National Trust - Sissinghurst Castle Garden — Attraction in Tunbridge Wells

Such a pleasure to visit on a special free entry National Lottery Day! I'm a member of the National Trust, so come regularly, as the seasons change so do the gardens, beautifully laid out in what were once great rooms of the once great Medieval Castle.

Once home to Vita Sackville-West (who was born in Knowl Park in Sevenoaks). Historic, poetic, iconic: a refuge dedicated to beauty. Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson fell in love with Sissinghurst Castle and created a world-renowned garden.

The star of the show as it were is the great Tudor tower, built of brick it's a very impressive structure! Home to Vita's Writing Room. Vast panoramic views of the formal garden, working farm and 450-acre wider estate from the very top.

The Big Room (Library) Nicknamed 'The Big Room', this atmospheric space was originally used for entertaining by Vita and Harold and is now home to exhibitions throughout the year.

The Garden A symbol of love and horticultural ambition, created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson in the early 1930s. Designed in a series of 'rooms' with summer highlights including the Rose Garden and the White Garden.

Plant Shop Take home a living piece of Sissinghurst with plants and seasonal vegetables that are grown right here on site.

The Old Dairy Cafe Serves hot and cold drinks, tasty light bites and cakes. Indoor and outdoor seating available. See opening times for more information.

Visit in May & June for vast views of colour splashes in every view. Smell the fragrance...

Sissinghurst Castle Firstly it's not a Castle it's a house and gardens,the house is not open to public except one room,converted stable to a library. To be honest the oast near entrance had more information about place,after that pretty much nothing. The tower is a nice view. The garden was okish but every path we went down seemed to be closed at end with barriers and rope/string . There was a gate at end of old moat but this was locked and no longer in use,so to go to lakes walk, had to return to entrance, ask how to get there,as signage is poor throughout site,then go down to lakes,small lakes but pleasant walk, all in all even doing that and stopping for coffee ect took just 2 hours. Cafe and staff very good as every place visited so far has been,excellent. Shops seem very boring,same old stuff,if I wanted a whole selection cards ect I'd go to high street not here,needs a total rethink. Maybe more local stuff for each property. As a fairly new member to National Trust I am pretty disappointed, to drive there and back took longer than visit,if I was on a day trip as non member I would be put off going to other NT properties £42.00 plus £4.00 parking is pretty poor for a couple of hours. Having done 5 NT visits since joining I must say only 1 has been value for money. Went to Scotney castle last week which we found more value for money but still expensive if non member. Will visit many more this year to get value for membership but will not...

A national trust property in Kent. Beautiful grounds and gardens. Some areas were under restoration when we went. It was the home of Vita Sackville West. Her writing room has recently under gone some conservation work and you can climb the tower to look through the door and see the view from the top. Sadly I couldn't do that as I recently fractured my foot. Lots of visitors were though and it seemed worthwhile from their comments. We visited the beautiful no dig vegetable garden. It was very inspirational and full of butterflies and pollinators. There is a longer walk you can do that is about about 3 miles around the estate and by the lake but sadly I couldn't do that yet. I will have to go back and try that out another time. The food and drink we had in the restaurant was good and medium priced as expected. Their were vegan and vegetarian options and options for children. It was very busy but there is plenty of seating inside and some outside. I don't have young children any longer but there was plenty of outdoor space to run around in. If your children like nature and wildlife they will find things to do. There are farm animals to see too. There is a small shop selling gifts inside and a mini gardening shop on the way in which had bird feeders and gifts for sale too. The entrance cost us £16 for one adult ticket and £4 to park as we are NT members. We spent about 4 hours which included eating lunch in...