Last weekend we spent an absolutely wonderful day at
Hever Castle and Gardens in Kent. We were invited to take part in the Hever's Home Front event, and enjoyed a day of dancing in the sunshine in the most beautiful surroundings.
A glimpse of the double-moated, 13th Century, Hever Castle...
Hever Castle dates back to 1270, and was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, who is most famous for being the Queen of England from 1533 to 1536...until she was beheaded under the order of her husband, King Henry VIII. Imagine growing up in such a magnificent home!
This was my first visit, and I was blown away by how beautiful the Castle and grounds are, from the moment that we stepped through the gate....
But back to the event. It was 1940s themed - hence the 'Home Front' - and there were various picnics, activities and re-enactments taking place throughout the day...
But really, we were mostly there for the dancing...
The atmosphere was lovely and relaxed, and the day provided the perfect mix of dancing, chatting with friends, soaking up the sunshine and exploring. I just could not stop marvelling at what a perfect day it was, and how lucky we were to be part of such a fun event, in the most stunning location. It definitely made me realise that I need to venture out of my beloved London more often, as there is so much beauty to be found all over England.
Everyone was in great spirits, and there was a lot of tomfoolery and laughter in the air...
After working up quite a sweat in the Midsummer sunshine, we took a little stroll through the rose gardens and over to the lake.
The lake is huge, and you can hire row boats, or take a trip on the African Queen, which is a steamboat based upon the one used in the 1951 movie
The African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
I was also delighted to find out that there is both a water maze and a yew maze on the grounds. I have wanted to get lost in a maze ever since I was a child, so this was a very exciting prospect! We did not end up going in the water maze, but we worked our way through the regular one...
It wasn't as 'Alice in Wonderland' a-maze-ing (
boom boom!) as I was hoping, but it was fun, nonetheless. We made it to the middle and then heard the sounds of señoras shaking in the distance, so we hot footed it back to the dance tent to jump in the line...
Shake, shake, shake senora!
We had an absolute ball at Hever's Home Front, and it was a real privilege to spend the day in such breath-takingly beautiful surroundings.
I would highly recommend a day trip to explore the Castle and Gardens to anyone interested, as there is so much to see and do, and it really does make for a lovely day out. The dates have already been announced for next year's Hever's Home Front - the 13th and 14th June 2015 - when there will be more fun and dancing!
