Peace and plenty in the Garden of England

Tucked between the North Downs and the High Weald is a placid, prosperous part of England where town and country wear a contented air. Orchards, vineyards and hop gardens lend a lush touch to these Kentish landscapes, still dotted with white-tipped oast houses and woodlands descended from the ancient forests of the Weald. From Maidstone on the River Medway to Royal Tunbridge Wells, this restful countryside reveals villages of typically Kentish character: Bearsted, where timber-framed houses overlook the cricket ground on the village green; picturesque Aylesford with its ancient priory and 14th-century ragstone bridge; Headcorn, where historic buildings line the village High Street or Hollingbourne in the Kent Downs - handy for the steam trains of the scenic Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway. Attractions also reflect Kent's rural roots. Alongside famous names like romantic, moated Leeds Castle or the idyllic National Trust gardens of Sissinghurst and Stoneacre there are the award-winning vineyards of Lamberhurst and Tenterden, or the delightful Iden Croft Herb Garden where wild flowers and fragrant herbs are woven into charming themed gardens. Family favourites include the Hop Farm Country Park at Paddock Wood and the open-air Museum of Kent Life at Cobtree near Maidstone, home of Britain's last traditional, working oast house. Indoors, view over 3,500 novelty teapots at Yalding's Teapot Island, or explore the eclectic collections at Maidstone Museum set within an Elizabethan manor house. Take in the nation's finest range of horse-drawn carriages in Maidstone's Carriage Museum; appropriately, it's housed in the old stables of the Archbishops' Palace, built in the 14th century as a resting place for these passing prelates.

Your country escape

A circular walk from the picturesque village of Sutton Valence to Ulcombe, passing first through tranquil farmlands and orchards and returning on the waymarked Greensand Way, which gives fabulous views over the countryside of the Low Weald. Primroses and daffodils line the route in Spring, whilst in the Autumn ripe fruit is abundant. Starting in the centre of Sutton Valence village, beside the Swan Inn, the route takes you up and round the picturesque ruins of the 12th- century Norman castle, prominent on its hill-side mound, and on through orchards and fields to Ulcombe. Here you turn left and walk up through the village to pause perhaps at the historic Norman church or take a breather in the pub. From Ulcombe you pick up The Greensand Way, walking amongst orchards and hop fields and through a sheltered combe, where hundred-year-old trees are still bearing Kentish cobnuts. Your walk then takes you on through East Sutton to return to Sutton Valence along the top of the ridge, looking down over the red-tiled roofs which give this quaint corner of the Wealden countryside a distinctly French feel. There are several good pubs in Sutton Valence for rest, refreshment and reward!

Fact file:

Distance 5 miles; 2 hours. Details of the walk can be downloaded free from www.explorekent.co.uk; detailed directions are also contained in OS Pathfinder Guide 8 - Kent Walks available from good bookshops.

To complete your break you might also visit:
Leeds Castle;
Stoneacre House & Garden, Otham (NT);
Museum of Kent Life, Cobtree;
Sissinghurst Castle (NT);
Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden.

Tourist Information Centre
Maidstone:
Town Hall,
High Street,
Maidstone ME14 1TF
Tel: 01622 602169
Fax: 01622 602519
Email: tourism@maidstone.gov.uk
Website: www.tour-maidstone.com

Travel by train to: Headcorn