River Medway at Maidstone - Kent Tourism Alliance

Sitting at the foot of the Downs and surrounded by some of Kent’s most beautiful countryside is this go-ahead county town which has been an influential centre since the days of the Anglo Saxons. Ranked in the top five shopping centres in the south of England, it has more than one million square feet of retail floor space.

Enjoying a comparatively warm climate, it is a collection point for some of the county’s agricultural products, including hops, and has notable museums, the medieval Archbishop’s Palace and the country’s best collection of carriages – not to mention England’s widest nave at All Saints Church.
 

Leeds Castle – ‘the most beautiful castle in the world’ – rises majestically from the middle of a lake. Dating from 857 it was rebuilt in 1179 by a Norman knight and later became a favourite haunt of Edward 1 and Eleanor of Castile. Its gatehouse contains a remarkable collection of antique dog collars spanning four centuries. Beyond the great stone walls is magnificent parkland laid out by ‘Capability’ Brown.

Leeds Castle - Kent Tourism Alliance