Benenden Information
Food Scene
The Bull at Benenden
Wonderful local pub, carvery on Sundays, local beer, garden.
Gastropub, 5 minutes away. Attractive bar area with open fire, great restaurant and large garden.
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locals recommendThe Milk House
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locals recommendGastropub, 5 minutes away. Attractive bar area with open fire, great restaurant and large garden.
The Woodcock Inn
Sightseeing
Iconic gardens created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson in the 1930s. Now National Trust. Climb the tower for a breathtaking view. Small restaurant with a good menu - plenty of salads and home made cakes.
51
locals recommendSissinghurst Castle Garden
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locals recommendIconic gardens created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson in the 1930s. Now National Trust. Climb the tower for a breathtaking view. Small restaurant with a good menu - plenty of salads and home made cakes.
Fairy-tale moated castle about 15 minutes away. National Trust. Can take the steam train from Tenterden to Bodiam if you want a day out.
77
locals recommendBodiam Castle
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locals recommendFairy-tale moated castle about 15 minutes away. National Trust. Can take the steam train from Tenterden to Bodiam if you want a day out.
Beautiful ancient town with cobbled streets and lovely old houses. Well worth a day trip.
109
locals recommendRye
109
locals recommendBeautiful ancient town with cobbled streets and lovely old houses. Well worth a day trip.
Everything Else
Award winning winery, tours and tastings available. Has a restaurant on site.
37
locals recommendChapel Down
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locals recommendAward winning winery, tours and tastings available. Has a restaurant on site.
Award winning winery. Tours and tastings available. Stunning new tasting room with views over the vineyards. Highly recommended.
10
locals recommendHush Heath Estate
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locals recommendAward winning winery. Tours and tastings available. Stunning new tasting room with views over the vineyards. Highly recommended.
Cranbrook Union Windmill
Fabulous, privately owned garden with cafe between Benenden and Rolvenden. Beautifully maintained. The owner is often on sight to do tours. Not open every day so check the website before going.
Hole Park Estate
Fabulous, privately owned garden with cafe between Benenden and Rolvenden. Beautifully maintained. The owner is often on sight to do tours. Not open every day so check the website before going.
House and garden once owned by the late Christopher Lloyd who created the magnificent garden, now overseen by Fergus Garratt. A 'must-see' for keen gardeners.
35
locals recommendGreat Dixter House & Gardens
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locals recommendHouse and garden once owned by the late Christopher Lloyd who created the magnificent garden, now overseen by Fergus Garratt. A 'must-see' for keen gardeners.
Parks & Nature
There is an entrance to Hemsted Forest almost opposite our track. You can then walk for miles, exploring the forest which is looked after by the Forestry Commission. The tracks are easy to follow and well maintained.
Hemsted Forest
There is an entrance to Hemsted Forest almost opposite our track. You can then walk for miles, exploring the forest which is looked after by the Forestry Commission. The tracks are easy to follow and well maintained.
Bedgebury Forest is huge and there are many activities available here - walking, cycling, Go-Ape, extensive natural childrens' playground to name a couple. Very well maintained and picturesque. The main entrance is off the A21 but there is another entrance closer, in Park Lane where there are limited parking spaces.
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locals recommendBedgebury National Pinetum and Forest
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locals recommendBedgebury Forest is huge and there are many activities available here - walking, cycling, Go-Ape, extensive natural childrens' playground to name a couple. Very well maintained and picturesque. The main entrance is off the A21 but there is another entrance closer, in Park Lane where there are limited parking spaces.
You can hire a boat or a kayaak here and travel along the river Rother in either direction. Wonderful Limehouse Cafe for lunch or snacks on your return.
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locals recommendBodiam Boating Station
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locals recommendYou can hire a boat or a kayaak here and travel along the river Rother in either direction. Wonderful Limehouse Cafe for lunch or snacks on your return.
Nearest beach - a long, sandy beach with plenty of room for all. There are some dog friendly areas. Sand dunes. Beach cafes. Various car parks (fee paying).
41
locals recommendCamber Sands
21 Old Lydd Rd41
locals recommendNearest beach - a long, sandy beach with plenty of room for all. There are some dog friendly areas. Sand dunes. Beach cafes. Various car parks (fee paying).
Essentials
Co-op Food - Cranbrook
Nearest local supermarket. Free parking.
Nearest large supermarket. Free parking. Can also explore the town of Tenterden from here.
Tesco Superstore
Nearest large supermarket. Free parking. Can also explore the town of Tenterden from here.
Medium sized Waitrose. You have to pay to park here but it is conveniently situated to explore the pretty town of Tenterden.
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locals recommendWaitrose & Partners Tenterden
10 Sayers Ln6
locals recommendMedium sized Waitrose. You have to pay to park here but it is conveniently situated to explore the pretty town of Tenterden.
Local village shop with on-site cafe, run by volunteers, sells all the essentials.
Benenden's Community Shop - Cafe - Post Office
Local village shop with on-site cafe, run by volunteers, sells all the essentials.
Entertainment & Activities
Great little local cinema in an old church. Very popular. Sells delicious cakes to take in with you. Or you can buy a beer or a glass of wine or a proper coffee.
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locals recommendKino Hawkhurst
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locals recommendGreat little local cinema in an old church. Very popular. Sells delicious cakes to take in with you. Or you can buy a beer or a glass of wine or a proper coffee.
Go Ape Bedgebury
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locals recommendCity/town information
Tenterden, known as the ‘Jewel of the Weald’, offers the best of all worlds; fascinating history, a wealth of architecture and excellent shopping - all within everyone’s idea of a typical country town and surrounded by Kent’s tranquil countryside.
At its centre are the tree-lined greens that distance you from the world going by. So you can shop at a relaxed pace, browsing in the wide range of shops, from the unique and usual to the familiar and well known. Beautiful gifts, crafts, books and antiques… Tenterden is the place where you are bound to find something special.
Tenterden is also a fascinating town to explore. Georgian buildings share the streets with tall Victorian houses and tiny cottages; brick and stucco blend easily alongside traditional Kent tile and weatherboard, creating a timeless air. To find out more visit the town’s museum or take a nostalgic ride back in time on the Kent & East Sussex Railway. Admire the countryside as you steam along to Bodiam Castle then visit the 16th-century half- timbered home of the 19th-century Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry and see the sumptuous display of theatrical mementoes. Then take a tour and tasting at nearby Tenterden Vineyard and relax with a glass of wine.
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locals recommend
Tenterden
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locals recommendTenterden, known as the ‘Jewel of the Weald’, offers the best of all worlds; fascinating history, a wealth of architecture and excellent shopping - all within everyone’s idea of a typical country town and surrounded by Kent’s tranquil countryside.
At its centre are the tree-lined greens that distance you from the world going by. So you can shop at a relaxed pace, browsing in the wide range of shops, from the unique and usual to the familiar and well known. Beautiful gifts, crafts, books and antiques… Tenterden is the place where you are bound to find something special.
Tenterden is also a fascinating town to explore. Georgian buildings share the streets with tall Victorian houses and tiny cottages; brick and stucco blend easily alongside traditional Kent tile and weatherboard, creating a timeless air. To find out more visit the town’s museum or take a nostalgic ride back in time on the Kent & East Sussex Railway. Admire the countryside as you steam along to Bodiam Castle then visit the 16th-century half- timbered home of the 19th-century Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry and see the sumptuous display of theatrical mementoes. Then take a tour and tasting at nearby Tenterden Vineyard and relax with a glass of wine.
Sometimes called the Capital of the Kentish Weald, Cranbrook looks and feels much as it has done for centuries: a peaceful small town of weather-boarded houses, surrounded by orchards and farmland.
In spite of its small size, Cranbrook has a great deal to offer the visitor. The narrow medieval streets are lined with pretty old houses, every one different from its neighbour. There is a wide range of interesting shops, no less than six churches, several hotels, pubs and restaurants, an excellent town museum, and the wonderful Union Mill, the tallest and finest working smock mill in England.
12
locals recommend
Cranbrook
12
locals recommendSometimes called the Capital of the Kentish Weald, Cranbrook looks and feels much as it has done for centuries: a peaceful small town of weather-boarded houses, surrounded by orchards and farmland.
In spite of its small size, Cranbrook has a great deal to offer the visitor. The narrow medieval streets are lined with pretty old houses, every one different from its neighbour. There is a wide range of interesting shops, no less than six churches, several hotels, pubs and restaurants, an excellent town museum, and the wonderful Union Mill, the tallest and finest working smock mill in England.