England

One and a half hours by train from London, the Weald of Kent lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (A.O.N.B) – thus protecting its rolling hills, small irregular fields, woods, shaws and hedges, scattered farmsteads and sunken lanes.The Weald boasts the largest area of semi-natural ancient woodland in the country.

In this woodland is the intense and beautifully managed Pond Wood Farm, run by Frankie and Graham Woodgate. Their tours of the villages, homes and culture of the Wealden countryside follow the seasons and traditions of the area.The various activities outlined in the sample days can be planned for and arranged in advance.

Other possible activities are more seasonal, including a variety of local arts and crafts, flights in hot air balloons or light aircraft, spring lambing, May Day festivals and autumn harvests. Village fêtés, fairs and cricket matches in the summer, the Stour Valley (Early) Music Festival, Guy Fawkes celebrations during November and carol singing with mulled wine and mince pies in December. If you decide to book a Wealden Insider Tour, we will advise you of any interesting events that are due to take place while you are with us.

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Day 1:	Is your arrival in Wye, a pretty Kentish village – 3 pubs, 3 churches, a cricket pitch and fortnightly farmers' market on the green. We'll show you the village and take you to the Devil's Kneading Trough, a steep-sided nature reserve of chalk grasslands.From the Trough, you'll see spectacular views out over the route of our journey out across the Low Weald to the Saxon shoreline. Since Saxon times, land has gradually been reclaimed from the sea to form highly productive agricultural land, where the Romney or Kent sheep breed was developed for wool and meat production.From Wye - travelling across Romney Marsh - we'll make our way the port of Rye in time for lunch. You can wander around the narrow cobbled streets, Tudor architecture and defensive walls and gates of this old seaport. We'll go for a stroll along the quayside to see the fishing fleet, with the opportunity to buy some fresh fish for supper.After lunch, we can visit a local bird reserve on the edge of the marsh, or take a walk along the beach.
Day 2-3:	We'll spend the next two days relaxing within the woodlands and pastures of Pond Wood Farm in High Halden. The woodland has been managed since at least the time of the Doomsday Book (1086), when it was property of the nearby Tiffenden Manor. It is now the home of Graham and Frankie and their two draught horses (Jeton and John), three dogs, three pigs and fifteen sheep.From 1400 to about 1800 A.D. the Weald was the centre of the English iron industry. A rather poor quality, yet locally abundant ore was smelted using charcoal made from hornbeam. As a result, hornbeam dominates local woodlands - along with large, spreading oaks, descendents of trees that have been grown and felled to construct houses, churches and ships for more than a millennium.Graham and Frankie use many traditional woodland and farming practices at Pond Wood. Animal lovers will be amply entertained. Graham and Frankie do much of the farm work using Jeton and John. We can spend the day getting to know these two horses, learning the basics of looking after them and using the horses for a variety of tasks such as harrowing the pastures or extracting timber from the woods.We can also take John and Jeto on a wagon ride to the Six Bells at Woodchurch, our favourite local inn, where we can have a ploughman's lunch of local bread, cheese and ham, and sample local wines and beers.Other options include visiting the village church (there is a footpath connecting the farm to the village) where we can see some of the local oak in situ; making some of our own charcoal using the farm furnace; evening barbeques of products produced on the farm in the company of local friends; an evening de-stress back, head and neck massage from a qualified local practitioner; or relaxing at the farm.
Day 4:	After breakfast we shall make our way to Tenterden, one of the Weald's most beautiful market towns. Here we shall board a steam train for the short journey down the line to Bodium.Until the mid-1960s a small branch line used to run from the main London to Hastings railway at Robertsbridge, through Tenterden and out as far Pluckley, servicing the farms and rural communities in between. An appraisal of the financial viability of the country's rail infrastructure led to the line's closure. This provoked great resentment among local people, who organised themselves to try to get it re-opened. One of the key players in this endeavour was Frankie's father, the late Mr Peter Benge-Abbot.As we journey down up the line to Bodium, we shall pass through stunning scenery of the High Weald, with its small fields, woodlands and villages. On arrival at Bodium, we shall cross to the other side of the Rother Valley where we find the country's best preserved Norman castle. With its turrets, castlations, moat and draw bridge, Bodium Castle has been the setting for many historical reconstructions, as well as the film set for more than one Robin Hood movie!Today the National Trust owns the Castle and there is a café and restaurant where we can buy lunch, or, alternatively, we cross over the road to the local inn. After the lunch we can take a cruise on the river before returning to catch the train back to Tenterden.
Day 5:	Although Canterbury lies outside the Weald, we thought that anybody coming here to visit would want to take a trip to one of the oldest English cities and one of the most historically important English cathedrals.On our way to, or back from, Canterbury, we can call in at King's Wood to walk the woodland sculpture trail funded by the Stour Valley Arts Project. Here local sculptors have used the surrounding landscape, topography and materials to create a series of intriguing sculptures.Canterbury itself has much to offer, not least of which is the Cathedral. There is also an exhibition relating to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, where you can experience the sights, sounds and smells of Chaucer's pilgrimage from London to the shrine of Thomas Beckett in Canterbury Cathedral. In addition, we can visit Greyfriars or Eastbridge Hospital, founded in the 12th century to provide overnight lodging to pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket.This is a full day's visit, so we shall be buying lunch and dinner in Canterbury, which offers a wide range of eating options, from traditional English cuisine, to more exotic choices, such as Chinese, Indian and Mexican Restaurants.Music lovers can cut short the trip to Canterbury, returning to spend the evening with local musician, Richard. Richard's music fills the fêtés and festivals of the Weald. His repertoire crosses the British Isles; his instruments include the mandolin, Celtic harp, guitar, accordion and piano. If you are a musician yourself, you can join in, if not, you can simply listen and talk over a bottle of wine or glass of beer.
Day 6:	After a farewell meal, we'll take you back to the train station and your journey onwards.