Wednesday 12th October 2022
I've been sleeping really well at my friend's house and today I woke up later than usual. Perhaps it's the Autumn light that's making me think I need to go into hibernate mode. But the sun was out today giving me the perfect sky backdrop for a visit to a nearby castle.
The Leeds castle is known as one of the prettiest castles in England and I really enjoyed the 20th century take on the medieval buildings. It is called Leeds because from 857, the site was owned by a Saxon chief called Led or Leed who built a wooden structure on two islands in the middle of the River Len. It's in the Kent County though so it confused me a little.
The 500 acres of gardens are magnificent and the castle has ruins and living areas because of the passion of the last private owner, Lady Baillie who had three husbands but remained devoted to her castle. She renovated the buildings and today's display was set to the 1930s theme, which I enjoyed. It made it seem liveable at least, and some of the families belongings are on display. It's expensive to get in though at £32 per adult. But my lovely friend refused to let me pay my way in.
We wandered round the buildings with friendly staff on hand should we have questions and I of course, took many pictures. There is a golf course on the grounds, and the old stables have been converted into accommodation and it's known as a popular wedding venue in the summer. I was surprised by how busy it was being a random weekday with mostly local people visiting. There is a maze too which we didn't walk through but I did try the Raptor center which was unfortunately closed due to Avian flu. I did see a massive owl in one of the cages though.
All the fresh air made us hungry so we drove to a nearby village and had a late lunch at a quaint pub. I'm still in awe at it all.
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