St Leonard's

Worth getting out of bed for

Nestled in a county known for its near-endless supply of storied castles and cathedrals, West Malling is a quintessential English town dotted with a endearingly mis-matched collection of Tudor, Georgian and Queen Anne architecture. Cycle your way between two of Kent’s most impressive historic sites on the Tudor Trail Cycle Route, which winds its way from mediaeval Tonbridge Castle to Penshurst Place, a Tudor manor once owned by Henry VIII (both offer discounted entry if you arrive by bike). The trail passes the River Medway and meanders through wildflower-blanketed meadows in summer and coppery foliage in autumn. Hire a bike from Cycle-Ops and pop into Tonbridge Old Fire Station, opposite, for a restorative cappuccino at 65mm Coffee. Mild spring and summer afternoons would be well spent at Riverhill Himalayan Gardens where the unusual sculpted gardens combine billows of classic English flowers – bluebells, roses and daffodils – with Himalayan and Japanese design, quiet patches of woodland and contemporary sculptures. At the opposite end of the Medway, Copper Rivet Distillery crafts artisanal gin, vodka and whisky in an atmospheric Victorian pump house. Tours take you through the entire distillation process and leave, they promise, plenty of time for tasting. It’s worth driving over to Margate to visit Turner Contemporary, which is right on the coast and shows a rolling programme of contemporary artists alongside major exhibitions of the Romantic painter’s work – usually including rarely seen pieces. St Leonard's is steps from West Malling High Street and its offbeat collection of boutiques: we loved picking up honeycomb and salted-caramel slices from the Chocolate Umbrella. 

Local restaurants

Combine a leisurely drive over to Canterbury Cathedral with a visit to The Goods Shed a farmers’ market and food hall where the restaurant has a menu bursting with old-timey ingredients like quail’s eggs, guinea fowl, turnips and wild garlic that are assembled into dishes including Jacob’s ladder short ribs with roasted garlic, thyme mash and mushrooms or apple and buttermilk pudding. The setting, too, is fittingly pastoral with rustic wood beams, stone walls and tufts of herbs hanging above the produce stalls that occupy half the space. Over in the nearby village of Langley, The Potting Shed’s food spans comforting bowls of vegan jackfruit and black-bean chilli, Mediterranean seafood platters, chicken tikka kebabs and traditional fish and chips, which you can tuck into after a ramble along one of the walks that end in the restaurant’s garden. Expertly made, authentic Thai dishes – within walking distance of St Leonard's – can be found at Pad Thai where you’ll also encounter less common classics like the traditional coconut pudding khanom thuai. For an extra-special meal, gastropub The Sportsman in Seasalter – roughly a 40-minute drive from West Malling, and worth booking a few weeks in advance – occupies a windswept stretch of Kentish coast and holds a Michelin star for its superb plates of local, seasonal produce (such as salt-baked celeriac, apple and fresh cheese and thornback ray with brown butter, cockles and sherry vinegar dressing).

Local bars

The Swan feels like a homely local, albeit one where you can perch on a sapphire banquette, beneath a glittering art deco chandelier, sipping specialty gins and rhubarb and bee pollen-infused cocktails.