Kent Accommodation:
Allhallows On Sea
Appledore
Ashford
Aylesford
Bearsted
Beckenham
Benenden
Bethersden
Bexley
Bexleyheath
Biddenden
Biggin Hill
Birchington
Brenchley
Broadstairs
Bromley
Canterbury
Capel Le Ferne
Charing
Chatham
Chiddingstone
Chislehurst
Cliftonville
Cranbrook
Crayford
Dartford
Deal
Densole
Dover
Dymchurch
Edenbridge
Elham
Faversham
Fawkham
Folkestone
Gillingham
Goudhurst
Gravesend
Hamstreet
Hawkhurst
Herne Bay
Hever
Hollingbourne
Hythe
Isle Of Sheppey
Kingsdown
Lamberhurst
Lenham
Littlebourne
Lydd
Maidstone
Margate
Meopham
Minster
New Romney
Orpington
Petham
Pluckley
Ramsgate
Rochester
Romney Marsh
Sandwich
Sarre
Sevenoaks
Shatterling
Sheerness
Sidcup
Sissinghurst
Sittingbourne
Smarden
St Nicholas At Wade
Staplehurst
Strood
Swanley
Tenterden
Thurnham
Tonbridge
Tunbridge Wells
Wadhurst
Welling
West Malling
Westerham
Westgate On Sea
Whitstable
Willesborough
Wingham
Worth
Wrotham
Wye

Kent

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Information

County Town: Maidstone
Population: 1,587,200 (1999 figures)
Area: 1,442 sq miles/ 3,735 sq
Kent Jobs
Kent Tips Page
County Reviews
Rather interesting Kent facts
Kent weather
Visitor reports
Your opinion of Kent
Famous Dates
Famous People
Food Legends:Whitstable Oysters
Kentish Beer
Kentish Cobnuts
Kentish Huffkin
Folkestone Pudding Pies
Canterbury Pudding
Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup
Folk Customs:
Admiralty of the Medway
Biddenden Dole
Blessing the Sea and Diving for the Cross
Canterburys Hop Hoodening
Rochester Sweeps' Festival
St Bartholomew's Day Bun Race
The Offham Quintain
Haunted Britain:
Pluckley’s Haunting Highwayman
Rochester’s Ralph Rues Rebound
The Ghosts of Goodwin Sands
Cultural Britain:
Dickens and Kent
Jagger, Richards and Dartford
The Darling Buds of May
Lore & legend:
A Pigeon for the Prisoner
Natural Britain:
Chislehurst Caves
North Kent Marshes
River Medway
River Stour
Romney Marsh
Thames Estuary
The North Downs
The Weald
Toys Hill
Vale of Holmsdale
White Cliffs of Dover
Wrotham Water

Events

January
A Celebration of Twelfth Night
Blessing the Sea and Diving for the Cross
Burns Night

February
Creative Art Activities
Thanet Music & Drama Festival
Valentines Dinner & Dance

March
Ashford Baby Fair
Heritage Transport Show and Auction
Kent Boat Jumble
Kent Vs The Rest of The World: Food & Wine
South East Woodworking Show
Thanet Music & Drama Festival
The Alpine Garden Society - Plant Enthusiast's Spring Show

April
Baby & Toddler Show
Childsfair
Easter Extravaganza Weekend
Easter Family Fun
Easter Lambing
Easter Playtime
Heritage Transport Show and Auction
Spice Wing Walking Experience
Spring Gardens Week & Flower Festival
Weald of Kent Craft Show

May
Apple Tarts
Bluebell Weekend
Dickens Festival
Dunkirk Little Ships Reenactment
Faversham Classic Car & Bike Show
Garden & Outdoor Living Show
Garden Show & Craft Fair
Hartley Priory Fete
JAF Charity Football Tournament and Fun Weekend
Kent Garden Show
Medway Maritime Festival
Pond Dipping
Proms in the Park
Rochester Sweeps
Tom Hart Dyke’s Lullingstone Plant Fair
TOTS 2 TEENS SHOW
Weekend at Willow Music Festival

June
British Food & Drink Festival
Broadstairs Dickens Festival
Canterbury Carnival
Canterbury Folk Festival
Chislehurst Rocks!
Festival of Wildlife Sandwich & Pegwell Bay
FunDay Sunday
Garden of England Motorcycle Show
Glorious Gardens week
Hernhill Open Gardens
Hunton Village Fete
Jazz Festival
Kent Music Festival
Leeds Castle Open-Air Concert
Open Air Concerts
Open Gardens, Art Exhibition & Flower Festival
Pink Fun Day
Quex Park Music Festival
Riverside Country Fair
Rose Week
Stour Music Festival
Summer Fayre
The Great Kent Ride for the Canterbury Oast Trust
Tonbridge Carnival
University of Kent Artsfest

July
Brogdale Farms Cherry Festival
Cantiana Artsfest
Dover Carnival
Gardens open for the National Garden Scheme
Goodnestone Village Fete
Grain Village Carnival
Haymaking Festival
Hop Farm Festival
Hythe Festival Week
International Music & Dance Festival
Kent Beer Festival
Kent County Show
KM Motoring Pageant
Maidstone River Festival
Miller Music Nights
Music: Big Day Out
Open House Scheme
The War & Peace Revival
Tonbridge Castle Festival of Music and Fireworks
Tour De Fish
Whitstable Harbour Open Day
Whitstable Oyster Festival

August
Archery School
Broadstairs Folk Week
Cobtree Country Fayre
EDF Energy Spafest
Farming & Country Festival
Faversham Charity Car & Bike Show Plus Giant Bootfair
Faversham International Hop Festival
Festival of Wildlife Sevenoaks
Fordcombe Fete and Flower Show
Herne Bay Carnival
Herne Bay Festival
Kent Steam & Transport Rally
Knight School
Military Odyssey
Shire & Working Horse Show
South East Garden Show
Southern Mini Days
Summer Fruits Festival
Summer Holiday Fun!
Summer Squall
Time Travellers Go… Ugly Bug Safari
Vintage Mobile Cinema
Whitstable Carnival
Whitstable Regatta

September
Bradbourne House and Gardens Open Day
Brogdale Farm Cider Festival
Chislehurst Festival
East Malling Beer and Cider Festival
Faversham 10K
Heritage Open Days
Honnington Country Fair
Hop Farm Beer Festival
Hop Hoodening
Hops n Harvest Beer Festival
Maidstone Mela
Maidstone’s Beer & Hop Picking Festival
New Car Show now
Open House Air Day
Sound Sanctuary
The Great Leeds Castle Balloon & Vintage Car Weekend

October
Annual Apple Fayre
Apple & Cider Fayre
Apple & Cider Festival
Apple Weekend
Autumn Glory Festival
Brogdale Farm Apple Festival
Canterbury Festival
Faversham Carnival
Half Term Fun
Halloween Horrors
Insect Week
Kent Boat Jumble
National Fruit Show
Rochester Food & Drink Festival
Spook Fest
Tenterden Folk Festival
Terrible Tales!
Wrotham Fireworks

November
Aylesford Pottery Christmas Open Weekend
Bazaar Christmas Extravaganza
Bonfire & Fireworks Spectacular
Bonfire & Fireworks Spooktacular
Canterbury Eurofair
Charity Firework Display
Christmas Fayre
Christmas Gift Fair
christmas market
Crafts for Christmas
Edenbridge Procession and Firework Extravaganza
Fireworks Spectacular
Gimme a BREAK! Talent Show
Grand Firework Display
Kent Christmas Gift Fayre
Lights & Lantern Parade
Quex Bonfire & Fireworks
Sandwich Christmas Carnival
Spook Fest

December
Boxing Day Walk
Christmas at Leeds Castle
Christmas at the Castle
Christmas Events
Christmas Market at Rochester Castle
Christmas Tree Festival
Dickensian Christmas Festival
Hoodening
Kent Wildlife Trust Christmas Fair
Pantomime
Sandwich Christmas Fayre
Santa Specials
Tankerton Christmas Market

Kent - 388 places to stay

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Principal Towns: Maidstone, Canterbury, Ashford, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Dover, Folkestone, Faversham, Ramsgate

Kent is known as 'The Garden of England', due to the large number of hop gardens and orchards in the county. It is a lush green county that also benefits from a large coastal stretch with many fine and famous beaches. The world famous White Cliffs of Dover are along this coastline. The area has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic era and has provided archaeological finds from this time through the Neolithic era, The Bronze Age, The Iron Age and Roman times. Significant Roman finds include Roman Villa remains found in the Darent valley. The name of Kent is derived from the Brythonic word for rim or border (Cantus), from which the Roman name given to the county 'Cantium' is a derivative. As the county lies on the corner of England that is closest to continental Europe, it has been subjected to numerous invasions and attacks over the course of many centuries. In early medieval times the inhabitants of Kent regarded the cathedral city of Canterbury as their capital. The first Archbishop of Canterbury, Augustine, was appointed in 597. Augustine had converted King Aethelberht of Kent from paganism one year earlier. Canterbury has remained the centre of British Christianity ever since. It is famous in history for the murder committed on its hallowed ground of Sir Thomas Becket , then Archbishop of Canterbury. A stain in the stone, which is apparently from Becket's blood, still marks the spot of the dastardly deed. The magnificent Cathedral at Canterbury has been a major attraction for tourists and pilgrims alike for many hundreds of years. Canterbury was, of course, the destination for the pilgrims in Chaucer 's Canterbury Tales; one of the most famous works in the history of English Literature. The River Medway and the associated Medway Towns are also steeped in history. Chatham became an important Royal Naval dockyard during the 16th century and remained as one of the most important Naval dockyards until this century when the focus switched from the French threat across the channel to possible attacks from the Atlantic side of the channel. Rochester Castle has existed in one form or another since Roman times, but was rebuilt by the Normans. The ruins of the original castle still clearly show the four-keep design of the Norman castle, as the exterior is largely intact. King John seized the castle in 1215 but was forced to return it to the control of the Archbishop of Canterbury as part of the terms of the Magna Carta of 1215. Perhaps Kent's greatest landmark is the ' White Cliffs of Dover ', a daunting first sight of the country for many invaders but a welcome sight to those soldiers returning from campaigns! The cliffs were immortalised by the wartime song 'There'll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover', by Vera Lynn . The song became a wartime anthem for homesick troops during World War II . During World War II Kent bore the brunt of incursions by German aircraft, especially in the 'Battle of Britain', most of which took place in the airspace over Kent. Of course, the cliffs are not the only well known part of the Kent Coastline. The district known as the Isle of Thanet contains some very popular seaside resorts, such as Ramsgate and Margate. The resort of Margate has been a popular seaside retreat for at least 250 years. It became infamous during the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s for violence between rival youth culture groups, the Mods and Rockers. The Mods have never lost their affection for Margate and Scooter Rallies are still held annually there. Another place worth a visit in the Thanet area is Quex Park at Birchington, which has a variety of attractions. Quex Park boasts impressive grounds, which hold the only fully mature woodlands in Thanet. It is also the home of Quex Museum , which houses world-class natural history and ethnographical collections. Quex Park also holds regular musical events, including the summer Sound Island Festival. Due to its geographical location, Kent has always been a gateway to France and through France, the rest of Europe. Ferries carrying freight and passengers have run for many, many years from its ports, with Dover being possibly the best known. Since the building of the Channel Tunnel, getting from Kent to France has become even easier. The Eurotunnel will get you and your car from Folkestone to Calais in around 35 minutes! There is also the Eurostar service, which carries rail passengers from London Waterloo, through Kent, to France and beyond - the train can take you all the way through to Belgium without changing trains!

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