The filming locations and landmarks of the Darling Buds of May have been mapped out in a new trail to mark the Kent-based show’s 20th anniversary.

After giving up hope on writing a Kent-based novel, author HE Bates and his wife went on a drive that would later inspire a generation of TV viewers. The author moved from Northamptonshire to Kent in 1930 in the hope of inspiration but after several years was still suffering from writer’s block.

Then stopping at a village to buy sweets on the way to Sittingbourne, Bates found the revelation he had been looking for when the shop door suddenly opened and a large family burst onto the street.

A mother and father with a brood of children licking ice creams piled into a big blue truck, laughing and shouting. As they disappeared down the road, Bates knew the seed for the Darling Buds of May had been sown.

It has been 20 years since the Larkin family first appeared on our screens in the TV adaptation of Bates’ five Darling Buds of May novels, published from 1958 to 1970.

Starring David Jason, Pam Ferris, Philip Franks and a young Catherine Zeta-Jones, the series was set in 1950s rural Kent and was filmed by Yorkshire Television from 1991 to 1993.

Ramblers and families heading out on a long drive can catch a glimpse behind the scenes of the series at some of the locations used for filming thanks to a new trail put together by KCC’s Film Office, Produced in Kent and Visit Kent.

The route includes the home of the Larkin family, Buss Farm in Bethersden, and Ma and Pop Larkin’s local pub, The Black Horse, in Pluckley.

Anyone heading out on the trail can also get a taste of the series from local food producers marked out along the way. They range from ice cream and cheese makers to wine and fruit juice producers. There is also the chance to stock up on Kentish produce at one of the featured farm shops.

Also plotted on the trail are agricultural museums, working windmills and historic vehicles. There is also the option of soaking up the countryside that made the series so distinctive with a ride on the Kent and East Sussex Railway from Tenterden.

Star of the series David Jason, aka Pop Larkin, said: “I had such a wonderful time filming such a great series and enjoyed my stay in Kent enormously.

“There are so many lovely places to visit and enjoy, and the hospitality extended to the cast and crew was just lovely. I hope the weather is kind and that you all have a perfick time.”

The Darling Buds of May trail is available atwww.kent.gov.uk/filmoffice