castles (part2)

Leeds Castle was cool, a bit too cool actually, we ended up tired and cold and missed the driving rain by seconds as we got back to the car.

The next day was completely different – sunny and warm with a gentle breeze, so we went about a mile down the road to Ightham Mote, a wonderful moated medieval manor house, dating from 1320, perfectly preserved, and lovingly restored, hidden in a sunny wooded valley

Its an interesting place, as it is relatively modest by aristocratic standards, it attracted a series of modest and sympathetic owners who only subtly enhanced its liability and refrained from major modification. This means it really does look pretty much as it did in the middle ages. Cool!

The kids loved it, they thought it was so magical – and it is – its a marvellous place like no other really. Henry was a champ and managed to get around the place quite happily without touching anything too priceless, Ella did a quiz that the National Trust had laid on and we all got ice creams to finish. Beautiful day.

The best and mist curious thing is that I’ve lived almost next door to this place until I went to university, came back home a few times since and this is the first time I’ve ever paid to go in. Glad I waited, was nice to share something like this with the kids.