The High Weald
area of outstanding natural beauty
Breathtaking views, country walks, Friendly pubs,ancient villages, rolling hills and valleys
The High Weald of Sussex and Kent has to be one of the best kept secrets of Southern England. It is a piece of real England with ancient villages and settlements. If you are a walker you will discover the best walking country in the whole of Southern England. If you love history and ancient buildings, we are surrounded by them, if you love gardens we are close to Sissinghurst, Great Dixter, Pashley Manor, Hever Castle and many more private gardens, open under the National Gardens scheme, including The Long House Garden in the exquisite Downs village of Westdean. There are so many things to do here heart of the High Weald and Ashdown Forest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, that many guests find a week is far too short a time to cover everything they would like to see.
Vineyards: The cottage is in the the High Weald wine growing area and is a perfect place for exploring the Sussex and Kent vineyards.
Days out: Famous houses and gardens to visit. The area around The Cottage in the Garden has many famous gardens and historic houses including Rudyard Kipling's home, Batemans; Scotney Castle; Sissinghurst, where Vita Sackville West created her famous garden; Hever Castle, the home of Ann Boleyn; Great Dixter, Christopher Lloyd's famous garden; Pashley Manor; Sheffield Park; Chartwell, the home of Sir Winston Churchill; Knole; Charlestone; Monk's House; Herstmonceux Castle; Leeds Castle; and Penshurst Place where Wolf Hall was filmed.
Other fascinating places to visit include the Cinque ports of Rye and Hastings Old Town with its artists' quarter and fishing fleet, featured in the television series Foyle's War.
Heritage railway enthusiasts will enjoy The Bluebell Line, The Lavender Line and The Spa Valley railway.
We are delighted to meet guests from Europe and from all over the world. We find those from the USA, Australia and New Zealand are often drawn to this old country because of its heritage. This area is steeped in history. Our beautiful church,St Denys’ in Rotherfield, was founded in 792AD, many of the villages are medieval and our blog on October 5th 2018 describes our experience of falconry with the backdrop of Herstmonceux Castle.
The countryside is a rolling landscape of densely wooded valleys and streams, sunken lanes and bluebell woods. The villages, some of the prettiest in England, are comparatively close together, with excellent pubs.
The Cottage in the Garden sits on a hill with massive views all the way to the South Downs but despite the remoteness of its setting it is within a 25 minute drive of Glyndebourne Opera and within easy reach of the three Regency Spa towns; Royal Tunbridge Wells with its attractive Pantiles area, the City of Brighton with the famous Royal Pavilion, The Lanes and the sea and the charming county town of Lewes, famous for its antique shops, castle and museum.
Our local Rotherfield woods in bluebell time
“A blissful week - so pretty with the snow falling. Amazing dinner on Friday night - what a treat! Wish we could stay longer..”
“We’ve spent four very happy, comfortable nights in this romantic little retreat. Lovely walks from the cottage and in the Ashdown Forest. Plenty to do and see in the area. Our meal was delicious!”
“We couldn’t have wished for a better retreat in which to spend Christmas together. Peaceful, warm, cosy and inviting. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our stay.”
“Thankyou so much for this delicious slice of springtime bliss. We enjoyed every minute of it, walking east with the afternoon sun on our backs...relaxing by the fire making food in the brilliantly equipped kitchen, listening to the birdsong and watching the sun go down from the veranda....”