July 2 - Driving the Villages of Kent, Bodiam Castle

We decided to drive a loop through the High Weald of Kent.  Centuries ago the area was a vast forest.  Now it is covered with lovely farmland and many small villages.  

The loop took us to cute village of Goudhurst.  There really isn’t a lot to see but the pretty buildings lining the road…

and the Parish Church of St. Mary’s Goudhurst.  

It was similar to many of the churches we have seen throughout England with high ceilings, 

stained glass,

and a large cemetery with aged and weathered tomb stones. 

We were also able finally get a broad view of the countryside.  Most of the roads are lined with high, thick hedges, making it almost impossible to get a good view of the surrounding countryside.

We stopped in Cranbrook, which was originally a major market town.  Now it is pretty “modern” with lots of regular shops and one very pretty pub.  We didn’t stay very long.

Next stop was Tenterden for lunch and then on to Bodiam Castle.  Bodiam is a lovely old castle surrounded by a picturesque moat.  

However, the inside is pretty much a shell, very little remains.  But it was interesting to walk around.

The views of the surrounding countryside from the top of the walls were pretty good.

An informative sign in the castle explained the origins of the term "Chairman of the Board."  Surprisingly the term basically originates from the Middle Ages.

Then we headed off to our next “home”, the White Rock Hotel in Hastings.  It is right on the waterfront with a view of the pier and there is a great walk right along the waterfront.  We ate dinner on the terrace of the hotel overlooking the waterfront (and the busy road that ran between).