Gems of the South - 3 Days
Southern England Tour

Dover Castle, Kent

For centuries the wealthy and aristocratic have built their great manor houses and castles South of London in Kent & Sussex, beautiful regions of orchards, copses & hop fields, splendid public gardens, delightful villages and towns.

Visit Knole, Henry Vlll's Tudor Mansion built around 7 courtyards, with 52 staircases and 365 rooms, and fairy-tale Leeds Castle, surrounded by a lake on your way to Canterbury, the "Cradle of Christianity" with its awe-inspiring Cathedral built in the 11th century. Also see Dover Castle beautifully positioned on top of the white cliffs.

Spend the night in Kent or Sussex. In the morning visit some of England's finest Castles, Gardens and Stately Homes: Vita Sackville-West's famous Sissinghurst Gardens created around the old Castle tower, Leonardslee designed around six lakes, Nymans Gardens, one of the most romantic in England, Chartwell, home of Sir Winston Churchill for 42 years and now kept as a memorial to him, Hever, childhood home of Anne Boleyn and setting for her courtship with Henry Vlll and Arundel, nearly 1000 years old and home of the Dukes of Norfolk. Spend your second night in Kent or Sussex.

Return to London via Brighton with its dazzlingly exotic Pavilion, Jane Austen's home at Chawton, the cathedral cities of Winchester and Salisbury and Stonehenge, England's most important prehistoric monument nearly 5000 years old.


Day 1: London to Kent
Day 2: Kent to West Sussex
Day 3: West Sussex to London



Recommended Hotels
Eastwell Manor, Kent, 4 star
Wallett's Court, Kent, 4 star
The Angel, Sussex, 3 star
George in Rye, Sussex, 3 star
Mermaid Inn, Sussex, 3 star
South Lodge, Sussex, 5 star



Recommended buy
Get the touring pass described as "Britain's best kept secret". For just £30 for 4 days, you'll have free admission to over 600 historic sights in Britain. More ...

Virtual Reality Images: Leeds Castle, Nymans Gardens, Arundel Castle, Historic hotel in England, Stonehenge, Chawton ... Requires Quicktime from Apple.

Cost: See the daily touring rate Choose your hotels: from deluxe Country House hotel accommodation (as a rough guide £180 upwards for a double room) to Historic Inns (as a rough guide £100 upwards for a double room).

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