Leeds Castle & the Weald
Leeds Castle sits on two small islands in a lake formed by the River Len, just outside Maidstone in Kent — worth stating plainly, since the name causes confusion: this is not the city of Leeds in Yorkshire, but a Kentish village that happens to share the name.
The current castle dates largely from the early 20th century restoration carried out by its last private owner, Lady Baillie, though the site itself has a much longer royal history, having been held by a succession of medieval English queens. It's now run by a charitable trust and open to visitors, with grounds that include a maze, an aviary and gardens spread around the lake.
The castle sits within the Weald, a historically wooded and agricultural belt of countryside running across Kent, Sussex and Surrey — once, in its Old English sense, a single great forest, now a patchwork of orchards, hop gardens, oast houses and small farms that gave Kent its "Garden of England" reputation. Maidstone itself, the county town a few miles from the castle, makes a practical base for exploring the area.
Where to Stay near Leeds Castle
- Leeds Castle — Stable Courtyard — accommodation within the castle's own grounds, beside the moat.
- Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel — a hotel near Hollingbourne, a few miles from the castle.
- Tudor Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club — a golf-resort hotel near Bearsted, outside Maidstone.
- Premier Inn Maidstone — a town-centre base for exploring Maidstone and the wider Weald.
Getting there
Maidstone has direct rail links to London Victoria and St Pancras (via Ebbsfleet), and Leeds Castle itself is just off the M20, a few miles east of the town — making a car or the castle's own rail-and-shuttle option from Bearsted the two practical ways in.