Route: Scotney Castle
Area: Kent
Date of walk: 13th June 2025
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 4.0 miles
Ascent: 300
Weather: Sunny and very warm
Scotney Castle consists of a ruined medieval castle and a Victorian mansion house. It is home to a beautiful garden and is surrounded by 780 acres of Grade I listed parkland and woodland which makes for a pleasant walk. Much of the estate is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Scotney Castle is owned by the National Trust. Before visiting the Castle we decided to follow the Parkland Trail which is about 2 miles in length (follow the link for a route map)
The estate is not open until 10am and there’s a fee for parking, although this is included in the admission price if visiting the Castle. Entry and parking are free to National Trust members. The Parkland Trail starts from near the mansion house and takes about 1 hour to complete. It’s well waymarked for most of the way. I won’t describe the route in detail as it’s set out in the link above, but in brief it follows paths through the historic parkland with occasional views across to Scotney Castle. On the day of our visit the fields were full of lesser bird’s foot trefoil which, along with other wildflowers, were attracting hundreds of meadow brown butterflies
At the end of the walk we entered into the grounds of Scotney Castle and made a beeline for the ruins of the Old Castle. The castle dates back 650 years and is located in a fairytale setting in the middle of a moat, carpeted with water lilies – an iconic sight. We then explored the lovely gardens which link the Old Castle with the adjacent mansion house, formerly owned by the Hussey family. It had been a morning well spent, and we still had time to visit another nearby moated castle – see our next walk around Bodiam Castle
Click on the icon below icon for a map showing the location of Scotney Castle and click here for a plan of the Scotney Castle Estate
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of the Parkland Trail as we pass through this gate near the National Trust car park
We walk along the Old Carriage Road which runs through the estate from Kilndown to the house and would once have been a means of showing the parkland to guests
We cross the bridge over Sweetbourne, a small stream which feeds the moat surrounding the old castle
A few yards further on we cross the River Bewl via Bewl Bridge
We turn left at the sign, for a longer walk keep to the main track
We continue through the idyllic Scotney landscape
The fields were full of bird's foot trefoil, attracting numerous meadow brown butterflies
Looking across to the old moated castle built in 1378 and the 'new' house built in the 1830's
We continue along the Parkland Trail
We cross over the River Bewl again...
Approaching the house
We turn left beyond the gate
The lane brings us back to Scotney Castle
The Walled Garden at Scotney Castle
Looking across the parkland where we'd walked earlier
We head down to the Old Castle, believed to have been built as a fortified house against French invasions in the 14th century
The romantic ruins of Scotney Castle
We follow a path beside Sweetbourne stream for further views of the Old Castle...
Sweetbourne
Scotney Castle and its moat from the bridge over Sweetbourne
We follow a path around the moat, with more views of the Old Castle...
Having completed the circuit, we explore the ruins of the Old Castle...
Views across the moat...
We leave the Old Castle and head up through the gardens to the house
Looking back to the Old Castle
The house at Scotney Castle, currently undergoing a few repairs
From the terrace, a last look over the Picturesque landscape at the end of a wonderful visit
