tour Knole but the weather became very rainy and windy but it would have been easy to do. We did not want to drive so the car service/taxi was ideal and not more than a rental car would be. If you're driving, this itinerary would be very easy.