Pococksgate Farm

This part of the world is packed with gorgeous buildings to visit, so you can pick your favourite or plan a tour taking in several. Hever Castle and Bodiam Castle, for example, are both about half an hour’s drive away and both worth a trip. Penshurst Place (25 minutes’ drive) and Chartwell (35 minutes) are other options on this front. Several of these also have fine gardens – but if you really want that to be the focus, aim for Sissinghurst Castle Garden (35 minutes) or Great Dixter House and Gardens (40 minutes). And if you’d rather keep your landscapes natural, try the trails at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest or Ashdown Forest (both 25 minutes). Fishing and watersports are on the menu for active types at Bewl Water (20 minutes), but if it’s seaside you seek then head south for 45 minutes or so towards the towns of Hastings, Eastbourne and Rye for beach days and coastal walks.