Hello All!
In April We are arriving from the US to Heathrow around 9am and need to ward off jet lag. We are renting a car and staying in Rye. Should we visit Scotney Castle, Hever Castle, or Penshurst Place? I can’t decide! We appreciate historic interiors of all eras but especially enjoy gardens and landscaping. Thank you!
Posted by
Land of La
9407 posts
So with jet lag you are driving from Heathrow to Rye?
Posted by
London
185 posts
I've not heard of Scotney Castle, but Hever Castle and Penshurst Place are both very nice. However, my favourite castles/homes in Kent are:
-Knole- beautiful interiors, and a huge deer park, great for walking around
-Chartwell- former home of Winston Churchill, interiors basically as he left it, and lovely gardens
-Sissinghurst Castle Garden- former home of Vita Sackville-West, the most amazing gardens in the UK in my opinion (not much to see of the interior- basically a ruined castle tower- but very cool inside)
-Leeds Castle- an old castle that was modernised and used up until the 20th C, very nice interiors and huge grounds
-Dover Castle- not for historic interiors or grounds, but for the WW2-era tunnels (tho the rest of the castle is nice too)
-Bodiam Castle- this one is a ruin (no roof or interiors) but the exteriors are mostly intact and it is pretty much the platonic ideal of a castle (with a moat)
If you are staying in Rye, I also recommend visiting Camber Sands (nice sandy beach area) and taking the mini steam train out to Dungeness from Hythe. Good luck!
Posted by
93 posts
Claudia is correct about the driving. Unless you are an expert on driving on the left, driving more than 2 1/2 hours on the left on the London ring road when you are jet lagged is a really bad idea. Assuming you are American, you assume that driving is as easy as it is in the States. It isn't. Roads are more crowded; are often narrower even if 2 lanes; and can be single track with 2 way traffic. I have driven in that area and it can be a challenge. I have been to Hever Castle (which I do recommend), but it is located on smaller roads as will any of the places you are considering.
My question is can you train somewhere closed and pick up your rental car there? Even Gatwick would be better since it is closer to Rye and the drive can be done without the M25. You could stop at Royal Turnbridge Wells to break it up. Maybe go spend a day or 2 in Canterbury and then pick up the rental car. Consider your options.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Y’all are so sweet to be concerned and helpful. Thankfully this is our 6th trip to the UK and it will be our 6th time to drive about the highways and country roads. We are from Texas (where we drive for hours) and last time we arrived early morning in LHR, and drove from there to York, with sweet stops to two villages and one delicious Farm Shop Cafe. So Rye should not be an issue. I just wanted the best lovely stop along the way. Thank you Cat VH!