We started the day early, well 9am, that’s early enough, and went for a walk.
We were looking for Sutton Valence Castle, which was supposedly nearby. Turns out it was not 150 metres, so even my fairly ordinary way finding skills weren’t challenged too much.
It’s only ruins now, but occupied a strategic spot overlooking the Kent plains. Its owner at one stage was Simon de Montford before he pissed off Edward II and it passed to his half-brother, William de Valence, after which both the castle and town take their name. The Sutton bit means south town.
Then off to Leeds Castle, in Leeds. For those of you who are well up on your English geography, you’ll be aware that Leeds is in Yorkshire, not an inconsiderable distance from Kent. But there is a second, much smaller Leeds in Kent, just south of Maidstone, and this one has a castle.
The castle is quite picturesque, not at all in ruins, and has a long and interesting history, which you can look up for yourself via this handy link.
The first castle on the site was built circa 897, and it’s been rebuilt and revamped many times since. The site has been fought over and besieged, and frequented by some of the luminaries of history, including:Eleanor of Castile; Henry VIII; Catherine of Aragon, and; Steve and Michelle Jewell.
The grounds are enormous, and very nicely kept. There are all sorts of walks and even a maze. We stayed away from them, looked like too much work.
But enough of that, we’re off to Chichester for the evening. Arrived about 3pm and wandered into the Tangmere Military Museum to end the day.
We only had two hours here, which was probably enough. They don’t have a huge selection of planes on display, mainly jets from the 50s and 60s. The site was a fighter base during the first and second world wars, finally closing in the 1970s.
It was also the base used for the SOE flights into occupied France (Nancy Wake and all that stuff), so some good displays and info on that.
And our luxurious accommodation. It’s a tiny house, very tiny house.
Bye for now, Steve and Michelle.
*Hawker Hunter, English Electric Lightning, Hawker Hunter prototype, Supermarine Spitfire prototype, and Hawker Hurricane, twice.