England Travel Diary Day 5: Leeds Castle

2004.06.06 England Travel Diary Day 5: Leeds Castle

On the fifth day of the England trip, we left the city rhythm behind and went out to Leeds Castle in Kent. The weather was cloudy and cool, which was good for walking, but not exactly what you hope for when you are carrying a camera.

Travel weather always creates this contradiction: when the sun is out, it is hot; when the sun is gone, the photos feel less bright. So my lazy conclusion was... autumn is probably the best season for traveling ^.^

Slowly approaching from Bearsted Station

To reach Leeds Castle, we first took the train to Bearsted Station. It was a small station, about an hour from London, and from there we took a shuttle bus toward the castle.

Exterior of Bearsted Station with a few people near the entrance. — Bearsted Station, where we arrived before taking the shuttle toward the castle.

The shuttle did not drop us directly at the castle gate. It stopped at an outer parking area, and we still had to walk quite a distance before reaching the main castle grounds. Anyone going now should check current official or local transport information; this is just how we experienced it in 2004.

Once we entered the grounds, it did not feel like rushing into an attraction. It felt more like being placed inside a very large park. Ducks, geese, swans, and all kinds of birds were strolling around the water as if they owned the place.

Birds walking and swimming near the water inside the Leeds Castle grounds. — The grounds felt like a large park, with birds strolling around comfortably.

Two white swans standing beside a path near the water. — Two swans by the path, looking much more relaxed than the visitors.

After walking for a while, the castle finally appeared in the distance. That was the moment when it felt like, yes, we had finally reached the point of the day.

Leeds Castle appearing in the distance across a wide lawn. — After walking for a while, the castle finally appeared ahead of us.

A castle in the lake, better in person than on a map

From a Google Maps aerial view, Leeds Castle sits in the middle of water. The old Blogger post embedded a map here; in this version, I am keeping the context as text and a link.

Google Maps

Standing by the lake felt much stronger than looking at the map. The castle stretched across the water, with swans moving nearby. The cloudy light was not beautiful in the usual photo sense, but it matched the quiet, old-stone mood of the place.

Leeds Castle beside the lake with cloudy sky above. — The castle sitting beside the lake, which made the map view suddenly feel real.

Water and stone walls forming the moat around Leeds Castle. — The moat around the castle.

The main castle stood right beside the water. Up close, the stone walls, archways, towers, and moat layered together. At that point, taking photos was not just proof of arrival. It was a way to remember how the castle became more solid with every step.

Main stone building of Leeds Castle next to the moat. — The main castle building by the water.

Stone walls, windows, and archways of Leeds Castle beside the water. — A closer look at the stone walls and archways around the main castle.

No photos inside, so the courtyard had to do

Photography was not allowed inside the castle. But taking a few photos of the courtyard should be okay, right? ^.^

Interior courtyard at Leeds Castle with stone walls, windows, and planters. — The courtyard was the part I could photograph, since the interior did not allow photos.

Not long before this trip, I had watched a Japanese BS satellite TV program about European rail travel that featured Leeds Castle. Because they were a television crew, they could film inside properly. At the time, I even thought that if I caught a rerun, I could record some interior shots and add screenshots later... in 1080P, too~~

That was a very 2004 kind of thought, and very much me at the time: if I could not take the photos myself, maybe a TV program could fill in the missing view. Looking back now, not having interior photos may actually make this diary better focused on the lake, stone walls, courtyard, and maze outside.

Stone bridge, archway, and water within the castle grounds. — A view across the stone bridge and old walls after leaving the interior area.

Leeds Castle and its reflection across the lake. — The castle reflected in the lake from another side of the grounds.

The garden maze: we thought we got out, but we only reached another entrance

Behind the castle, there was a garden maze. My wife and I went in for a round and almost could not get out ＊.＊'"

When we finally emerged, I was feeling a little proud and thought, this maze is not that difficult after all. Then I looked again... wait... why was there a little hill in the middle of the maze?

It turned out that was the actual goal. We had only walked from the east entrance to the west entrance @.@'"

Hedge maze with a small hill-like structure at the center. — The garden maze, where we thought we had escaped but had only reached another entrance.

Should we try again?? The inner monologue appeared immediately: if we really got stuck inside, would anyone come rescue us if we just sat there and cried??

Forget it... being there was enough... hehe...

Garden, restaurant, and an early finish

After leaving the maze, we wandered around the garden for a while. This part did not feel like a city itinerary where you keep chasing landmarks. It was more like walking until something caught your eye.

Garden corner with hedges, flowers, and greenery. — A quiet corner of the garden after the maze.

The restaurant, as usual... did not have much that looked good to eat. But there were quite a few peacocks competing with people for food, and that was more memorable than the food itself.

Peacocks near the restaurant area at Leeds Castle. — The restaurant area did not leave much food memory, but the peacocks fighting for food did.

Around three in the afternoon, we decided to head back. That is the good thing about traveling independently... you can arrive when you want and leave when you want ^.^

Back at Bearsted Station, we called it an early day and returned to London to pack for the Lake District the next morning.