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English countryside at its best...

The Heart of Kent is your holiday guide to accommodation , places to visit and events in and around Ashford , Maidstone , Sevenoaks , Tenterden , Tonbridge and Royal Tunbridge Wells .

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Five Heart of Kent Towns...

...each with their own distinct character and charm.

A Guide to Ashford & Tenterden: The towns of Ashford and Tenterden are focal points for this delightful corner of the Heart of Kent region. In Ashford enjoy the very best of an old market town and all the vibrancy of a modern international gateway.
A Guide to Maidstone: Surrounded by a gentle landscape of orchards and hop gardens, Maidstone - Kent's thriving County Town - combines a wealth of historical attractions with arts, culture and superb shopping and entertainment facilities.
Out and About in Ashford & Tenterden: Visit Biddenden with its wealth of medieval and 17th century buildings or take a look at 15th century Chilham with its castle, church and pub, set around a central village square.
Out and About in Maidstone: The Museum of Kent Life in Allington boasts an outstanding collection of historic buildings, exhibitions, gardens and farm animals, telling the story of life in Kent through the 19th and 20th centuries.
Out and About in Sevenoaks: Nearby Westerham is a small town with lovely buildings surrounding a picturesque village green.
Out and About in the Tunbridge Wells area: Want to get out into the country? Cranbrook , known as the ' Capital of the Weald' and just a half hour's drive from Royal Tunbridge Wells, is a charming country town with its windmill and range of interesting ...
Out and About in Tonbridge: Tonbridge is fortunate to lie in an area with a rich cultural heritage and spectacular scenery. There are castles, stately homes, gardens, craft centres, country walks set in beautiful undulating countryside.
A Guide to Royal Tunbridge Wells: The historic spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells has been welcoming visitors for over 400 years, ever since the chance discovery of the Chalybeate Spring in 1606 by Dudley, Lord North.
A Guide to Sevenoaks: The attractive country town of Sevenoaks is set amidst the woods, hills and valleys of the North Downs.
A Guide to Tonbridge: Tonbridge has been a market town since the Middle Ages. The Normans chose it for their splendid motte and bailey castle, which dominates the town to this day.

The Heart of Kent - The True Garden of England

Kent's place as the Garden of England stems back over 400 years. The title is believed to date back to Henry VIII's time when he is said to have greatly enjoyed a dish of Kent cherries.

Your guide to over 270 places to stay

Looking for somewhere special to stay in Kent? The Heart of Kent has over 270 bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) , hotels , guesthouses and self-catering establishments registered - many in country houses or converted barns and traditional Kentish oast houses.

Accommodation Booking Service: The Tourist Information Centres in Ashford, Maidstone, Royal Tunbridge Wells and Swanley provide an easy to use personalised Accommodation Booking Service via email and telephone.
Accommodation Search Tips: Self Catering Search Tips Most establishments do weekly lets with a specific start date (usually Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday), although some businesses do offer short breaks of two nights or more.
Accommodation Star Ratings: All the accommodation featured on the Heart of Kent website has been quality assessed and star rated, so that you can make your choice confidently knowing that each establishmentcomplies with the quality standards set by the national tourist board, ...
Advanced Search: Visit our Advanced Search page.

Your guide to places to visit in the Heart of Kent

There is no shortage of things to do and places to visit in Kent.

Castles & Stately Homes: The Heart of Kent is home to some of the most splendid castles and stately homes in Kent.
The Heart of Kent - a garden paradise: The Heart of Kent has more than its fair share of the most impressive gardens in Kent, and certainly lives up to county's reputation as the 'Garden of England'.
Vineyards in the Heart of Kent: Perhaps surprising for some, English wines are gaining quite a reputation internationally as being amongst some of the best in the world.
Walks in the Heart of Kent: Walking is a great way to experience the Heart of Kent countryside. An excellent network of footpaths allows anything from a short stroll to a full day's walk, or even a hike lasting several days to be enjoyed.

How to see it all...

In order to make your visit to the Heart of Kent as enjoyable as possible, we have put together a series of 1 and 2 days itineraries - each with a special theme and starting from a different point ...

My Itinerary: Once you have added items to your itinerary you can organise the order they appear using the up and down arrows for each entry.
Sample Itineraries: Visit our Sample Itineraries page.

Feature Itineraries

Try some of the best the Heart of Kent has to offer. Each itinerary can be adapted for half a day, a whole day or more than one day.

Roses in the Garden of England: An English rose garden in June is the quintessential tourist sight for many travellers to our shores, and a pleasure for native visitors too.
The Other Boleyn Girl: The Heart of Kent stars in a major new film due to be released in the UK on 7 March featuring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana.
Arts & Culture Day Out: Kings Wood, Challock Sculpture Trail An attractive woodland walk with views, but recommended here for seeing works by well-known artists in a variety of media, designed to blend into the site.
Food & Drink: Westerham Brewery , Edenbridge Independent small brewery producing Kentish ales using Kentish hops, including those from Scotney estate, the only National Trust owned hop farm. Brewery tours by arrangement.
Ladies' Day Out: Tenterden Very attractive Georgian town with excellent fashion, antique and gift shops and tea rooms. Smallhythe Place , Tenterden Attractive Tudor home of well-known Victorian Ellen Terry, Shakespearean actress.
Boys' Days Out: Whether it's a treat for Dad or for your other half, or a lads' weekend away, the Heart of Kent has plenty to enthuse the most adventurous male - or female! Just a few suggestions...
Gardens & Cream Teas: What could be more English than a visit to a fabulous garden followed by traditional afternoon tea? Mix and match venues as you choose to make a special day out.
Ghostly Tales: The Heart of Kent has more than its fair share of ghostly happenings and tales. We've split the best of these into areas, so that you can follow your own ghost trail.

Hundreds of events throughout the year

Find out what's on in Kent. Events range from open-air theatre at stately homes and musical firework displays to antiques fairs and guided walks, there is something to suit every interest.

Plan your own Heart of Kent short break

The Heart of Kent Excursion Planner has been designed to make organising your visit or day out in Kent as easy as possible whether you are coming alone or in a group.

Getting here

It's easy! From the channel ports and Channel tunnel you can be relaxing in the Heart of Kent in less than an hour. Eurostar trains from Paris and Lille bring you to Ashford's International Station within a couple of hours.

Town Maps: Town Centre Maps of Ashford, Maidstone, Seveonaks, Tenterden, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are displayed below. Click to download the PDF. Ashford Town Centre (565kb) Maidstone Town Centre (70kb) Sevenoaks Town Centre (104kb) Tenterden Town Centre (231kb) Tonbridge Town Centre (1.

Heart of Kent Gallery and Ecards

The Heart of Kent is blessed with beautiful countryside, magnificent castles and stately homes, glorious gardens and pretty villages.

Heart of Kent Gallery - Great Gardens: English Country gardens are as varied as you can imagine and no more so than in the Heart of Kent Broadview Gardens Great Comp Gardens Owl House Gardens Sissinghurst Castle Squerryes Court Pashley Manor ...
Heart of Kent Gallery - History and Heritage: Some of England's finest and most stunnning examples of historic architecture - from medieval castles to Chagall windows.
Heart of Kent Gallery - Scenic Kent: Discover a landscape of rolling hills and wooded valleys, picturesque orchards and vineyards - the Heart of Kent is English countryside at its best. Aylesford Bewl Water Plaxtol Oast nr.
All Saints Church, Tudeley: << Back to Heart of Kent ...
Aylesford: << Back to Scenic ...
Bewl Water: << Back to Scenic Kent ...
Broadview Gardens: << Back to Great Gardens ...
Chiddingstone Castle: << Back to Famous Buildings ...
Dunorlan Park, Royal Tunbridge Wells: << Back to Scenic Kent ...
Great Comp Gardens: << Back to Great Gardens ...
Hever Castle: << Back to Famous Buildings ...
Leeds Castle: << Back to Famous Buildings ...
Oast near Lamberhurst: << Back to Scenic Kent ...
Owl House Gardens: << Back to Great Gardens ...
Pashley Manor Gardens: << Back to Great Gardens ...
Penshurst Place: << Back to Famous Buildings ...
Penshurst Village: << Back to Scenic Kent ...
Plaxtol: << Back to Scenic Kent ...
Sissinghurst Castle: << Back to Great Gardens ...
Squerryes Court: << back to Great Gardens ...
Tonbridge Castle: << Back to Famous Buildings ...

Information for Disabled Visitors

Many of the places to visit and to stay in the Heart of Kent area have facilities for disabled visitors.

About the Heart of Kent

The Heart of Kent consortium was created in 1988 as a tourism marketing partnership between Maidstone Borough Council, Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Sevenoaks District Council. Ashford Borough Council joined the consortium in 2002.

Find out more...

3 ways to receive further FREE information about the Heart of Kent 1) By contacting one of the Heart of Kent Tourist Information Centres (TICs) .

Links to other websites: The following websites provide useful additional information to further help you plan and enjoy your holiday. For detailed information on the Heart of Kent towns and the surrounding areas, visit the following: Ashford & Tenterden: www.ashford.gov.uk Maidstone: www.tour-maidstone.
Tourist Information Centres: If you can't find what you're looking for, the Heart of Kent Tourist Information Centre (TICs) have a wealth of information to help you plan your stay in the Heart of Kent -from books and maps to details of ...

Press & Media

The Heart of Kent welcomes enquiries from journalists, photographers and broadcast media. Press releases may be viewed using the following pages by members of the press or by the public for personal use only.

Press Releases: April 2008 Egyptian Activity Days at Chiddingstone Castle There will be a chance for families to Explore Ancient Egypt on a special activity day arranged by newly opened Chiddingstone Castle near Edenbridge in Kent over the May bank holiday ...

Special Offers

Why not take advantage of the special offers on accommodation available in the Heart of Kent area? To book any of our special offers, contact the establishment direct, quoting the Heart of Kent website. Terms and conditions apply.

Accessibility Statement

We believe in access to information over the Internet for all. This Accessibility Statement provides an overview of the accessibility features we have implemented on this website.

Data Protection Policy

Heart of Kent is strongly committed to preserving the privacy of its customers. This Data Protection and Security Policy lets you know about our policy for the collection and use of information about you and your transactions with us.

Terms & Conditions

Accommodation Booking Terms Please click here for further details. Terms of Use Access to and use of this site is provided by the Heart of Kent* and subject to the following Terms & Conditions.

Accommodation Booking Terms: 1 Formation of the Contract 1.1 Completion and submission of a booking form constitutes an offer to you to reserves the accommodation specified on the form.

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