Kent: the Garden of England

Great guide Enjoyed it all

This was my first tour, so I was very glad it was at a relaxed pace, and a small group. Our leader, Ben was very personable, knowledgeable, and also made sure we were well informed of travelling and meeting info, and we were in very safe hands with our great driver Toni . Highlight for me was Leeds Castle, including the tour there, the beautiful setting, and the accommodation in renovated stables. The Mermaid Inn was also a wonderful experience. I personally would have preferred an alternative activity to the Brewery tour, but only because I have no interest in beer! But overall, an excellent program of wonderful places!

This tour was a real find! Our guide was very knowledgeable, the group was small (11?) and quite compatible, the accommodations were outstanding, the sites we visited were interesting, the gardens absolutely lovely and, of course, Kent, itself, is beautiful. Thank you, Back Roads.

We loved this tour from start to finish. It is well organized, and exceeds expectations. We signed up to see distinctive gardens but were given an incredible lesson in British culture and history as well as botany and geography. Our guide Ben Sims was a fountain of knowledge on diverse subjects add keep the daily schedule running on time.

An excellent trip and our guide Rachael was very good . We loved the places we visited and they capture the old leafy England we wanted to see

This tour had a great array of castles and gardens and was excellent. The peak experience was Leeds Castle and absolutely beautiful gardens. The guides were very informative. Importantly, there was access to morning coffee and lunch stops easy to find. The boutique hotels were warm and very comfortable. Loved this tour!

Excellent tour - the tour guide was top notch. The driver was very professional and knowledgeable. We visited wonderful castles, small towns, and so many beautiful gardens.

Great time great tour leader.

What an absolutely fantastic holiday in Gardens of Kent. My husband and I have done Back Roads Ireland and that was so fabulous, we knew England was the next tour. The itinerary was everything we had hoped for and even more! Ben was our guide and he was just a wealth of knowledge in history, flora and fawn, and just made the whole experience 100% amazing. Tony was our driver and with his skills and knowledge of England we felt so comfortable with him behind the wheel. Tony and Ben worked so well together. I would recommend this holiday for anyone who loves England with its endless beauty and wants to go where other large bus tours cannot possibly venture to!

This was my first ever tour and it was fantastic. Beautiful gardens and incredible historic sites. Good balance between group activities and down time. Can’t wait for the next trip!

Way beyond my expectations.

The accommodation was excellent and the food was superb. Tony was full of information and put a lot of effort into making sure the tour ran smoothly. A bonus was the fruit and books about the places we visited and local birds and plants that Tony bought along the way.

Wonderful garden mixed with some historic events and architecture. Terrific guide, well organised tour and accommodation.

First Trip with Blue Roads/Back Roads Touring, hopefully not my last. I booked with a friend and she was ill at time of the trip, so I went solo. I felt well taken care of and made friends with my group. Among us were our Tour Guide, Ben Sims and Driver, Tony Gilbert both Kent natives; 2 singles from New Zealand; 2 couples from Canada; a mother and daughter and a Couple from Australia; and myself from California, for a total with Ben and Tony of 13. It was a nice number and we got on well. And we all made it to the bus on time, every time! Yes, we did go down the back roads and never for a second was I the least bit concerned with Tony's impeccable driving, including backing uphill over the cobbles of Mermaid Street in Rye, or a narrow hedgerow lane (at my request since I had ancestors that had lived there---appreciate them being accommodating) when leaving Leed's Castle. The pacing and arrangements by Ben were perfect. A nice balance of time on our own and time together. Ben's commentary was excellent and he pulled together different threads from history and natural history. His passion and willingness to share what matters to him, or to us, was very much appreciated. He made book and film recommendations relevant to our tour, which I have followed up with. And he shared places not on the itinerary that were meaningful. He would always call ahead to make sure ever thing was set and people were their to meet us. We never spent time waiting in queues. Tony helped out always making sure everyone was accounted for and he participated on the tour with us which was very nice. Highlights would be Visiting Sissinghurst Castle Gardens and the gardens at Leed's Castle and Hever Castle. This was the 3rd week in May and the flowers were beautiful. Rhododendrons and Roses, Iris and wisteria. The accommodations were all very nice. Character and quirky was the 15th century Mermaid Inn, Modern was Tower Suites, spacious was Abode and Leeds Castle. For setting Leed's Castle was stunning. I awoke early and wandering around the grounds at sunrise was sensational. All the meals were excellent. Service excellent and portage was appreciated. I enjoyed Chartwell and Hever even more than expected. The tours by guides at Hever and Canterbury cathedral were also excellent and Ben prepared us well. If you love English History I cannot think you would be disappointed. If you have not been to England before I suggest adding on a visit to the Tower of London as it ties in well with the trip and perhaps a visit to the Temple Church as well. If you are staying additional days (before or after at Tower Hill Suites---consider upgrading to a view room. Stunning views of the city. I do not drink alcohol and wasn't sure about the Beer and Wine tasting, but I was glad I went and thoroughly enjoyed learning more of the history and process. I also am Vegetarian and found plenty of options everywhere we went. I can think of no complaints---just wanted a bit more time here and there but that would have been a different trip and it would be impossible to always hit the right amount of time for everyone everywhere. Maybe its best to keep us wanting to come back for more. Overall it was very well executed. Would highly recommend.

This having been my 75th tour I would have preferred starting in the mornings a bit earlier than 9-or9.30am. Tours are short and cost quite a bit of money so you don’t want to waste time. Earlier starts enable you to get to your destination earlier or you can spend a little more time in some spots. One or two times we spent a bit to long in places where their was not much to do. This otherwise was a lovely tour by not travelling on the motorways and being able to see all the back country and small villages. Our tour guide was excellent very knowledgeable and easy to get along with. The driver was also excellent a very safe driver and capable of putting the coach through some very narrow roads and tricky situations. This was my first trip with Back Roads and I would like to do a lot more but coming up to 76years in a few months and having the rest of this year fully booked and not much space left unhooked in 2026 l May have a little trouble but we will see what I can do with a little bit or reorganising. I only have a 22day Scandinavian cruse booked in May 2027 at this stage. Many thanks for a lovely tour. Trevor