Don’t lose your head, but Hever Castle is absolutely mental, in a good way

Last weekend, Ms B & I did what we had been planning on doing for some time: do a day trip to Hever Castle (pronounced like “fever”, not like “never”) in Kent, next to Royal Tunbridge Wells, just an hour’s train ride away from London. Castles and Manors Strictly speaking, Hever is a country house, not a fully-blown castle, ever since its castle-to-manor conversion in the middle of the 15th Century. It is not designed to protect its residents from an attacking army. This is despite the moat and the rope bridge, which remained from the original 1270 A.D. version. However, this is in no way diminishing its appeal as a day trip destination. Cafes and Restaurant Different from most other castles and manors of similar size in the UK, everything is perfectly organised and kept in great shape. There are several cafes and shops spread over the huge premises. […]

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A Murder at the Church, a Car Crash on a Tapestry, and a Dead Pig, what’s not to like in Canterbury?

We had been to Canterbury many times before. As a matter of fact, I proposed to my wife there, three months after we had first met, in 2008 with the help of an airplane pulling a banner. Back then, it had all been very hectic (for me, not so much for my then future wife, who was unaware of the preparations). The pilot initially cancelled the whole thing because of strong winds at his airport, eighty miles north of our location, then texted again to say he’d be ready to go, then texted that the start had been delayed, and it went back and forth at least five or six more times. Then, two hours later, while we were in the middle of lunch, said he’d arrive within ten minutes and needed us to be on an open space, ideally close to the cathedral.           I gently (as gently […]

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