Knole (oh deer)

I had trouble deciding what to do today. I had a number of options but most had a downside I wanted to avoid. Yesterday I purchased a National Trust membership so I decided to consult their book for ideas. I settled on a visit to an estate known as Knole just outside Sevenoaks. 

Being the weekend, it was busy at breakfast but I managed to get through fairly quickly and head to the train station to catch the 10:02 direct to Sevenoaks. From the Sevenoaks train station it was a 20 min walk up a hill to the estate.

As soon as I arrived I came across a number of herds of deer. Luckily with my telephoto lens I could get some good pictures while keeping my distance. 

The grounds were expansive. Over 1,000 acres. I only covered a tiny fraction of them but the terrain was still varied. 

The "house" itself was suitably grand. My membership allowed me free entry. 

And there was (another) tower to climb with great views from the top.

In the middle of the building were a couple of courtyards.  As you can see from the photos, the sky momentarily cleared from the overcast it had been most of the morning.

Inside, a number of the rooms had been restored so I had a wander around. Unfortunately, photography inside was not allowed. The interior was very ornate with massive works of art everywhere. 

After a light lunch I headed back to Ashford. I wanted to buy some wet weather over pants for Singing With Nightingales tonight. The forecast is a bit ambiguous but we have been advised to be prepared. 

On the train back to Ashford I managed to take some more photos of the Kent countryside. This is typical of the farm houses I saw today. 

When I got back to Ashford I figured my best bet for the wet weather gear was the local "designer" outlet. It's a massive oval shaped collection of stores. 

Luckily, among the label stores there was an outdoor shop with what I was looking for. 

So now I'm all prepared. All we need now are the nightingales to show up!