Hever Castle in Kent is one of our favourite castles to visit in the UK. The childhood home of King Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, is a picture-perfect castle in beautiful grounds. There are so many great activities for families here from trying your hand at archery and rowing to watching knights jousting and getting lost in the mazes. Here’s a list of our favourite things to do at Hever Castle.
Explore the castle
The 700-year-old castle has everything children require from a castle: a moat, an impressive drawbridge and a gatehouse filled with armour and instruments of torture.
It also boasts one of the UK’s best collections of Tudor portraits. The connections with Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn make Hever a must-visit for anyone interested in the Tudors. You can see the bedchamber where Henry VIII is believed to have stayed and the signed, exquisite prayer books belonging to Anne Boleyn.
Our favourite time to visit is at Christmas when all the rooms are decorated with Christmas trees.
Find your way around all three mazes
There are no less than three mazes at Hever Castle. Kids love the Tower Maze in the adventure playground and my two love the challenge of finding their way around the traditional Yew Maze in the shortest time possible.
The Water Maze is the most fun of all and a brilliant place to cool down on a hot summer’s day. Stepping stones lead through the reeds to a stone tower in the centre. Step on the wrong stone and your path will be blocked by jets of water. Most children positively delight in getting soaked so bring a towel and a change of clothes.
Watch a jousting tournament
You can watch knights jousting most weekends over the summer. King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn lead the procession of spectators all the way from the castle to the jousting field where big crowds gather to watch the Blue Knights battle the Reds.
The hour-long show is a real spectacle. The knights knock each other off their horses, spear metal rings onto their lances and engage in hand-to-hand combat. Children are invited to join the King’s Army. The raggle-taggle bunch are given helmets, swords and pikes and made to parade around the field.
Take a boat out on the lake
We love rowing on the large lake at Hever. You can hire a rowing boat or a pedalo and spend a very happy hour mucking around on the water, rowing over to the Japanese Tea House and ringing the bell in the middle of the lake. See if you can sport the ducks’ house in the shape of a miniature castle.
The lake is a great place to teach children how to row. It’s usually fairly peaceful and you can see dragonflies, herons and kingfishers on the lake. There’s also a steamboat cruise.
Wander around the gardens
The extensive gardens are a pleasure to explore and there are plenty of good places for hide-and-seek. The formal gardens are a delight: the Italian Garden has shaded grottos and classical statues and there’s a colonnaded loggia beside the lake with a fountain and sculptures inspired by the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
The giant topiary chess set in the Tudor Garden will make you feel as if you’ve wandered onto a film set for ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Don’t miss the lovely sunken garden hidden behind a hedge in the Italian Garden – it’s a wonderfully tranquil spot often missed by the crowds because it’s so hidden away.
Walk around the lake
With 125 acres to explore, there’s no surprise that there are some lovely walks around the grounds and the wilder parts of the gardens. Our favourite is the Lake Walk which goes all around the lake. You can download a nature trail to complete as you go round. It’s a great place to spot birds like kingfishers and crested grebes and even on busy days it’s always quiet here, right in the middle of the countryside.
Have a picnic in the grounds
The stunning grounds are perfect for a picnic. Spread out your rug on one of the big lawns in front of the castle and watch the ducks and swans in the stream nearby. There’s lots of space here for children to have a run around. If you prefer to be away from the crowds, you’ll find quieter spots along the Lake Walk.
If the weather’s not good enough for sitting outside, there are two excellent cafés serving sandwiches, cakes and hot meals.
The next jousting tournament at Hever takes place this coming Bank Holiday Weekend.
Hever Castle is open every day until 30th October, then from Wednesdays until Sundays until Christmas. Adults, from £13.10; children, from £8.30; under 5s, free.
For more castle inspiration, take a look at The UK’s Best Castles for Families and The Best European Castle Stays for Families
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suitcases and sandcastles 
yet another gorgeous castle!:)
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I know! We just love castles – especially this one…
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Looks amazing we love castles. our last trip was to Conway castle in Wales X
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Us too! I’d love to see some of the castles in Wales. My husband’s Welsh so we really ought to plan a visit soon. Thanks so much for commenting.
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Haha aww fab I’m sure you will get there, and ur welcome X
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My favourite castle! I am an Anne Boleyn sympathiser. So much for visitors of all ages to enjoy but I love the history and the pretty most the best.
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It’s stunning and I love the history of it too. But the thing I love most about Hever are the gorgeous grounds. It’s such a fantastic place to wander around, whatever the weather. We’ve been for picnics, water maze and rowing in the summer and had as good a time in the depths of winter on cold walks around the lake and the atmosphere at Christmas is magical.
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What an interior! I’d love to sink into that bed. The gardens look lovely too.
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The gardens are absolutely wonderful. A real highlight for us.
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This is one of the only castles on your best of UK castle post that I haven’t been to. It looks so beautiful! I can imagine my son also delighting in getting completely soaked at that stepping stone maze too. The history, the gardens and an opportunity to see a jousting tournament or have a peaceful picnic all sounds perfect.
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I’m so impressed you’ve been to so many castles, Ali. Hever Castle is definitely one of my favourites – it’s in a particularly lovely part of England and there’s so much to do.
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Wow! Just from the mazes alone, I hope someday I’ll have a chance to visit! Of course, touring the castle would be amazing, too!
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It’s so much fun there. All three mazes can keep my boys entertained for hours!
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Every time we drive down to visit friends in Kent, I see the signs for Hever Castle and think I must visit… but still haven’t made it. It looks fabulous there. #mondayescapes
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We’re huge fans of Hever Castle, Cathy. It’s a really great place to visit with children.
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Wow – looks like a winner! Castles are such a novelty to this American abroad! But between christmas trees in winter or costumed jousters in summer? That is a tough choice which one is better! Thanks for sharing – cheers from Copenhagen, Erin #MondayEscapes
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That’s a tricky question to answer, Erin. I’d have to say both because although there’s so much more to do there during the summer, the castle at Christmas is a magical experience.
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I feel the same way about advising people about the best time to come to Copenhagen… so utterly charming at Christmas, but so many options in the summer. Cheers! Erin
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I love mazes and the jousting looks fantastic. What vibrant outfits! This looks like a great family day out
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It’s a brilliant day out for the family, Claire. Loads to do for children of all ages. Definitely one of our favourite castles! Thanks so much for sharing.
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I love that you all can explore castles whenever you want – very different from the U.S.! These all sound great but I must say the gardens look exquisite; I have such a thing for gardens:). #mondayescapes
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We are so lucky – particularly as my two are so castle obsessed. Mind you, you’ve made me utterly jealous of your life in the States and all those wonderful-sounding beaches and coastal towns you’ve been writing about lately!
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I can definitely imagine to have a picnic there with my family. Beautiful place and so much to learn for children. If you will have time, I´ll be glad if you can join my TRAVEL INSPIRATION link up.
Anna xoxo
http://www.flostenparadise.com
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It’s a really beautiful place, Anna. Thanks so much for inviting me to join your link up. I’ll look forward to taking a look at it. Cx
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I used to live in Kent before coming to France and have been to Hever Castle several times … and love it. I adore the grounds, the castle itself and the outdoor theatre they do there … but I have not been luck enough to see jousting.
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We go so often, Rosie, and we never tire of it – there’s something special about it at any time of the year.
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