Hever Castle Escapades

“ Any home can be a castle when the king and queen are in love” Anonymous.

I have always had a thrill for enchantment and wonder which emanated from reading enormous story books during my childhood days, my favorite being “the book of fairytales” authored by Enid Blyton. Such stories whisked my mind off to never-never land, where love, joy and adventure never runs out. Sounds like a castle, right?

It was no wonder that when I recently visited Hever Castle, it felt surreal, like I was finally part of a fairytale as a princess, the Queen rather. One of the most exhilarating feelings ever, I must say. 

Located in South East England, Hever Castle was the childhood home of Anne Bolyne who reigned as Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, she was the second wife of King Henry viii.

Hever castle is now open to the public and has been on my “to visit “ list for far too long. I initially wanted to go there for a staycation however due to current COVID 19 restrictions when I went , I only manage to score a day visit.I gladly settled for that.

GETTING THERE

The castle is perched within Surrey/Kent and Sussex borders. Getting there from London can be via a train from Victoria to Hever Rail Station, but if you are not up for the squealing sounds from trains and jostling through the crowds, you can opt for a self drive like I did. This turned out to be a convenient and lovely 28 minute scenic route . 

Tickets to the castle have to be booked in advanced, they are allocated entry at specific time slots in order to minimize crowds and ensure social distancing as recommended by the Government during this distressing time of covid 19.

We visited on May 1st Bank Holiday, there were absolutely no queues or crowds which made us feel sheltered from this prevailing virus.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Hever castle offers a delightful day out for the whole family as there are enough activities for all age groups. I would recommend that you check their website on what events/experiences are taking place before booking your visit so that you have a unique experience all round. Luck was definitely on our side, we visited during the Annual Tulip Festival, a time when one  gets to view with awe, spring colourful tulips that are over a count of 20000,with their bulbs standing impeccably still and illuminating the place.We arrived just after midday and moseyed along the lake while admiring stunning views and cherishing the calmness. People were boating and rowing on the water, indeed a time to let your hair down, breath some refreshing air and forget about the world and its ills.

Right along the lake, there are bird boxes that house owls and swans could also be seen preening and floating graciously on the water. Captivating I must say.

We had a stop over by a little yet cosy coffee shop and grabbed some mouth watering muffins which we enjoyed with our hot “tailor made “ coffee as we made our way to the Italian Garden to feast our eyes on the tulip display.This is where we spent most of our time, over an hour to be precise, taking in all the fragrance that exuded from the colourful flowers.The Pompein Wall in the garden is a marvel to look at and so is the waterfall which is skillfully placed on the way out of the garden towards the castle.

We then made another pit stop at one of the ice cream mobile shop as we admired the breath taking grounds with statues and ornate gardens.

Although the castle itself was closed during our visit , we were still able to admire its mideval creation closely ,half a loaf is better than none right? 

We wondered what secrets and mysteries lied behind the walls of this 700 year old astounding and historical structure.

We took a collection of photos, such moments are worth capturing, for memories sake. We then made our way to a picnic spot on the grounds overlooking the castle where we had a selection of snacks and drinks from the Savanna , a South African shop that sells premium South African produce. We had packed our snacks since restaurants were closed during the time we visited .

This picnic spot became our finally resting place, Oops that sounds morbid, don’t take it literally as I’m obviously still alive .We then broke the bread,chit chatted about what a fulfilling day it had been and gave thanks.