Sunday October 1 - Leaving Brighton, we headed east toward Hever Castle in Kent County. En route, we stopped at Henners Winery. The estate makes great sparkling and still wines and even some gins. The property is only five miles from the sea and borders on a nature preserve in the nearby valley. Following a very informative vineyard tour, we had a tasting of their offerings before enjoying another charcuterie-style lunch. After lunch we were transported to Bodiam where we board a steam train on the Kent and East Essex Railway. The train is classified as a light train, which means while it uses full size railstock, the train must negotiate steep gradients and travel slowly. The trip took about 50 minutes to travel 10 1/2 miles through gorgeous country side, which has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. And it was. The train and stations are manned by volunteers in period dress and was so well done.

Disembarking from the train, we headed further east to Kent County, sometimes called The Garden of England, for our stay at Hever Castle. The castle, near Edenbridge, is located about 30 miles southeast of London. The castle was built in the 13th century. From 1462 to 1539, it was the seat of the Boleyn family.In 1539, it became the property of King henry VIII. After ownership passed through several families, in 1903 it became the property of American millionaire William Waldorf Astor. Astor had the dilapidated castle authentically restored and added the expansive Tudor village, AKA the Astor Wing and a massive Italian Garden to display his numerous sculptures. The castle was sold to the Guthrie family in 1983 and is still owned by them. They visit the property occasionally.

Monday October 2, we visited Biddenden Vineyard. A beautiful property, but the wines just didn't seem up to quality we had enjoyed up until then. The estate was originally an apple orchard, but eventually diversified into grape growing. The first wine was produced in 1973. The estate grows a dozen different varietals including Schonburger and Ortega.

After a light lunch at Biddenden, we returned to Hever Castle for a tour of the gardens led by one of the eleven master gardeners that maintain the excellence of the property. Following the garden tour, the group enjoyed a proper, traditional English Afternoon Tea.

After tea, we were given a very informative tour of the castle after it was closed to the public. After the tour we enjoyed a casual light suppeR.

Tuesday Oct 3 - We traveled to Gusbourne Vineyards. The original estate on this property was founded in 1410. Grapes were planted on the property in 2004, and they produced excellent wines. Following our visit to Gusbourne, we proceeded on to Rye, a very quaint, rustic town. We had lunch at The Ship Inn, which dates from 1592. We had time after lunch to walk some of the village with cobble stone streets and medieval half-timbered houses. The town is dominated by the Norman St Mary's Church on top of the hill.

From Rye we traveled back to the castle for our farewell dinner. The dinner was in the main dining room in the castle. It was interesting to contemplate how many celebrities and royalty have dined in that room over the centuries.

Wednesday Oct 4, we checked out of the castle for transit back to London. About half the group then traveled to Inverness,. Scotland to enjoy some of the famous distilled Scotch whiskys of the country.