Visit with Southeastern

Nearest station: Sevenoaks

Onward journey: 30 min walk through Sevenoaks town centre and uphill to Knole.

Knole is a 600-year-old estate set in Kent’s last medieval deer park, offering grand courtyards, tranquil gardens, and wild deer roaming its vast parkland. Once an archbishop’s palace and now home to the Sackville family, it features showrooms filled with artworks by Reynolds and Van Dyck, and rare 17th-century tapestries and furniture.

Visitors can climb the Gatehouse Tower for panoramic views, explore the life of Eddy Sackville-West, and watch conservation in action at the Royal Oak Foundation Studio (Wednesday to Saturday).

Show a valid train ticket for 2 for 1 entry and a 20% discount in the shop.

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Nearest station: Dover Priory

Onward journey: 40 minute walk or catch the bus and follow signed pathways up to the cliffs.

The White Cliffs of Dover offer breathtaking views across the English Channel, with far-reaching vistas toward the French coast. The best way to experience their beauty is by walking the coastal path to South Foreland Lighthouse, where you’ll also encounter rare chalk grassland wildlife, including the chalkhill blue butterfly and pyramidal orchid and be rewarded with a visit to a Victorian lighthouse and the first to display an electric light anywhere in the world.

Steeped in national history, the cliffs played a vital defensive role during both World Wars. Hidden within the chalk is Fan Bay Deep Shelter, a network of Second World War tunnels, gun emplacements and sound mirrors that offers a fascinating glimpse into Britain’s wartime past.

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Nearest station: Staplehurst

Onward journey: Taxi or bus or cycle to Sissinghurst village and then follow to footpath and quiet county lanes.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden, transformed in the 1930s by poet Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson, reflects the romance and intimacy of her writing through its beautifully planned garden rooms and vibrant planting. Once a prison and later home to the women’s land army, the estate has a rich and varied history, now being carefully restored to reflect Vita and Harold’s original vision.

Visitors can enjoy sweeping views from the Tower, explore the working farm, and wander the 450-acre estate. Changes across the garden highlight ongoing research and conservation efforts to honour its literary and horticultural legacy.

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Nearest station: Borough Green & Wrotham or Sevenoaks

Onward Journey: 1 hour scenic walk on the Greensand Way, pre-ordered 'Go to Sevenoaks' bus or short taxi ride

Hidden in a peaceful Kent valley, Ightham Mote is a beautifully preserved medieval moated manor house built nearly 700 years ago from Kentish ragstone and Wealden oak. Its architecture traces the evolution of the English country house, while stories of its former residents evoke the warmth of a once-cherished family home.

Surrounded by tranquil gardens with natural springs, streams, and flower-filled borders, the estate also offers scenic walks through secret glades and countryside views, making it a perfect escape into history and nature.

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Nearest station: Etchingham

Onward journey: 30 minute bus journey

Bateman’s, nestled in the wooded Sussex Weald, was an instant love for Rudyard Kipling and his wife, Carrie, who called it “the only She.” This 17th-century house, with its mullioned windows and oak beams, became Kipling’s sanctuary and creative haven, inspiring works like Puck of Pook’s Hill and If. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907, Kipling filled the home with Indian artefacts, Persian rugs, and oak furniture, all still in place today.

Described by Kipling as “untouched and unfaked,” Bateman’s retains the warmth of a lived-in family home, as if the Kiplings have just stepped out. Visitors can explore rooms rich in literary history and soak in the atmosphere that shaped one of Britain’s most iconic writers.

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Nearest station: Robertsbridge or Hastings

Onward journey: Pre-ordered taxi from Robertsbridge or 30 min bus from Hastings.

Set in the heart of a historic landscape, 14th-century Bodiam Castle is one of Britain’s most romantic and picturesque ancient monuments. Surrounded by a wide moat and featuring spiral staircases, battlements, and a rare original wooden portcullis, its dramatic exterior remains largely untouched.

Inside, visitors can explore arrow slits, lookout towers, and atmospheric ruins that evoke the lives of knights and castle dwellers. Bodiam invites you to relive childhood adventures and let your imagination roam through its storied walls and scenic courtyard.

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