Perfect Summers Trip: In The Queen’s Bedroom

Walking the footsteps of Kings and Queens… 

When I think of my favourite UK summer trip, there's always one place that comes straight to my mind - Hever Castle in Kent. It's become somewhere I visit near enough every year and each time I do, it becomes more special to me. 

My fascination with Hever Castle was born when my interest in Tudor history grew. Hever Castle was the childhood home of the former English Queen, Anne Boleyn, the second unfortunate wife of Henry VIII and mother to Elizabeth I. You can stand in, what is believed to have been the former Queen Anne’s childhood bedroom and I once was there for a good 45 minutes as people came and went. I remember looking out of the window in her room imagining that she had stared out of the same window space as a little girl. To me, there's something so special about retracing the footsteps of those who came before us, especially people as fascinating as Anne Boleyn. 

Henry VIII himself was thought to have visited Hever Castle on several occasions during his courtship of Anne Boleyn, and in my mind, whilst I am wandering around Hever Castle, I can almost imagine the King arriving in all his majesty at the gatehouse of the castle to visit her. 

The Grounds 

At Hever, not only do I get lost in romanticising the history of the castle, but the grounds and gardens around the castle are some of the prettiest around, which for me, help to make Hever the perfect summer trip! We usually spend hours exploring the stunning gardens and enjoying the many pretty flowers, trees and fountains within them. Whenever we go we always come home with tons of photos because there are the prettiest backdrops at every turn! 

I think the Loggia overlooking the lake is the perfect spot to relax for a bit as the lake view is stunning. We also hired a pedal boat with the kids and went out on the lake, which I completely recommend! My two little boys love getting lost in the maze right by the castle and there's even a separate water maze too, where they always have the most fun trying to get to the middle without stepping on the wrong stones and getting squirted with water. 

Castle Adventure playground 

The Tudor Towers adventure playground for the children at Hever Castle is probably one of the best playgrounds that we've ever been to! It's based on a wooden play castle and is bigger than a four-bedroom house! My boys race around there for around an hour every time we go, there are slides, a secret dungeon, tunnels, instruments to play, a roof maze and lots more. Right next to it there is a huge sandpit area with more slides and awesome play equipment. It's honestly the ultimate playground experience and it's a job convincing my boys to leave, but the promise of an ice cream in the sunshine in front of the castle usually helps do the trick! 

Staying at Hever Castle 

In 2017 my Husband and I bought ourselves the ultimate treat for our anniversary and we actually stayed over at Hever Castle in the Edward VII Suite in the Astor Wing. We felt like royalty in what was a magnificent suite and we enjoyed completely unbeatable views of the castle. It was so calming to sit and look out of the window, especially when visiting times had ended and the castle just suddenly stood in complete silence. We had a really tasty dinner at the nearby King Henry VIII pub which I really recommend a visit to (it's walkable from the castle and super vegan friendly too!) One of my absolute favourite memories from our stay at Hever Castle, is exploring the castle grounds together as the sun was going down and there was no one else about. It's a special memory that I'll cherish forever. 

Summer events at Hever Castle 

During selected days in the Summer, Hever Castle has jousting shows which are incredible to watch! There's also a 'Becoming Anne' exhibition this year, which I am SO excited about and incredible to watch, as well as lots of 'Spellbound Summer Activities' for children such as hunting for dragon eggs, finding the knights’ shields and learning how to defend the castle from the attacking dragon - it's going to be awesome! Will we see you there?

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