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Following the coastline west from Dover, we pass the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone and the beautiful marshes at Dungeness until we meet Kent’s great friend and rival – Sussex. Perhaps not as well-known as Kent, but just as gorgeous, Sussex really is a hidden gem. The first stop on this journey is the hilltop town of Rye. Sat above the meandering River Rother, Rye was once a look-out spot to defend England from the continent, like Walmer Castle in Kent. Today, it is a sweet little town, with friendly cobbled streets, a decadent chocolate shop named Knoops, and two pubs that are rumoured to be connected by an old smuggling tunnel. Nearby Eastbourne is old-fashioned, but not kitsch, and is well worth a visit for one of its famous ice creams. It also has a claim to being the sunniest town in the UK, though rivals in Kent may take umbrage with this. Here the chalky landscape we saw in Kent re-emerges, and we are greeted by the Seven Sisters, great white cliffs that undulate towards Hampshire, Dorset, and the Jurassic Coast.

The South Downs Way

Turning north, away from the coastline, we come to the stunning South Downs. The Downs are a vast range of chalk hills that stretch all the way west to Winchester, home of Jane Austen. The porous chalk acts like an enormous filter, and so remarkably pure streams well up and support all manner of life. These hills and their bountiful springs have sheltered humans for thousands of years, and at their far southern spur near Chichester once lay the fossilised remains of ‘Boxgrove Man’, a Neanderthal nearly half a million years old.

Many more have joined Boxgrove Man in settling in Sussex, and there are some must-see villages in the Downs. Alfriston, just north of Eastbourne, is home to an elegant medieval high street with some very tasteful shops, like the award winning Much Ado Books and the cute Badger’s Tea House. Just down the road is Charleston, a small country house set up as a haven for artists and conscientious objectors during the First World War. Initially home to the slightly unusual family of Vanessa Bell, her children, Duncan Grant, and his lover David Garnett, it also hosted E.M. Forester and Virginia Woolf. The house and its gardens (designed by Roger Fry to be ‘a living painting’) are now open to the public and are a must-see for art and literature buffs when Sauntering in Sussex!

Seditious Sussex

Though renowned for their rugged beauty, the wild green country of the South Downs is also home to slightly larger towns like Lewes. Lying where the River Ouse (pronounced like ‘ooze’, but much more pleasant) cuts through the chalk, Lewes has quite the tradition of radicalism. Thomas Paine, the revolutionary author of Common Sense and the Rights of Man, lived here for about six years before he emigrated to the Thirteen Colonies. In much of Britain bonfires are lit on the night of 5 November, a tradition that dates back to 1605, and marks the foiled Gunpowder Plot against James VI and I. In Lewes, this gets a bit out of hand: every year, effigies of celebrities and world leaders are set on fire before being paraded past this picturesque town’s cosy coffeeshops and independent boutiques. It should be said that Lewes is actually quite friendly! As well as lighting fires, there is a local practice of letting parts of their garden grow wild, to give the hedgehogs, door mice, and chalkhill blue butterflies of the South Downs plenty of space to live and move about.

Castle and Cathedral

Every county needs at least one good cathedral, and Sussex’s most remarkable monument is probably in the tiny town of Arundel. The story really starts with Arundel Castle, seat of the (confusingly named) Dukes of Norfolk. This title belongs to the Howard family, who were movers and shakers in English politics between the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. The most famous Howard is probably Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel, who was martyred by Elizabeth I for refusing to give up his Catholic faith. After Catholic emancipation in the 19th century, Arundel Cathedral was built in imitation of the medieval French Gothic style – which gives this graceful market town a rather distinctive skyline. As well as historic attractions, there are also plenty of independent shops with old-world charm.

And so concludes our whistle-stop tour of the south-east coast! From the bustle of Canterbury to the serenity of Charleston, there is something in Kent and Sussex for everyone (even the Neanderthals!).

In cricket, games between Kent and Sussex are nicknamed ‘The War of the Wealds’. But much more unites these two fierce sporting rivals than divides them. Kent and Sussex share much: the chalky hills and valleys of the North and South Downs, the towering cliffs of the English Channel, and a long and storied history. This is the first in a pair of blogs that will explore the coasts and countrysides, the wild heathland and manicured gardens, of our two most south-easterly ceremonial counties – starting with the ancient county of Kent.

Ancient Kent

Kent is an ancient land. On his second heavily armed trip to Britain in 54 BC, Julius Caesar (or his scribe) wrote that: ‘The most civilized of all these nations are they who inhabit Kent, which is entirely a maritime district, nor do they differ much from the Gallic customs.’ Kent is still very civilised today; the cobbled streets of its only city, Canterbury, are home to lovely shops, a decent university, and a cathedral that celebrates the return of Christianity to England in the 6th century. Canterbury Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with exceptional stained glass windows. In the 12th century Archbishop Thomas Becket was martyred there by four knights, possibly on the orders of Henry II. These events made Canterbury a hotspot for pilgrimages.

Pilgrims Progress

These pilgrims had to make their way through the North Downs. Although today they are one of the most picturesque parts of England, inland it was once a wild place. Caesar wrote that: ‘Most of the inland inhabitants do not sow corn, but live on milk and flesh, and are clad with skins.’ Things had improved considerably by the time of the murder of Archbishop Beckett, and the Pilgrims’ Way made the hills easily traversable. To finish their journey to Canterbury, pilgrims would have had to leave the track at the village of Chilham. This small but perfectly formed settlement on the banks of the charmingly named Great Stour is still home to more than a dozen Tudor and Stuart buildings, with their distinctive lattices of wattle and daub, and the White Horse pub, which has quenched the thirst of many a wanderer since the days of Henry VIII. If you fancy something spooky then just across the water is Julieberrie’s Grave, a 6,000-year-old barrow traditionally thought to be the resting place of either a giant or an army and its horses. Archaeologists have found that whoever or whatever was buried there is now long gone...

The Garden of England

Caesar also noted that the weather in Kent was ‘more temperate than in Gaul, the colds being less severe.’ Kent is certainly one of the warmest parts of England, and so it has become particularly well known for its English wines, which have a fresh, bright flavour. We’re not joking – Chapel Down’s Rosé was named one of the best in the world at the 2024 Decanter World Wine awards. About 20 miles north of Chapel Down’s vineyard are the famous gardens of Leeds Castle, near Maidstone. The castle is much more a country house than a fort, and it has the grounds to match. As well as three amazing gardens that capture the spirit of East Asian, Mediterranean and bucolic English climates, there is also a new wildflower meadow, to help support native plant species and provide a habitat for local wildlife. Combining history, elegance, and a passion for nature, the castle grounds are the perfect embodiment of the garden of England.

Coast and Castles

Leeds is not the only castle in Kent with a fantastic garden. The castle at Walmer has hedges that have warped over time to take the shape of clouds, a glasshouse café where visitors can enjoy the garden’s produce, and a restored 18th century quarry garden charmingly named ‘The Glen’. Walmer Castle was originally built by Henry VIII as part of a series of forts that would protect England against the French, and it is only a few miles north of the famous port of Dover with possibly England's mightiest Castle defending the coast from 800 BC until the middle of the 20th Century, Here, the towering White Cliffs of Dover look out over the English Channel. Though some of the most famous cliffs in England, this chalky landscape can be followed for many miles out west to Sussex, but before you head there have a look at our favourite way of exploring Kent - on two wheels!

When I am not writing travel blogs, I live in a university town in the north-west of England, with a population of 50,000 people on the doorstep of the Lake District national park. It has no fewer than 30 pubs. This pub to person ratio is typical of many settlements in the British Isles. Pubs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are not unlike sports bars, with punters gazing up at huge, wall mounted televisions, drinking cheap European lagers or expensive, micro-brewed IPAs. Others are very ‘local’, serving only a couple of streets, with plush carpets that smell like they remember a time before the 2006 smoking ban and, inexplicably, a mural of their darts league from 1998. But most British pubs are beautiful. Across the canal from my flat is the White Cross, set in a refurbished Victorian warehouse, with hearty food, traditional ales, and plenty of waterside seating. It has something for everyone; from my window, I can see a few people crowded around a small television, three generations of the same family enjoying fish and chips together, and students on nervous first dates.

Famous Pubs

Britain is full of pubs like the White Cross, that champion local produce, serve their community, and have a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Some are better known than others. One of the most famous pubs on our tour routes is probably the Craven Arms in Appletreewick, on our Dales Way walking tour. The Craven Arms is the star of hit period drama All Creatures Great and Small, where the pub is the interior of the Drovers Arms in the fictional town of Darrowby.

Oldest Pubs

A few pubs claim to be the oldest in Britain. Near the resting place of Jane Austen in Winchester at the start of the South Downs Way is the Royal Oak, which traces its heritage back more than a thousand years, when it was the residence of Queen Emma, a powerful woman who served as regent between the death of her second husband, King Cnut, and the coronation of their son, Harthacnut. Porch House, in the beautiful Cotswold town of Stow-on-the-Wold, might be even older, with part of the building dating back to the tenth century. The Porch House is an Inn, which means it was (and is!) a resting place for weary travellers – even if they are only stopping in for a refreshing pint of ale, rather than a sleep. Interestingly, despite their prevalence in fantasy based on medieval Europe, you very rarely come across a pub that describes itself as a ‘tavern’.

Highest Pubs

Tan Hill Inn, between Keld and Reeth in rugged North Yorkshire, can’t claim to be the oldest pub (it only dates back to the 17th century), but it is the highest, lying 1,732 feet above sea level. The many hiking trails that surround the inn make it a great stopping-off point if you’re exploring the breathtaking Yorkshire Dales national park, and like many pubs in rural areas their food and drink offer a welcome respite after a long walk or cycle. Another mountain inn is the Drunken Duck in the Lake District village of Ambleside. Not only does the Drunken Duck offer stunning views: it has its own brewery! So, you can be sure you’re enjoying fresh, authentic, locally sourced ales when you stop there.

The fall and rise of the British pub

Sadly, not all is rosy for the British pub. 300 pubs closed in 2024 alone. An unbearable tax burden from local and central government is partly to blame, but so is changing consumer behaviour. Alcohol is expensive, and too much of a good thing is bad for your health. The British had a bit of a reputation around the turn of the millennium for overindulgence – but younger Brits don’t drink nearly as much as their older counterparts used to. It's not all doom and gloom! The BBC, aghast, reported that Gilsland (population: 400) was ‘left with just one pub’ after the Samson Inn closed in October 2022. But the tiny village near Hadrian’s Wall in England’s far north, clubbed together to buy their ‘local’. It is now run by the Gilsland Community Benefit Society Limited, with shareholders as far away as Australia! This is becoming an increasingly common model in Britain, and there are about 200 pubs nationwide that are owned and run by local groups. Any profits are reinvested in the community, and they often double as spaces for the area’s volunteer groups. Some even offer apprenticeships to young people, to help them gain managerial experience. Many pubs are now offering excellent cuisine and the 'gastro-pub' is offering another route to economic success.

Pubs bring their communities together, and it’s vitally important that they stay open. Wherever you visit in Britain, pop into one of our friendly, authentic pubs. Meet the locals, savour an ale (or an elderflower cordial) – you won’t regret it.

A Paradise of Exceptional Richness

‘I pass from one valley to another in this sunny Périgord – land of memory-haunted ruins, captivating romance, and still more captivating truffles; but wherever I wander I have the rocks near me, flashing their entire nakedness under the blue sky, or drawing about their flanks a draping of foliage, which light or sombre as the leaves of oak or ilex, box or hazel, juniper or sumach, may dwell upon the note that rules both colour and feeling. I am now at Les Eyzies, in the valley of the Vézère: a paradise of exceptional richness’.

So wrote the Victorian travel writer Edward Harrison Barker just before the turn of the 20th century. Barker and his purple prose have been more-or-less forgotten, but the Dordogne (a region of south-west France named for its famous river) remains as captivating today as it was 150 years ago. A good part of the cycling and walking tours of the Dordogne are set in the Périgord Noir, named for its deep woodland, through which flows the Vézère. Upriver, the valley is a soft landscape, a mosaic of meadows and woodlands (the perfect habitat for black truffles).

Home to the Dawn of History

Nestled in the centre of the countryside is the small town of Montignac-Lascaux – home to what is thought to be the oldest human art in the world. Discovered during the Second World War, the caves at Lascaux are home to hundreds of paintings of animals, made by ancient humans over 17,000 years ago. Bulls, horses, and a strange bird-headed man are rendered in red and ochre pigments and in incredible detail. The original caves have been closed to the public since the 1960s to protect this very special place, but have been lovingly reproduced at Lascaux IV, a museum on the site. If you’re interested in seeing this monument to the enduring spirit of human creativity, make sure you book well in advance.

The caves at Lascaux are only one of many prehistoric sites in the Dordogne, and when you walk or cycle through the region you can see why our ancestors were attracted to this ‘paradise of exceptional richness’. In the middle of its course, around the little villages of Les Eyzies and Sarlat, the mighty Vézère has carved out dramatic limestone cliffs. Untold years of freezing and thawing has left long horizontal scars in the rocks, forming wide and sheltered ledges that are natural viewing platforms from which to take in the landscape. Cave-dwellers, or troglodytes, lived in these cliffs for thousands of years – and about two dozen people were thought to still be living like this when Barker was writing!

Dordogne Delicacies

A tour of the Dordogne would not be complete without a mention of their sumptuous food and wine. East of the Périgord Noir lies the Périgord Pourpre, named for its vineyards. The town of Bergerac is especially well known for its balanced and fruity red wines, light rosé, and delicate, dry white wines. When you are walking or cycling through the valleys, you may well spot fenced-off truffle plantations. Once a middle-class food, much local knowledge of farming these tasty fungi was lost during the First World War, when thousands of locals went off to fight – and never came back. Truffles take years to ripen, and require very specific conditions, so they called for an investment of time and money that many farms could not afford – thus they became a luxury food.

The other delicacy the Dordogne is known for is the rich and creamy fois gras (lit. ‘fatty liver’). This association is well deserved - nearly three quarters of all fois gras in the world is made in the Dordogne. It’s made from the livers of ducks or geese who have been force-fed through a process called ‘gavage’, but the welfare of the birds is well protected by French law – they live a stress-free life, are fed only on local produce, and spend most of their lives outdoors due to the region’s perfect weather (imagine!). If you’d like to meet a goose close-up, the Fest’oie is held in Sarlat in the first week of March every year. It is a festival devoted entirely to fois gras, and features live music, a 15-course banquet, and 200 geese running wild in the centre of the village.

If you want to have an adventure, but enjoy the finer things in life, you could do much worse than visit the Dordogne. Have your cake (or truffle) and eat it as you walk and cycle through an ancient landscape, with beautiful food and beautiful weather. You will be as happy as a goose!

What is the National Trust?

At the end of the 19th century, Britain was in a bit of a state. More than 150 years of industrialisation had polluted the air and water, and the great metropolises of London, Birmingham and Manchester had sprawled out over the land. The population had tripled. Britain’s natural and national heritage was at risk of being damaged beyond repair. Three campaigners wanted to do something about it. In 1895, social reformer Octavia Hill, Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, and lawyer Sir Robert Hunter set up the National Trust. The idea was to preserve Britain’s beauty for everyone’s ‘enjoyment, refreshment and rest’.

The National Trust quickly grew. After the Second World War donations from the government allowed the National Trust to buy up and renovate the stately homes owned by Britain’s indebted aristocracy. In the 1970's someone had the bright idea of opening a café at Sizergh, and National Trust properties quickly became a staple of the British day out. Today, the National Trust has more than five million members.

What does the National Trust look after?

The National Trust owns some 500 nature reserves, gardens, and historic buildings, including stately homes and castles. About one-fifth of all National Trust land is coastal including parts of the dramatic Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in western Wales. It also owns much of the Lake District. As one of Britian’s major landowners, the National Trust has many tenants, including 1,300 farmers. The National Trust is the landlord of the whole village of Lacock in Wiltshire, which has changed very little since the Victorian period, and so has been the setting of many a glittering historical drama - including Wolf Hall and several of the Harry Potter films

The National Trust for Scotland

Scotland’s heritage and natural beauty are managed by a different organisation, the National Trust for Scotland. The story of why Scotland has its own National Trust is not as awkward as you might fear. Until the 1930s the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland had looked after the sorts of property that the National Trust looked after in the rest of Britain, but they couldn’t afford the Loch Dee Estate in Galloway when it was offered to them. So, Scottish philanthropists set up their own organisation: the National Trust for Scotland which now takes care of 76,000 hectares of countryside; 27 castles; over one million seabirds and much more.

Visiting From Overseas?

International visitors can buy an explorer pass for either 4, 8 or 14 days, valid from a date you select on purchase. They are quite affordable, starting at £36 per adult, and deals are available for pairs of travelers or families. This is a great way to see England, Wales and Northern Ireland’s historic sites and natural beauty. You can find out more here. In the United States you can join the Royal Oak Foundation, a tax-exempt non-profit that fundraises for the National Trust. Royal Oak Foundation membership grants you unlimited access to 350 historic sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Contributions and membership dues are tax deductible - always a bonus!

Our Favourite National Trust Sites

There are National Trust sites all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and our tours visit many of our favourites. Bibury, once described by William Morris as ‘the most beautiful village in England’ features in several of our Cotswold walking and cycling tours. Here the National Trust own Arlington Row, a set of nine 17th century weavers cottages in bucolic rural England. On the other side of the country, our ‘Suffolk Seaside Jolly lets you cycle to the wild Orford Ness and Dunwich Heath landscapes, which are also owned by the National Trust. These places are unique coastal habitats and are a haven for England’s rare animals, like nightjars, adders, and grey seals.
Other coastal National Trust land includes Seven Sisters and Beachy Head in Sussex, and the famous White Cliffs of Dover.

The Carter Company’s luxury walking and cycling holidays are the best way to take in Britain’s nature, beauty and history. It's thanks to organisations like the National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland that Britain’s natural and national heritage has been protected and preserved for us, and for future generations.