YANT Holidays 2021
Holidays Organiser: holidays@yant.org.uk
East Kent
6th – 10th September 2021
Woolsthorpe Manor and Newton's Tree
Dover Castle, Roman Pharos & St Mary-in-Castro and YANT On Tour
Walmer Castle
Hever Castle
Sissinghurst
Leeds Castle - and a Tours Organiser relaxing at last
Wimpole Estate
Photographs courtesy of Peter Drew, Valerie Black and Linda Robinson
In early September we embarked on a journey to East Kent calling at Woolsthorpe Manor, a 17th century Yeoman’s farmhouse in Lincolnshire and the family home of Isaac Newton where he conducted his experiments in light using a prism to split sunlight into colours. On an interesting guided tour, we were shown the apple tree from which a falling apple is believed to have inspired his theory of gravity. We continued to our hotel in Folkestone which was ideally situated on the Leas, a unique cliff top promenade affording views across the Channel.
On our first day we visited Dover Castle where some of us undertook a multi-media tour of the Wartime Tunnels, built during the Napoleonic Wars these were used during WWII’s Operation Dynamo. The Great Tower, furnished as the medieval palace of Henry II and the surrounding earthworks hewn into the chalk were formidable. In the afternoon we were given a horticultural tour of the gardens of Walmer Castle with time to explore this once Tudor fortress, now the stately home for the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and venture onto the nearby shingle beach.
The following morning equipped with audio guides we explored Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, whose relationship with Henry VIII changed the course of English history. The castle restored by William Waldorf Astor in the early 20th century houses a fine collection of Tudor portraits, antique furniture and a number of personal items which belonged to Anne including prayer books and a beautifully illuminated Book of Hours. We continued to Sissinghurst to view the famous gardens created by the poet and writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson, author and diplomat. Designed as a series of enclosed gardens or “garden rooms” these contain an assemblage of internationally renowned plant collections.
The final day began with a visit to Leeds Castle, built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len this was reminiscent of a French château. The simple stone structure was constructed at the time of the Normans and has seen a number of Kings and Queens in residence including Edward I and Henry VIII’s first wife Catherine of Aragon for whom it was much transformed. We were given an informative guided tour and some time to explore the gardens and for those who were interested a Dog Collar museum. Later we had free time in Canterbury, originally built by the Romans and encircled by ancient walls with some of us visiting the Cathedral, the headquarters of the Church of England and Anglican Communion, a site of pilgrimage since the middle ages and of the martyrdom of Thomas Becket.
On our return journey we visited Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire, a Georgian mansion with stunning interiors set within a working estate with acres of parkland, a walled kitchen garden and 18th century model farm which is home to a number of rare breeds of animals. We were returned safely if not slowly to York, given a hold up on the A1 which our capable driver expertly circumnavigated, reflecting that we had been blessed with glorious weather, a knowledgeable and helpful guide, and the convivial company of our fellow travellers and friends both old and new.
Anne Richardson
Holiday Itinerary: East Kent
6th – 10th September 2021
from £725.00
Monday 6 September 2021
We depart by coach from York and journey south, stopping en-route for refreshments (not included). We will visit Woolsthorpe Manor (NT), the birthplace in 1642 of Sir Isaac Newton and where he made many of his most important discoveries about light and gravity in the plague years of 1666-7.
We continue to our hotel, the 3-star Best Western Clifton Hotel in Folkestone. Dinner is served this evening.
Tuesday 7 September 2021
After breakfast we visit Dover Castle. The Castle’s position commands the shortest sea crossing between England and the Continent, which has given it immense strategic importance. The chalk of Castle Hill has been shaped and reshaped over the centuries into massive earthworks, ditches and mounds. Imposing walls and towers have been raised and networks of tunnels built beneath them. King Henry II began the building of the present castle in the 1180s, and over the next 800 years its buildings and defences were adapted to meet the changing demands of weapons and warfare. Here we shall enter the rooms of the Great Tower, and discover the fascinating underground Wartime Tunnels along with a guided tour of the Underground hospital. Please note there is a 500m uphill/downhill walk from the coach park to the entrance. There is a Land Train which circulates every 20 minutes however the Land Train does not run to/from the car park. There are a limited number of manual wheelchairs and mobility scooters available – please advise if this is something you require. Access to the Medieval Tunnels (Underground works) is via a steep slope and spiral staircase only, entry to the Wartime Tunnels is down a steep slope and there is a ramped access to the ground floor of the Great Tower however the upper floors are via spiral staircase.
Later we visit Walmer Castle, which was originally built as a Tudor fortress but evolved into a stately home for the Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports, and became the residence of famous names from the Duke of Wellington to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Our main focus is on the gardens, which have been rejuvenated thanks to a £2.3m restoration project. Begun by William Pitt the Younger in 1802, over the years parts fell into decay. The last major addition was in 1997, when Penelope Hobhouse made a new garden to celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the then Lord Warden. Over the course of our guided tour we will see how dilapidated areas of the garden have been brought back to life and view the new features that have been added to make this a very modern garden experience. Dinner is served at our hotel this evening.
Wednesday 8 September 2021
This morning following breakfast we visit Hever Castle and Gardens. Once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, it formed the unlikely backdrop to a sequence of tumultuous events that changed the course of Britain’s history, monarchy and religion. Its panelled rooms house fine furniture, tapestries, antiques and what is regarded as ‘one of the best collections of Tudor portraits after the National Portrait Gallery’ by David Starkey. The Book of Hours Room beautifully illuminates two prayer books which belonged to Anne Boleyn and bear her inscriptions and signature. Today, much of what you see is the result of the remarkable efforts of William Waldorf Astor, who used his fortune to restore and extend the Castle in the early 20th century. The Astor Suite is dedicated to its more recent history, showcasing pictures and memorabilia relating to the Astor family and the Edwardian period. The spectacular gardens were laid out between 1904 and 1908 by Joseph Cheal and Son, turning marshland into the spectacular gardens you see today. One of the most magnificent areas of the gardens is the Italian Garden, which was designed to display William Waldorf Astor’s collection of Italian sculpture and includes the colourful walled Rose Garden with its 3000 plants.
This afternoon we visit the magnificently manicured gardens of Sissinghurst. This famous garden was created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson from 1930 onwards and became the most admired English Garden of its time. Few great gardens live up to their reputations so effortlessly as this. Sissinghurst is a large connoisseurs’ garden consisting of a series of small romantic areas enclosed by the surviving parts of an Elizabethan mansion. It never disappoints its visitors, it has the power of enchantment, but it is also an unending source of inspiration for all gardeners. Sissinghurst is surely as close to gardening perfection as you can get, and it continues to be one of the most-copied flower gardens in the world.
Dinner is served at our hotel this evening.
Thursday 9 September 2021
Following breakfast our first visit today is to Leeds Castle. Leeds Castle has been a Norman stronghold; the private property of six of England’s medieval queens; a palace used by Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon; a Jacobean country house; a Georgian mansion; an elegant early 20th century retreat for the influential and famous; and in the 21st century, it has become one of the most visited historic buildings in Britain. A private guided tour of the Castle is included. Afterwards you will be free to wander around the gardens.
Later we will travel to Canterbury for free time. You may want to visit Canterbury Cathedral, one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England, Canterbury Castle, one of the three original Royal castles of Kent or Canterbury Roman Museum, where you can find many excavated artefacts from Roman Canterbury (entrances not included).
We return to hotel at an agreed time for dinner.
Friday 10 September 2021
Following breakfast we check out of our hotel. We start our journey north, breaking our journey at Wimpole Estate (NT). The house was built in 1640 and is the largest house in Cambridgeshire. The house is surrounded by 3000 acres of grounds which have been modified by landscape designers such as Capability Brown. The grounds include a Walled Garden filled with fruit, vegetables and herbaceous borders and a Dutch Garden which was established in 1980.
We continue our journey north to York.
