From 2nd to 5th April there’s a chance for the whole family to test their sleuthing skills and discover the secrets hiding in the gardens of Hever Castle with the Annual Easter Egg Trail. Hunting high and low throughout the grounds as a brass band plays in the background, visitors can delight in the springtime gardens whilst they search for the large wooden eggs that hold the clues to the mystery. With the help of Henrietta Hen and friends the final part of the puzzle can be pieced together to claim a chocolatey reward.
Down in the sunken garden visitors will meet a clutch of hens scratching around and find out about the different rare breeds from their owner. Those who might be interested in keeping their own hens can take the opportunity to learn how to set up a chicken coop at home and start collecting eggs each morning.
During the Easter holidays between 10th and 16th April, younger visitors stopping by the castle can get creative at the drop-in brass rubbing workshop. From a choice of brasses including King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn they can make their own rubbing and take it home to display.
The events will be set against the glorious backdrop of Hever Castle, best known as the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. With a double moat and drawbridge, the 13th century castle also houses fascinating collections of Tudor treasures, from portraits and paintings to furniture and tapestries.
Anne Boleyn’s Orchard will be covered in a glorious carpet of daffodils with bursts of crocus and late snowdrops peppered throughout the grounds. There are four acres of award-winning formal gardens to explore, from the giant topiary chess set of the Tudor Garden to the magnificent Pompeiian Wall in the Italian Garden, where visitors can enjoy rambling trails of camellias, glimpse a sight of the first colourful tulips and take in the last of the beautiful winter violas.
The gardens also boast a traditionally designed yew maze* measuring eighty feet square, with hedge heights topping 8ft and containing almost a quarter of a mile of pathways, or visitors can take the Grotto Walk to the majestic Loggia overlooking the 38-acre boating lake. Keen walkers can take the Hever Lake Walk around the perimeter whilst others may prefer to hire a rowing boat** and explore the lake from a different perspective.
* Maze open between April and October, weather permitting
** Rowing boats available on weekends and school holidays from April to October, weather permitting
Opening hours: Gardens open at 10.30am; Castle at 12pm. Last admission 5pm; final exit 6pm.
Admission: Gardens only: Adults £10.50 - Children £6.50 - Family ticket £27.50
Castle and Gardens: Adults £13.00 - Children £7.00 - Family ticket £33.00
Telephone: 01732 865224
ENDS
For further information on Hever Castle, please contact Ann Watt on 01732 861710 or email annwatt@hevercastle.co.uk