After a week exploring London, we headed about 30 miles east to the historic town of Rochester, which is known for its well preserved castle and cathedral. It is also notable as the location where Charles Dickens based many of his novels.
We then headed south to the tiny hamlet of Cranbrook, where we visited the Sissinghurst Castle Gardens, which were planted between 1930 to 1960 by Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson. It is one of the most famous gardens in England, and “contains an internationally respected plant collection, particularly the assemblage of old garden roses.”
