Hever Castle & Garden what you need to know about this beautiful Castle
Hever Castle and Gardens is by far, one of the best hidden gems in England. If you’re looking for a perfect day out from the busy bustling city, definitely visit Hever Castle and absorb its incredible history.
Hever Castle has a grand history and has changed owners a couple of times through out the years. The most notable owners were the Boleyns, where Anne Boleyn grew up. Find out more about Hever Castle and Gardens here.
How to get to Hever Castle Garden
Hever Castle Garden, Hever Rd, Hever, Edenbridge TN8 7NG. Hever Castle is located in Hever, Kent in the South East of England.
As with most locations in the countryside, the castle can be difficult to get to without a car. However, you can get to the castle by getting a train to Edenbridge Town Station and then book a Taxi. Or getting off at Hever Station and taking a rural walk to the castle. The Castle have even put together a video on how to get to Hever Castle and Gardens here.
What you need to know before visiting Hever Castle Garden
Tickets
You can purchase tickets for both Hever Castle and Gardens or just the Gardens depending on the type of visit you want to make.
Prices vary depending on age, and if you have membership. But a standard ticket for the Gardens for an adult is £15.85 and for both is £19.20. For the extra price I would definitely recommend going to the castle aswell.
When you get your tickets to can decide to enter Castle whenever works for you until the Castle closes. You’ll be given a option for an free audio guide and to wear a mask. The experience was very organised and you can tell the staff really cared about safety and accessibility for all.
Inside Hever Castle - The home of the Boleyn
The audio guide does a great job highlighting the important facts and pieces in and around the different rooms. From the portraits to the furniture and even the door knobs here, it really feels like you stepped back into history. For example in the dinning hall here, we learnt that King Henry VIII travelled around with his very own locks that he had installed on the doors. With one of them being in the room.
It is impressive how everything is so well preserved. Everything we looked at were in a great condition which is thanks to the restoration of the Castle in the early 20th century by William Waldolf Astor who previously owned the property.
The exploration of the castle took around an 1hour and there are some spots in the Castle to take a break. Then we walked to the cafe to grab some ice cream and then we were back on our way to explore the grounds.
Exploring the Hever Castle Gardens
Hever Gardens is not only stunning but it is absolutely huge. There are plenty of activities to keep you occupied:
- Yew Maze
- Water Maze
- Hever Lake
- Archery and Shield Painting
- Jousting
- Playground
- Military Museum
- Lake Walk
- Japanese Tea House
Following the Castle tour we made our way around the gardens starting and getting lost in the Yew Maze, strolled along the Hever Lake and then made our way to the water maze.
The Water Maze
One of the most unique attractions at the Gardens is the water maze. Don’t be afraid to get wet because you will be for sure.
You step onto floating platforms to make your way to the center of the maze. So of those platforms spray out water so you need to make sure you watch your step. This place is perfect to cool down on a summer day.
We had a lot of fun here and it was pretty quiet around 4:30pm so plenty of time to make your way around maze. It was a bit of a far walk to get here to make sure you take plenty of time to make your way around here. Definitely something you shouldn’t miss.
The Gardens
After the water maze, we looped around the gardens. There are so many different plants and flowers here and we constantly saw them being maintained. There is also a Pompeiian Wall with an Italian Garden with 4,00 rose bushes and an array of colourful flowers that you can imagine.
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