Top 5 Lakes around Frittenden

Louisa Lake is a charming spot nestled within Bedgebury Forest, often encountered on the woodland bike trails. With a peaceful bench nearby, it’s the perfect place to pause and take in the scenery.

This footpath follows the southern shore of Great Water and offers wonderful, free to access views of Leeds Castle. The castle is a grade 1 listed building. It's been here since 857 and has been the favourite residence of several monarchs. The present castle is mostly 19th century. It was left to the public in 1976 and open for visits.

Louisa Lake is a small, pretty lake within the Bedgebury forest. You pass it on a few loops of the woods and there is a nice bench if you fancy a rest.

Maybe obvious to others, but because some of the signage was missing/hidden when we visited didn't realise that the public footpath intersects with the castle grounds which is private and which you must pay in order to use. The grounds are very pretty, but the entry ticket seem very expensive to me. You can still get nice views of the castle and grounds from the public footpath as well.

Managed by Forestry England, the National Pinetum is home to over 12000 specimens of trees and is a great place to visit for anyone interested in conservation. The adjacent forest is full of tracks and trails for cycling, walking, running and a tree top adventure, Go Ape. Take a moment out from your ride and breathe it all in. There is also a visitors centre with toilets and a cafe on site.

A great place to take a stop on the Bedgebury Forest Bike routes.

With evergreen conifers and miles of trails, Bedgebury Forest is a great place to take your bike! There are three cycling trails which you can follow to make sure you don't get lost amongst the 12,000 trees. You'll also find a cafe serving locally sourced food which opens from 8.30am. Entrance is free, although car parking is £13 (all the more reason to come by bike!). You can rent bikes on-site. For more information, visit: https://www.forestryengland.uk/bedgebury

Leeds Castle was in its long history a Norman stronghold, the private residence of 6 English queens of the Middle Ages (Eleanor of Castile, Margaret of France, Isabella of France, Joan of Navarre, Anna of Bohemia and Katharina de Valois), a palace of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in Jacobean times a country estate and a Georgian mansion. In the 20th century the castle was an elegant retreat and today Leeds Castle is one of the most visited attractions in the UK. Leeds Castle has Norman foundations, a medieval gatehouse; The Gloriette was built by Edward I and expanded in the times of Henry III, there is a Tudor tower and a 19th century country house. The first castle was built by the Norman Baron Robert de Crevecoeur in 1119, at the time of Henry I, the son of William the Conqueror, on an island in the River Len. In 1278, one and a half centuries later, it came into the possession of Queen Eleanor, the wife of Edwards I. For the next 300 years, the castle was a royal residence and part of the Wittum of the English queens.