Despite the bitter February cold wind cutting to the bone, a day out to Scotney Castle. Half the house was open which was OK and the gardens which came to £10.45, but the Castle was closed, and the car park cost was £3.00 not being a National Trust member.
I was lucky enough to arrive when a tour of the house was just starting, I have been here before, so I knew what I was expecting, It's a nice house but the garden and castle was the star attraction.
The History bit: In 1377 French ships raided the Sussex coast, causing widespread damage and panic among the local population.
Roger de Ashburnham, Conservator of the Peace in Kent and Sussex, decided to build a castle to guard against the threat of further invasions. He chooses a site on the River Bewl, at the bottom of a wooded valley just south of Lamberhurst, and there he built a quadrangular castle on a pair of islands, surrounded by a wide moat.
The moat also encloses an outer courtyard and the stumpy remains of a ruined gatehouse. One of the original four towers still stands, topped with a later conical roof and bristling with machicolations. It looks for all the world like a fairy tale castle tower, so much so that you almost expect to see a Disney fairy princess at the upper window of the tower.
It is possible that the quadrangular castle was never actually finished, and what we see today is a large part of the completed structure. The south tower we see today was recorded as the only tower standing in 1558. As I was going around the Mote, I was being followed by a fleet of ducks!
I did feel guilty of not having any food, so If you decide to go take a pocket full of grain or bird food as bread is not good for them. The wind was bitter cold, but there are pockets to shelter from. The café is not as bad as some reviews I have seen, a Latte and a Jacket potato with Tuna Mayo and a side helping of some leaves came to £8.95. I would have liked to had worn a skirt, but it was too cold, maybe next time.
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