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More on KentOnline
Enjoy the peaceful setting of this romantic moated manor house near Borough Green, with its garden, orchard, water features and ancient woodland walks. You can join a Boxing Day ramble with a tasty breakfast for an informal guided walk through the estate.
The ground floor of the house is open 11am to 3pm and the garden, cafe and shop between 10am and 3.30pm daily between Boxing Day and Thursday, December 31. The Boxing Day ramble with full English breakfast costs £21.50 per person, between 10am and 1pm. Call 01732 811314 to book.
Spend time in the landscape that inspired Sir Winston Churchill near Sevenoaks. The orchard’s winter border is home to scented golden yellow flowers, clusters of red-pink blooms and evergreen shrubs while in the garden you can see the wall built by Churchill himself, the play house made for the Churchill children and the painting studio in the grounds, home to a collection of Churchill’s paintings.
Its views across the Weald of Kent on the wider estate originally moved Churchill to buy Chartwell. There are several walks you can do plus children’s swings, a Second World War bomb crater and a Canadian camp. The latest exhibition, Child of the Commons, runs until February 19, 2017, but is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The shop, cafe and gardens are open 10am to 5pm, and the studio is open from noon to 3.30pm between Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Throughout January the shop, cafe and gardens are open from 10am to 5pm.
To learn more about the exhibition, click here
Take a peaceful stroll around a garden described as a plantsman’s paradise with its views over Ide Hill, near Sevenoaks. For more adventurous ramblers, discover the ram pump or walk to neighbouring Toys Hill past a former water tower in the woods which is now home to hibernating bats.
Whilst Knole’s showrooms close for conservation during the winter months, the 1,000 acre parkland is alive and kicking. See some of the 350-strong resident wild deer herd and take a relaxed stroll or longer walk to nearby Ightham Mote.
There are Boxing Day and New Year’s Day guided walks, setting off at 11am from the visitor centre. The café and shop will be open 10am to 4pm.
During winter Scotney Castle, near Lamberhurst, is a wintry scene to behold with its moat, grass and plants. The estate is home to walks through parkland, woodland and alongside the historic Hop Farm. Pick up a map from visitor reception for three marked trails.
Inside the house, there's an exhibition, Arthur’s War, showcasing First World War medals, war maps, diaries and other memorabilia belonging to Arthur Hussey. In the garden, a family trail follows his dogs, Badger and Pepper, with activities.
Escape the house and join one of two guided festive walks, a Boxing Day Wander, exploring the estate and a New Year's Day hike, both from 11.30am to 1pm, with normal admission fees applying. Further afield, the estate is home to walks through beautiful parkland and woodland – pick up an estate map from visitor reception for three waymarked trails.
Winter transforms the woodland, farmland and lakes surrounding the castle into frosted landscapes with far reaching views of the Weald. Pick up a leaflet in visitor reception for walking inspiration and inside delve into the world of Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West in the newly-opened South Cottage. As the garden closes for rest and conservation over the colder months, it's time to explore the hidden side to life on the site.
Tours of the South Cottage run daily between 11am and 3.30pm, with timed tickets.
A wintry cliff top walk includes spotting Guillemots out at sea, short eared owls feeding over the grassland and Waxwings in the hedgerows.
On New Year’s Day, there is a free walk from the White Cliffs visitor centre to South Foreland Lighthouse at 11am, which you can round off with a visit to Mrs Knotts tea rooms.
To book for the walk, call 01304 207326. The visitor centre is open from 11am to 4pm between Boxing Day and New Year's Day and every day during January.
For details of all events at National Trust properties in Kent visit nationaltrust.org.uk/southeast
