Chiddingstone Castle

Chiddingstone village is a trip down memory lane. My mum used to take me there a lot and I can remember walking around the church and the tiny village.

As soon as lockdown was lifted a little further, Mr Poachie and I hopped in the car and headed over to the one street Tudor village. Its not too far from where we live and in the same way that I get cranky if I am tired and hungry, I can also be a bit tetchy if I feel I haven't done anything creative.

It was one of the problems I felt the most when lockdown first started as I remember feeling anxious about what life would look like but I thought back then that it would be ok, as I could still go out and take pictures. In fact I was quite excited by that prospect as I thought it meant that I could go and take pictures without lots of other people around! 

Sadly, the National Trust shut their doors and BoJo said we all had to stay indoors. So instead of taking photos of Kent I stayed indoors and did a hella lot of baking and photographed cakes! Needless to say I'm carrying a little lockdown weight...

I was actually once considering moving to Chiddingstone Castle when I separated from my husband I was looking to move out and saw a room to rent on Rightmove. It was so random to think about living in castle! I never ended up viewing the room as I had found a place to rent by then but I'm not sure if living there would have been amazing or very creepy at night!

This is the beautiful orangery. I think it is my favourite feature of the castle.

Once we had finished wandering around the castle grounds we went for a wander up through the village which is literally just a street. Its now owned by the National Trust.

There is also a really nice pub here which is great in the winter because of the roaring log fires and old wooden beams but great in the summer with a nice beer garden out the back.

When we visit Chiddingstone we sometimes tie it in with a visit to Penshurst or Hever Castle as they are all a short drive from each other. So you can spend the day going from castle to castle and feeling more Tudor with every step.

I really love where I live!