Another beautiful vlog guys!👍 Side note - I lived in North Kent as a child, the son of a publican. We had a few pubs in the family during the 30’s to 70’s and my father and grandfather were what used to be known as Licensed Victuallers. We knew many of the other publicans over a wide area, mostly Kent & South East London. Also, the then owner of The Woolpack in Chilham, who was a spinster I called Aunt Maud. As a child my parents & I would often go there for an evening meal, something of a novelty in the 60’s as not many pubs would offer anything other than a packet of crisps to eat! Maud was a very stern proper restauranter who opened a dining room with tables adorned with starched linen tablecloths, serviettes, full china dinner service a hearty menu and comprehensive wine list AND a maitre de who remembered all the names of visiting diners. Aunt Maud was a heavy smoker, immaculately dressed and always put a sixpence (look it up) in, yes in, my desert as a treat! It was a very popular and not inexpensive place to eat. It also had its very own ghost upstairs who was seen a few times by various visitors!😰 Thank you for bringing a happy childhood memory back. I must return & see if I can remember how it used to be back then.🤔 Congrats on 10k too, you really deserve 10 times that!👍😉
Yup.. as always your drone footage of our villages and scenery is Magnificent, along with your fantastic narration and love for everything really does make for great viewing 👌.
Aw, thanks so much! Bless your little cotton socks! I hope Ian's new drone does a good job filming, because I certainly like having his drone footage in the videos!
The sharp bend just south of Biddenden on the main road towards Tenterden is called Woolpack Corner. I imagine wool from the Kentish sheep was carried to market by packhorse. The roads in the lower lying parts of Kent were even worse 300+ years ago than they are now, so carts with wheels nogot stuck in the mud.
Thanks so much for your comment, and sharing some of that local information! I absolutely love hearing additional context and history from locals when I post videos like these! Lots more exploration of Kent coming soon, including some famous castles. So I hope you stay tuned! Cheers! Dara
Just noticed you are on 10k followers now...should be 100k ..lol..your videos have such a widespread look at the UK and a must for people to watch in all the amazing places there are ...better than any TV programme on places to visit...my favourite channel on TH-cam and I'm sure many others ...beautifully filmed, narrated and informative with a good food bent as well...😋❤
Oh stop! You're going to make me egotistical! Lol! Thank you so much for your kind words, and the congratulations. I am publishing a 10k celebration video on Friday ! 🙌🙌🙌
@MagentaOtterTravels been here a while over covid which was fun...introducedcto a few other sites i follow or if I see a question one of your videos can answer ...lol...just love seeing all the places I haven't been so far and I live here...lol...Thank again Jamie 👍😎
Thanks for sharing this memory of your holiday last summer, Dara. It was blowing a winter gale outside whilst I was watching this and it cheered me up. p.s. Incidentally, perhaps 'Italian' chips/fries in the UK is not as incongruous as you might think, Dara, given that a lot of UK chippies are owned by families of Italian heritage. 😄
I've been trying to figure out the origin of the practice of eating pizza and pasta dishes with fries on the side! I think this meaty (potatoey?) topic might deserve its own video! Thoughts? And yes, it's been very pleasant during the cold winter days for me to relive the fun in the sun I had last summer. Wait till the Hastings video... that day was rainy!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels I personally can't fathom ordering chips/fries with pasta or pizza. But I have seen guys after a boozy night at the pub not only ordering chips with pizza at the chippie but also chips with their curry in an Indian restaurant! Evidently, some people just like their fries! 😂
Cute husband Ian did a fabulous job with the drone shots. Loved the villages, architecture, food and oh the gardens. So hope we can visit one day! Loved the video and all the history Dara…great job! ~Cara ❤
I'm glad you have come to the County I live in. I have lived in Kent for 53 years, it's beautiful with its rolling hills narrow lanes and little villages. A bit overpopulated like most of southeast England but lovely just the same.
It is truly lovely! I had been wanting to visit for so long, so this was a dream come true! I was excited about visiting the castles, but really loved the architecture and scenery all throughout the countryside. Now I am working on those castle videos 😉
Unfortunately, I think that's the case for all of Britain. The US has a state, Oregon, which is similar in size to the UK but it's population is 4 million vs. 70 million for the UK. Even France, which I think is pretty heavily populated, has double the land mass of the UK with a slightly lower population. The problem is that as Britain's population grows, one of its biggest assets, its lovely countryside, shrinks. I'm just grateful the the UK has AONB's and National Parks that seem to be safe from development.
This account is surely one of my absolute favorites, Dara. I'd heard that Kent was exceptional in nearly all ways, and this video proves it is. Thank you for your attention to detail and the footage of the magnificent villages.
Thank you so much! It's one of Ian's absolute favourites as well! I think he likes that it's so action packed with so many places crammed together in one video. And so many places that were delightfully picturesque and charming!
We enjoyed the continuation of your trip though Kent, Dara and Ian. Despite the lack of chips with your Italien! An absolutely beautiful area with lovely scenery, stunning buildings, shops and homes. All set in quaint villages and gorgeous rural areas. Love the pig farm turned into such a beautiful manor house. This farm really brought home the bacon! Thanks so much for bringing us along and "Happy Anniversary!"
Thank you Mark. I've been meaning for us to visit this part of England for years and so had a lot planned. Despite having 9 days there and really packing it in, we still weren't able to make it to all the places on my list.
Next time you’re in that area, you should visit the very special garden at Great Dixter in Northiam near Tenterden. I think it’s better than Sissinghurt and less crowded….
We went to Great Dixter! It was in last Friday's video, along Bodiam castle💖. It was a lovely garden, a very interesting house, and a great opportunity to tour inside an oast house! Hopefully you can check out our video 😉
Thank you Roger. We really enjoyed visiting your area of the country. Sissinghurst truly is a unique gem. We loved the garden "rooms" there and the fact that you can view it all from the top of the tower.
That is so fun to hear from people who live in the area! I would love to see the gardens a bit earlier in the season. It was very fun going up in the tower. I didn't go into all the details about the couple who owned the castle and lived there, but they did have a fascinating life! 😊
Hi Dara & Ian, loved your video, superb filming, editing and so informative as your videos always are. Very much looking forward to your next video. Best wishes to you both from Devon, England.
Thanks so much! That is very kind of you to say. We love Devon as well, but it's fun to discover all the different counties around Britain that have their own beauty and history and interesting bits!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Well it’s planting a seed in my mind. If I do find myself in that area, I’ll be sure to visit some of the places you’ve shown us, like the castle with a moat and the church divided into Anglican and Catholic! :)
Dara, like your visit to Kent. Fries with a pizza? Yes you can! When I worked in Milan the three of us Brits would go to a local restaurant called Frattoria. Great pizzas. I’m a strange one. Can’t stand tomatoes so I had a 4-cheese pizza (Pizza Quatro Formagio Blanc) without sauce, but as an extra you could get the Italian version of roast potatoes, they were great. I think the roasted potatoes were roasted in olive oil. We didn’t do things by half, after our feast we went up the road to Australian bar for a drink, with the occasional barbeque, it wasn’t barbecue night. To pass the Ozzie bar we had to pass the Italian version of an Irish bar.
So funny! I adore pizza, and I adore fries/chips. But I will not eat them in the same meal! 🍕 🍟 🚫 I like to make roasted potatoes here at home with olive oil and fresh rosemary. Delicious!
Bucolic? Had to freeze and look it up. I see that it really is a word and aptly used here! 🤣🤣 But then, from bucolic to "chucking it down!" (cricket rain)
I would recommend Mount Ephraim gardens, near Sevenoaks, Kent. Part of a 8 hundred Acre fruit farm. It has a wonderfully landscaped gardens. Glorious. 🇬🇧
Sorry yes, it could have been the other Gardens I visited, around the same time, that I was remembering. The Himalayan Gardens, in Kent., with a topiary garden, also in it. Both those Gardens are huge, so I was a bit too tired, to see every part of them. So much to see in Kent. I would love to go again, and the cream teas are lovely, too. 🇬🇧
Oh my! Did I bust out some impressive words in this video? I forgot ... I'm editing so many videos these days that they are all running together in my mind LOL!
Hi Dara I loved visiting the villages today with you both on you Anniversary week! I do believe that’s what you said 💗 I loved all the history and fun places! Especially the delicious food, although I do believe they cheated you! Luckily you have a great husband who shared his 🥓 🤣 Italian yummy! Love cherries too! Great video ❤
I was commenting on my phone so I’m always afraid of it getting stuck, it does that when I write a lot 😂😂😂 I really laughed at that! Sacrilege 😮 sounds like McDonald’s instead of Italian 🤣 although Nick and Jill were in Italy a few weeks back and had fries in the Italian restaurant there now that I think of it 😮
If you’re ever passing Chilham again I heartily recommend the White Horse in the village square. Huge inglenook fire place, friendly & beautiful pub dog wandering around and great food / beer.
We will definitely go back some day so we will keep the White Horse in mind. Chilham is one of the most idyllic villages we've seen in the UK and we'd like to take friends from the US to see it.
Great Video Guys Thank You for highlighting My Beautiful County of Kent. Chilham is so Quant and Beautiful and has been used in many Film and TV episodes including Hercule Poirots Christmas (1995) Miss Marple-The Moving Finger (2006) Married… with Children Season 6 (1992) Interesting Fact.. During the filming of Miss Marple-The Moving Finger the cental Square was laid with turf to represent a village Green and the locals thought it looked so much nicer than having a Car parking area that they pertitioned to have made permanent but this was rejected by the Council
Oh how fun! Thank you for telling us that additional context. I love hearing those kind of things. Yes, Chilham really exceeded my expectations! Stay tuned as we visit some of the famous castles in Kent next! 💖👍 Cheers! Dara
That is such a shame. Chilham has a great car park just outside of the village that is more than adequate. I often think, when we are exploring these quaint villages, how much nicer they would look without all the cars. It would be great to make them car free like they do in many city centres.
There are pubs called The Woolpack all over England, and many called The Packhorse too. They're all a relic of the mediaeval period when the wealth of England was founded on wool, which was exported all over the Continent and transported by strings of packhorses long before there were metalled roads. In a number of places you can still find packhorse bridges over streams and rivers, often hump-backed and just wide enough to allow a single horse with woolpacks slung either side to pass. The Lord Chancellor in the House of Lords still sits on the Woolsack, that's how important wool once was to the economy!
Are you serious? The Lord Chancellor really sits on a woolsack? Fascinating!! I wonder why we don't see more Woolpack Inns around where we are in Gloucestershire? We certainly have a long history of wool there! As for packhorse bridges, I didn't know anything about them until Ian showed me one in Somerset in a most lovely village... you can see that in this video of Somerset villages from a few years back. Not sure if you've seen it before? th-cam.com/video/E9e7RuBzUuQ/w-d-xo.html
I think the current Woolsack is a bit posher than the original. Even before their invasion of Britain the Romans knew that this was the place to come to buy duffle cloth; if you have to traipse about Europe and Asia Minor beating up the locals you might as well have a decent winter coat in which to do it!@@MagentaOtterTravels
That small building in the churchyard is possibly where they leave the body the night before burial the next day. They have the same in the Village in Denmark where my wife is from....Her parents were placed there the night before their burial.
Benenden is home to Benenden School, one of the top three girls' Public Schools in Britain, along with Roedean and Cheltenham Ladies College. Former pupils include Princess Anne, Rachel Weiss and the head of MI5.
Good to hear that one of those three schools, Cheltenham Ladies College, is in the town where we live during the summer. I didn't know that it has such a renowned reputation.
A perfect account of a part of Kent. I'm getting very close to an early retirement and wanting to relocate (just north of London) to the south coast. This video has opened my eyes to a new area. Thank you Dara
There are so many lovely places on the south coast! Of course a lot of them are premium priced, but coming from London I know you are no stranger to expensive housing costs! Lol Next week I share a vlog of Hastings which is right along the Sussex coast. And I will also have a video of Leeds Castle on Friday .
So nice, such a lovely tour. I'm told my paternal ancestors come from Kent, mostly from Maidstone, Thurnham (a small village just a few miles northeast of Maidstone), and East Fairleigh. Wish I could move there; I'd feel right at home. Am I correct to think that sometimes the word castle actually means "estate house," rather than an actual medieval-style castle?
It is correct that some country houses that aren't really castles have the name "Castle" attached to them but this is often because they are built on the site of an actual medieval castle or incorporated the remains of such a castle. This is the case in Chilham. The Jacobean house there is built next to the remains of a Norman castle, whose keep, you can still see today. This is also the case for homes with the designation "Abbey". With the dissolution of the monasteries many of the buildings were sold off cheaply to Henry the VIII's friends who incorporated them into new country houses that still have elements of the original buildings. Lacock Abbey and Forde Abbey are good examples of this.
A lovely memorable tour of the Garden of England - a favourite place. Great narrative and superb drone footage! If you're looking for more "foodie" Woolpack Inns, you'll spot one if you're ever passing through the historic Chilterns village of Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympics.
Thanks so much for joining us on our Kentish road trip! I do love a foodie pub, so we will have to check out that Woolpack when we eventually make it to the Chilterns ;-) Cheers! Dara
We loved Tenterden! We didn't know it would be such a great place, or we would've scheduled more time there. As it was, we just came back to our Airbnb to sleep at night. We were running around all over the place every day! It was exhausting, but fun! We just need to come back and visit the places we missed another time! 💕
Yes, I also found Tenterden rather lacking in the kind of eatery bargains that I'm used to in London. When you find yourself in that situation, aim for a more remote pub, or could be in a neighbouring village.
Good advice. I think our timing was bad. The best pub in town was closed. And we have learnt over and over that these days you REALLY need to book in advance. We aren't always that organised, and we regret it!
Jousting tournaments?! Now that's proper medieval 👍. It is a very nice village. I hope to return again one day and try one of those Kentish cream teas! 😋
That was a terrible sticky toffee pudding!!!! 😮 it has to be squidgy, moist, sticky and be in a thick real butter toffee sauce. I am a proud sticky-toffee-pudding-maker, so I know!! 😀
I didn't want to be too critical, but I agree with you! When I make my sticky toffee pudding, the sauce is dark brown, with brown sugar, butter, cream, and either molasses or black treacle... depending on which country I'm in! And there needs to be lots of it!
That is very interesting! Did you ever cross paths with him? LOL of course I'm joking! 😉 Seriously, we loved exploring Kent. Tomorrow's video is about Hastings and Mayfield, but after that we get back to some famous castles of Kent! So I hope you stay tuned .💖 Cheers for your comment! Dara
Oh @2:01 I just thought, that reminds me of a familiar painting, "Het Straatje" from Dutch painter Vermeer. Funny that! Chilham looks so pictoresque. That Woolpack Inn from 1480, just amazing. They don't build to last these days. What a lovely walk, the weather as countryside most pleasing Dara. Sissinghurts, wow. Dara this was some road trip. You and Ian have treated me to some fantastic views, sights and information. I am glad I got to see this. I'll plot the route on paper just in case I get the opportunity. Ian is right, this is a fantastic record of your day. Love the choice of food. NOOOOO, not with FRIES! Your dessert was perfect- fresh cherries. 🌺🩷😎🇳🇱🙋♀🇳🇿
American school children are taught the rhyme "in 14 hundred ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" to remember that Columbus "discovered" America in 1492. So to see a pub from 1480 is CRAZY!!! It was fun to dine there and soak up the local culture. Chilham was a very picturesque village... we loved it! I would definitely recommend a trip through Kent and Sussex on your next British road trip. And THANK YOU for backing me up on the opinion that pizza and pasta were not meant to be eaten with fries! hahaha
When we lived in Sydney our local pub was the Woolpack. They must be everywhere. Everywhere there are sheep. Not that where were many sheep in inner city Sydney. I did see a pig at the pub once though. Cherries are in season here now too. How much per kg or for a punnet are fresh cherries from the farm? When we road trip here we stop at as many farm gates as possible too. You never know what you'll find. Montalbano is also the name of our favourite Italian / Sicilian TV detective. Inspector Montalbano. And yes, chips with Italian is a bit weird. 😀 Another most excellent trip through beautifully quaint locations. It is a gorgeous area. Happy 31st for back then too! I think we have you beat though, I think we've been together for... um... I always get this wrong... 32!? 😂 33 this year I think? Who knows? We always seem to forget. 😂
You saw a pig at a pub! THAT would have made a great video, Shane! BTW, have you posted a video lately? I've not seen one in ages... I have no idea how much those cherries were. I should have shown that in the video! I AM SO GLAD YOU AGREE WITH ME ABOUT CHIPS/FRIES WITH ITALIAN FOOD! As a foodie, I respect your opinion. Glad to know that crazy tradition didn't transfer to Oz! I think I need to do a video on this topic. Montalbano was in my favourite movie of all time... Merchant Ivory's "A Room With a View". Actually, I have a vlog coming up in the next few weeks about THAT! Good for you for being together 33 years! We started dating on 21 February and got engaged 13 May and married 11 July... all in the same year!
@@MagentaOtterTravels I don't doubt you can get fries in Italian places here but I doubt it would be at more high end places unless it was for a specific dish - like the french do with steak. That would be acceptable 😁 Embarrassingly it has been exactly one year since I last posted a video. I have been working on the next one intermittently for the year but it has been one of those years. Not ideal. 😂 I am pretty much in awe of people like yourself, and Rachel and Wills, who can punch them out week after week. 30+ is quite the achievement. Actually over 20 is still pretty amazing. 5 months from go to woe is reasonably quick, it was about the same for us, but when you know you know. Seems to have worked out. 😁
That does seem possible because the actual "castle" is an ancient tower that is at the back of the estate that you can make out in the drone video. Perhaps there is an entry from that side.
I'm the one that does all the driving. Dara has decided she no longer wants to. I've done it enough that driving on the other side of the road isn't an issue (usually), however, I still do get a little stressed driving narrow country lanes (Dartmoor is the worst in my experience).
i live in cranbrook next to sissinghurst and kept meaning to get some off those cherries , maybe next year , and yes your benenden attemt was quite funny😀
@@arcturus8218 I rarely can pronounce a British place name correctly without in person coaching! Lol I hope you get some of those delicious cherries next summer! Yum 😋 Hopefully you can check out some other videos from my Kent and Sussex Vlogs. 🏴 Cheers! Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels my mum and dad are watching your vids now , mum informs me that her grandad was born in chilham and much of that side of family are buried in that churchyard . it sure is beautiful. shall def get the cherries next time also used to get apples and i saw some eggs the otherday i must start buying from the roadside again the eggs are usually fresh freerange. also next time check out pluckley kents most haunted village
Wow so many place names, none I’ve ever heard of! Yes a Tudor house make over Ian, great idea! Lovely village square, it seems reasonably quiet too. Ah the Pilgrimage, now that we are familiar with! Egret I think (was bird watching the other day) ah now I have seen the North Downs National Trail partially covered, looks nice, lots of circulars enroute too. Great Chilham history. Mmm, Woolpack, isn’t that from Emmerdale Farm? I dont watch it but seen it in passing, pop culture reference id warrant. Ian’s meal looked amazing, well done on sharing the bacon! Passes Ian’s sticky toffee pudding test. Third video in a row running this moat theme Dara! Two castles with, one pudding without! I think this is Moat and Otter Travels I’ve been watching. Still sure it was an Egret! Great Old Wives Photos. Caedmon Cross? 🧐 lovely bridge and sheep. Wow that amount of rain should have stopped the cricket! Yay, another moat mention! Lovely magenta flowers. The garden of England indeed, great looking cherries. Gosh I read collision too! Oh no. Hmm, sadly fries is all that’s sold in all the Italian Italy restaurants I’ve ever been to but thats to cater for the ridiculous amount of American tourists that visit over anyone from anywhere else! 👍
Moat & Otter Travels!!! 😂😂😂 Yes, I am obsessed with Moats in my castles and my STP! We are not done with this theme ... I still haven't published my Leeds Castle video yet! Or Hever! I thought Woolpack Inn was Emmerdale. But I've never watched the show either!
@@MagentaOtterTravels there are hardly any to no British tourists where we go. It’s all Americans, besides, if it was wall to wall Brits they would be offering us a full English breakfast alternative or at least real chips. Brits don’t eat fries!
@@MagentaOtterTravels it is lovely to see, I do feel very warm and fuzzy when I pass cricketers on a summers night. Not sure I’ve seen them playing in the rain though. Our neighbour is the president of the Yorkshire Cricket Club (cough, cough, a bit controversial at the moment), but rain stopped play for so many matches last year..
That is very interesting. I was actually commenting to Dara last summer that I wondered how long that department store would survive. It's a shame but I was looking a bit tatty and like it is at the end of its life.
Yes, we went to Penshurst, but I didn't go to the train station. We loved the house though, and gardens! It is an upcoming video. I am still editing video around the clock... which is making me very cranky, but at least I'm keeping up with publishing two videos a week! Sad to hear about House of Fraser. It has been there on the prom in Cheltenham since 1823! Does that have any connection Penshurst?
That Castle I would call a Manor House and the Heron, Egret sign might be a Little egret, so as below your assumption could be correct in both ways. The little egret is a small, white heron that feeds on small fish and crustaceans. I guess I was impatient as you sorted out the sign later in the video.
Hi I have happily lived in Tenterden Kent all of my 70 year life, so have been to most I have been to nearly all of Kent. However I loved your video which shows it in the glowing light it is. you did good research. so do come back. the second D in Biddenden is not pronounced by locals
Thanks so much! We loved Kent so much that we came back again this summer with our friends Debbie and Gary. They LOVED it too! Did you see the video I filmed of the cow shed where we stayed? It was great! Cheers! Dara
That umbrella is great! I bought it off Amazon and it is an inside out umbrella! It stands on its own and keeps the water from getting all over the inside of your car or home when you shut it. Best of all, if a windstorm turns it inside out it doesn't break it! Yes, bacon is super tasty. But I have also been known to say on several occasions "butter makes everything better ". I just launched a line of merch a few days ago, and I had to put that saying on an apron! Lol
That bird on the school is a stork, Dara. Not native to the UK, but essential for delivering all the babies that end up at the school. I don't think it's meant to be a heron, although they are at least native to the UK (no egrets, sorry). The woolpack (or woolsack) is what the Lord Chancellor traditionally sits on in the House of Lords.
I love that the Lord Chancellor sits on a woolpack! That's awesome. Apparently Chilham has a heron as their village bird (based on what I discovered later in the video) but I can't explain why the bird on the school doesn't look like a heron. LOL!
I love this area and it's such an easy day trip from London. Have you really visited England if you haven't teetered over the edge of one of the white cliffs of Dover?
That will have to be done in a second trip. We decided to avoid the coast this time around because it was July and we figured it may get crowded. Also, both Dara and I are not big on heights, so no teetering!
@@ians3586 I'd recommend the 'Seven Sisters' over the White Cliffs. They're further west near Eastbourne, and are effectively the start of the South Downs Way which will take you all the way to Winchester - 100 miles away. (They often stand in or get mistaken for, the White Cliffs.) Some achingly pretty views along the way too. I often pop down there from S London to go for a stroll/hike.
@@graememorrison333 thanks for the recommendation and I will make it part of our bucket list. I find that sometimes less well know options are the better ones. For example I can think of several better options for views in London than "The Eye" and many villages I would visit in the Cotswolds over Bourton-on-the-Water.
the last time I was in Kent I saw and Egret .... well that's what the Chinese guy was calling his son. lol Ian didn't have Ice-cream at the Italian restaurant? I guess he must of felt a little off colour that evening.
Dara, are you aware that another channel has done a reaction to one of your videos? Channel's called "Reacting to my roots" and the video is called "Americans react to US vs UK cost of groceries. It's an American couple reacting to your Tesco vs Kroger vid. They should reference your channel more IMO but it's got 236,000 views! Check it out if you haven't already seen it and apologies if this is old news.
Thanks for letting me know, Gary! I'm always grateful when my subs let me know about reaction videos. Shockingly, I've now had FOUR different channels react to my videos! Three were just in the last couple weeks. I had heard about Reacting to my Roots doing the Grocery video, and I have since emailed back and forth with Steve a bit. He seems like a nice guy! I am still rather ambivalent about reaction channels in general, but if it helps introduce people to my original content, then that is a nice bonus I guess! Of course, they all get WAY more views on their videos reacting to my videos than I get on the original ones, LOL!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes he does seem like a nice guy. Very genuine. I was watching that one and suddenly went "That's Dara"! 😂 So I thought I'd let you know just in case you hadn't seen it. They noticed you switching between American and British pronunciation on "tomatoes" and "basil"! Yes, I was surprised at the huge number of views their vid got. Hopefully it helps to bring more traffic your way.
Actually, there are a number of ways of pronouncing Biddenden, one of which you have chosen. The commonest is Bidden followed by Durn. Equal emphasis on both parts. I can't explain it, either. 🙂
It is absolutely essential that I ask a local how to pronounce a place name. Otherwise there's just too high a probability that I will mess it up! Lol... and when we are on a road trip, and I just stop in a village for four minutes like I did this time... I never have the opportunity to be schooled on proper pronunciation!🤣
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yeah tell me about it. I drove up to Scotland some years ago and asked for directions to the Renault dealer in Hawick. I got the French bit right. Local fellow wasn't entirely impressed with my Scottish pronunciation. 🙂
May i point out that i would never put gravy on my chips..but i do realise that chips and pizza is a sin..but not as great a sin as a bim bam with a penguin biscuit..up my nose.. The Stork brings the children to the school..
Kentish strawberries are the best in the world and using them for jam is good. A real Kentish dessert you need to try is gypsy tart. You don't find it anywhere else.
They’ve really stopped providing those cosy bus shelters because homeless people used to set up home in them..swathes have been redesigned or vamolished..
So the thing that said telephone on it was a bus shelter? I can imagine homeless folks wanting to sleep in those... I would rather than be out in the rain!
@@MagentaOtterTravelsi remember our local bus stop in the daytime had a rolled up bedding under the seat.. Then at night as you went past the gentleman was all tuckered up in his bed… Nowadays bus stop design has a less cottagey design in either glass or brick…with a perching rack below waist height that will not allow preparation of a bed.. The shelter next to the phone box could quad up as a foul weather waiting area for the phone a Bus stop.. a courting house ,and a fish and chips dining area..
Bonnie Texan Lass I have for you a suggestion, why not if you do a dna test and see where your ancestors came from to America. I have a hunch they were English. Please do a DNA test and post the result here Bonnie Texan Lass😁🏴
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Another beautiful vlog guys!👍
Side note - I lived in North Kent as a child, the son of a publican. We had a few pubs in the family during the 30’s to 70’s and my father and grandfather were what used to be known as Licensed Victuallers. We knew many of the other publicans over a wide area, mostly Kent & South East London.
Also, the then owner of The Woolpack in Chilham, who was a spinster I called Aunt Maud. As a child my parents & I would often go there for an evening meal, something of a novelty in the 60’s as not many pubs would offer anything other than a packet of crisps to eat!
Maud was a very stern proper restauranter who opened a dining room with tables adorned with starched linen tablecloths, serviettes, full china dinner service a hearty menu and comprehensive wine list AND a maitre de who remembered all the names of visiting diners.
Aunt Maud was a heavy smoker, immaculately dressed and always put a sixpence (look it up) in, yes in, my desert as a treat!
It was a very popular and not inexpensive place to eat. It also had its very own ghost upstairs who was seen a few times by various visitors!😰
Thank you for bringing a happy childhood memory back. I must return & see if I can remember how it used to be back then.🤔
Congrats on 10k too, you really deserve 10 times that!👍😉
This lovely video encompasses all that is quintessential about Kent.
Thanks, Gerry. We were fortunate to see so many wonderful areas and aspects of the county on this trip!
The railway line Wye, Chilham, Chartham, Canterbury was nicknamed the "why kill 'em and cart 'em to Canterbury?" many years ago.
OK, that sounds a bit menacing... but it is REALLY FUNNY! hahaha
Yup.. as always your drone footage of our villages and scenery is Magnificent, along with your fantastic narration and love for everything really does make for great viewing 👌.
Aw, thanks so much! Bless your little cotton socks! I hope Ian's new drone does a good job filming, because I certainly like having his drone footage in the videos!
The sharp bend just south of Biddenden on the main road towards Tenterden is called Woolpack Corner. I imagine wool from the Kentish sheep was carried to market by packhorse. The roads in the lower lying parts of Kent were even worse 300+ years ago than they are now, so carts with wheels nogot stuck in the mud.
Thanks so much for your comment, and sharing some of that local information! I absolutely love hearing additional context and history from locals when I post videos like these! Lots more exploration of Kent coming soon, including some famous castles. So I hope you stay tuned! Cheers! Dara
Just noticed you are on 10k followers now...should be 100k ..lol..your videos have such a widespread look at the UK and a must for people to watch in all the amazing places there are ...better than any TV programme on places to visit...my favourite channel on TH-cam and I'm sure many others ...beautifully filmed, narrated and informative with a good food bent as well...😋❤
Oh stop! You're going to make me egotistical! Lol!
Thank you so much for your kind words, and the congratulations. I am publishing a 10k celebration video on Friday ! 🙌🙌🙌
@MagentaOtterTravels ...I think I joined around 692 or something...lol 😉
@@glastonbury4304 no way! That means A LOT to me! You are family 💖
@MagentaOtterTravels been here a while over covid which was fun...introducedcto a few other sites i follow or if I see a question one of your videos can answer ...lol...just love seeing all the places I haven't been so far and I live here...lol...Thank again Jamie 👍😎
@@glastonbury4304 hey Jamie, I want to give you something. Can you please send me an email to magentaotter@gmail.com?
Bolognese sauce poured over a big pile of chips aahh heaven , enjoyed the vid again
Now that sounds good! Especially if there is also some melted cheese!🧀
Thanks for sharing this memory of your holiday last summer, Dara. It was blowing a winter gale outside whilst I was watching this and it cheered me up.
p.s. Incidentally, perhaps 'Italian' chips/fries in the UK is not as incongruous as you might think, Dara, given that a lot of UK chippies are owned by families of Italian heritage. 😄
I've been trying to figure out the origin of the practice of eating pizza and pasta dishes with fries on the side! I think this meaty (potatoey?) topic might deserve its own video! Thoughts?
And yes, it's been very pleasant during the cold winter days for me to relive the fun in the sun I had last summer. Wait till the Hastings video... that day was rainy!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels I personally can't fathom ordering chips/fries with pasta or pizza. But I have seen guys after a boozy night at the pub not only ordering chips with pizza at the chippie but also chips with their curry in an Indian restaurant! Evidently, some people just like their fries! 😂
Cute husband Ian did a fabulous job with the drone shots.
Loved the villages, architecture, food and oh the gardens. So hope we can visit one day! Loved the video and all the history Dara…great job! ~Cara ❤
Thanks, Cara! We found so many dreamy places on this road trip! It's been fun to relive them whilst doing all this editing!
I miss going to quaint little English towns like this, I’m travelling vicariously thru your channel :)
Aw, thanks Evan! I'm hoping you get back one of these days for your own road trip (or train trip!). 🇺🇸❤️🇬🇧
Great video. You're always doing something good each day xx
Thanks so much! I do try, but some days are better than others 😉
I'm glad you have come to the County I live in. I have lived in Kent for 53 years, it's beautiful with its rolling hills narrow lanes and little villages. A bit overpopulated like most of southeast England but lovely just the same.
It is truly lovely! I had been wanting to visit for so long, so this was a dream come true! I was excited about visiting the castles, but really loved the architecture and scenery all throughout the countryside. Now I am working on those castle videos 😉
Unfortunately, I think that's the case for all of Britain. The US has a state, Oregon, which is similar in size to the UK but it's population is 4 million vs. 70 million for the UK. Even France, which I think is pretty heavily populated, has double the land mass of the UK with a slightly lower population. The problem is that as Britain's population grows, one of its biggest assets, its lovely countryside, shrinks. I'm just grateful the the UK has AONB's and National Parks that seem to be safe from development.
This account is surely one of my absolute favorites, Dara. I'd heard that Kent was exceptional in nearly all ways, and this video proves it is. Thank you for your attention to detail and the footage of the magnificent villages.
Thank you so much! It's one of Ian's absolute favourites as well! I think he likes that it's so action packed with so many places crammed together in one video. And so many places that were delightfully picturesque and charming!
We enjoyed the continuation of your trip though Kent, Dara and Ian. Despite the lack of chips with your Italien! An absolutely beautiful area with lovely scenery, stunning buildings, shops and homes. All set in quaint villages and gorgeous rural areas. Love the pig farm turned into such a beautiful manor house. This farm really brought home the bacon! Thanks so much for bringing us along and "Happy Anniversary!"
Thanks so much! Your comment brought a smile to my face, Dave!😊
Enjoyed that all the way. Interesting and I laughed with you. Mark .
Thank you Mark. I've been meaning for us to visit this part of England for years and so had a lot planned. Despite having 9 days there and really packing it in, we still weren't able to make it to all the places on my list.
Thanks so much for joining us on this segment of our road trip! Cheers! Dara
@@ians3586 A pleasure Ian, I really did enjoy this one end to end. Good to hear of the journey. It calls for another trip. Peace.
@@MagentaOtterTravels A pleasure Dara. It was fun.
Next time you’re in that area, you should visit the very special garden at Great Dixter in Northiam near Tenterden. I think it’s better than Sissinghurt and less crowded….
We went to Great Dixter! It was in last Friday's video, along Bodiam castle💖. It was a lovely garden, a very interesting house, and a great opportunity to tour inside an oast house! Hopefully you can check out our video 😉
Live not far from Sissinghurst, visit often, love the gardens..
Really enjoy your channel Dara and Ian..x
Thank you Roger. We really enjoyed visiting your area of the country. Sissinghurst truly is a unique gem. We loved the garden "rooms" there and the fact that you can view it all from the top of the tower.
That is so fun to hear from people who live in the area! I would love to see the gardens a bit earlier in the season. It was very fun going up in the tower. I didn't go into all the details about the couple who owned the castle and lived there, but they did have a fascinating life! 😊
Hi Dara & Ian, loved your video, superb filming, editing and so informative as your videos always are. Very much looking forward to your next video. Best wishes to you both from Devon, England.
Thanks so much! That is very kind of you to say. We love Devon as well, but it's fun to discover all the different counties around Britain that have their own beauty and history and interesting bits!
Loved seeing the castle early on and it would make a lovely home, Dara and Ian. But the boarded up one, before reno might be more in our budget! 😁😁
It's a mansion or stately home; it is not a castle.
Whereabouts near Reno is that?
We saw reno for renovation here in the US griswald. I wasn't referring to a place.@@griswald7156
Stunning video - BRAVO 👌👏👏👏👏👏🙏
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.
Very detailed and comprehensive and, as usual, like being there!
Thanks, Aidan! I guess I saved you a trip :-)
@@MagentaOtterTravels Well it’s planting a seed in my mind. If I do find myself in that area, I’ll be sure to visit some of the places you’ve shown us, like the castle with a moat and the church divided into Anglican and Catholic! :)
Dara, like your visit to Kent. Fries with a pizza? Yes you can! When I worked in Milan the three of us Brits would go to a local restaurant called Frattoria. Great pizzas. I’m a strange one. Can’t stand tomatoes so I had a 4-cheese pizza (Pizza Quatro Formagio Blanc) without sauce, but as an extra you could get the Italian version of roast potatoes, they were great. I think the roasted potatoes were roasted in olive oil. We didn’t do things by half, after our feast we went up the road to Australian bar for a drink, with the occasional barbeque, it wasn’t barbecue night. To pass the Ozzie bar we had to pass the Italian version of an Irish bar.
So funny! I adore pizza, and I adore fries/chips. But I will not eat them in the same meal! 🍕 🍟 🚫
I like to make roasted potatoes here at home with olive oil and fresh rosemary. Delicious!
Thanks - another beautiful video! I think the Wye is one of the prettiest rivers in England.
Yes, I love the Wye. I plan to do some canoeing on it this summer!!
Bucolic? Had to freeze and look it up. I see that it really is a word and aptly used here! 🤣🤣 But then, from bucolic to "chucking it down!" (cricket rain)
That is what British people say when it's raining really hard. I think it's funny!
Bucolic was one of those SAT words I learned in high school! Ha ha
I would recommend Mount Ephraim gardens, near Sevenoaks, Kent. Part of a 8 hundred Acre fruit farm. It has a wonderfully landscaped gardens. Glorious. 🇬🇧
Oh wow! That sounds like just our kind of place! 🥰Thank you for the recommendation. Cheers! Dara
Mount Ephraim Gardens is actually near Faversham and is definitely worth a visit as is Faversham itself.
@@CheckMySix it's decided. We definitely need to return to Kent for another trip! 🙌
Sorry yes, it could have been the other Gardens I visited, around the same time, that I was remembering. The Himalayan Gardens, in Kent., with a topiary garden, also in it. Both those Gardens are huge, so I was a bit too tired, to see every part of them. So much to see in Kent. I would love to go again, and the cream teas are lovely, too. 🇬🇧
Your knowledge and vocabulary puts many Brits to shame, great video
Oh my! Did I bust out some impressive words in this video? I forgot ... I'm editing so many videos these days that they are all running together in my mind LOL!
Hi Dara I loved visiting the villages today with you both on you Anniversary week! I do believe that’s what you said 💗 I loved all the history and fun places! Especially the delicious food, although I do believe they cheated you! Luckily you have a great husband who shared his 🥓 🤣 Italian yummy! Love cherries too! Great video ❤
Thanks so much for watching, Donna! What do you think about eating Italian food with fries?
I was commenting on my phone so I’m always afraid of it getting stuck, it does that when I write a lot 😂😂😂 I really laughed at that! Sacrilege 😮 sounds like McDonald’s instead of Italian 🤣 although Nick and Jill were in Italy a few weeks back and had fries in the Italian restaurant there now that I think of it 😮
If you’re ever passing Chilham again I heartily recommend the White Horse in the village square. Huge inglenook fire place, friendly & beautiful pub dog wandering around and great food / beer.
We will definitely go back some day so we will keep the White Horse in mind. Chilham is one of the most idyllic villages we've seen in the UK and we'd like to take friends from the US to see it.
Oh, that definitely sounds like the kind of pub we love! Hopefully we will return again with some friends and be able to see more of Chilham!
Great Video Guys
Thank You for highlighting My Beautiful County of Kent.
Chilham is so Quant and Beautiful and has been used in many Film and TV episodes including Hercule Poirots Christmas (1995) Miss Marple-The Moving Finger (2006) Married… with Children Season 6 (1992)
Interesting Fact.. During the filming of Miss Marple-The Moving Finger the cental Square was
laid with turf to represent a village Green and the locals thought it looked so much nicer than having a Car parking area that they pertitioned to have made permanent but this was rejected by the Council
Oh how fun! Thank you for telling us that additional context. I love hearing those kind of things. Yes, Chilham really exceeded my expectations! Stay tuned as we visit some of the famous castles in Kent next! 💖👍 Cheers! Dara
That is such a shame. Chilham has a great car park just outside of the village that is more than adequate. I often think, when we are exploring these quaint villages, how much nicer they would look without all the cars. It would be great to make them car free like they do in many city centres.
There are pubs called The Woolpack all over England, and many called The Packhorse too. They're all a relic of the mediaeval period when the wealth of England was founded on wool, which was exported all over the Continent and transported by strings of packhorses long before there were metalled roads. In a number of places you can still find packhorse bridges over streams and rivers, often hump-backed and just wide enough to allow a single horse with woolpacks slung either side to pass. The Lord Chancellor in the House of Lords still sits on the Woolsack, that's how important wool once was to the economy!
Are you serious? The Lord Chancellor really sits on a woolsack? Fascinating!! I wonder why we don't see more Woolpack Inns around where we are in Gloucestershire? We certainly have a long history of wool there!
As for packhorse bridges, I didn't know anything about them until Ian showed me one in Somerset in a most lovely village... you can see that in this video of Somerset villages from a few years back. Not sure if you've seen it before? th-cam.com/video/E9e7RuBzUuQ/w-d-xo.html
I think the current Woolsack is a bit posher than the original. Even before their invasion of Britain the Romans knew that this was the place to come to buy duffle cloth; if you have to traipse about Europe and Asia Minor beating up the locals you might as well have a decent winter coat in which to do it!@@MagentaOtterTravels
@@davidjones332 🤣😂
Nice castle! You should have hopped the fence!
Haha no chance!
@@MagentaOtterTravels if the drone introduced, why couldn't you? 😜
That small building in the churchyard is possibly where they leave the body the night before burial the next day.
They have the same in the Village in Denmark where my wife is from....Her parents were placed there the night before their burial.
That is an interesting explanation and makes sense. Denmark is one of those places we still haven't visited but would like to.
Oh, interesting! I didn't know about that tradition, but it makes sense. Thanks for offering an explanation!
Benenden is home to Benenden School, one of the top three girls' Public Schools in Britain, along with Roedean and Cheltenham Ladies College. Former pupils include Princess Anne, Rachel Weiss and the head of MI5.
Good to hear that one of those three schools, Cheltenham Ladies College, is in the town where we live during the summer. I didn't know that it has such a renowned reputation.
WOW! I had no idea when we passed through the little village that it was home to such a fine school with an illustrious reputation!
Yew trees in our churchyards could be a hobby in itself. They are fascinating, ancient, living witnesses to times 1,000 years ago or more.
They are amazing!
A perfect account of a part of Kent. I'm getting very close to an early retirement and wanting to relocate (just north of London) to the south coast. This video has opened my eyes to a new area. Thank you Dara
There are so many lovely places on the south coast! Of course a lot of them are premium priced, but coming from London I know you are no stranger to expensive housing costs! Lol
Next week I share a vlog of Hastings which is right along the Sussex coast. And I will also have a video of Leeds Castle on Friday .
Family meal in that very woolpack!
I think we would be regulars if we lived nearby. We really enjoyed the food and atmosphere.
That's a great pub for a family meal!
So nice, such a lovely tour. I'm told my paternal ancestors come from Kent, mostly from Maidstone, Thurnham (a small village just a few miles northeast of Maidstone), and East Fairleigh. Wish I could move there; I'd feel right at home. Am I correct to think that sometimes the word castle actually means "estate house," rather than an actual medieval-style castle?
Yes, definitely. Often "castles" were fortified manor houses. I hope you have a chance to explore the area of your ancestors! 💖
It is correct that some country houses that aren't really castles have the name "Castle" attached to them but this is often because they are built on the site of an actual medieval castle or incorporated the remains of such a castle. This is the case in Chilham. The Jacobean house there is built next to the remains of a Norman castle, whose keep, you can still see today. This is also the case for homes with the designation "Abbey". With the dissolution of the monasteries many of the buildings were sold off cheaply to Henry the VIII's friends who incorporated them into new country houses that still have elements of the original buildings. Lacock Abbey and Forde Abbey are good examples of this.
A lovely memorable tour of the Garden of England - a favourite place. Great narrative and superb drone footage! If you're looking for more "foodie" Woolpack Inns, you'll spot one if you're ever passing through the historic Chilterns village of Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympics.
Thanks so much for joining us on our Kentish road trip! I do love a foodie pub, so we will have to check out that Woolpack when we eventually make it to the Chilterns ;-) Cheers! Dara
My two favourite Texans came to my village in the rain. The crest on the road signs is the symbol of Kent. I like Tenterden, what did you think?
We loved Tenterden! We didn't know it would be such a great place, or we would've scheduled more time there. As it was, we just came back to our Airbnb to sleep at night. We were running around all over the place every day! It was exhausting, but fun! We just need to come back and visit the places we missed another time! 💕
Yes, I also found Tenterden rather lacking in the kind of eatery bargains that I'm used to in London.
When you find yourself in that situation, aim for a more remote pub, or could be in a neighbouring village.
Good advice. I think our timing was bad. The best pub in town was closed. And we have learnt over and over that these days you REALLY need to book in advance. We aren't always that organised, and we regret it!
Chilham Castle hosts a number of equestrian events in the summer. In former times, they even had jousting tournaments! It is a very nice village.
Jousting tournaments?! Now that's proper medieval 👍. It is a very nice village. I hope to return again one day and try one of those Kentish cream teas! 😋
You should have taken the opportunity to dance in the rain!!!
I don't think I'll be capturing any dance moves on video!🙈
That was a terrible sticky toffee pudding!!!! 😮 it has to be squidgy, moist, sticky and be in a thick real butter toffee sauce. I am a proud sticky-toffee-pudding-maker, so I know!! 😀
I didn't want to be too critical, but I agree with you! When I make my sticky toffee pudding, the sauce is dark brown, with brown sugar, butter, cream, and either molasses or black treacle... depending on which country I'm in! And there needs to be lots of it!
Hi Dara, nice to see you enjoying our country. Jane Austen's brother worked in my city and she would come down here to stay when seeing him.
That is very interesting! Did you ever cross paths with him?
LOL of course I'm joking! 😉
Seriously, we loved exploring Kent. Tomorrow's video is about Hastings and Mayfield, but after that we get back to some famous castles of Kent! So I hope you stay tuned .💖
Cheers for your comment! Dara
He didn't work in Kent he worked in Hampshire :D
Oh @2:01 I just thought, that reminds me of a familiar painting, "Het Straatje" from Dutch painter Vermeer. Funny that! Chilham looks so pictoresque. That Woolpack Inn from 1480, just amazing. They don't build to last these days. What a lovely walk, the weather as countryside most pleasing Dara. Sissinghurts, wow. Dara this was some road trip. You and Ian have treated me to some fantastic views, sights and information. I am glad I got to see this. I'll plot the route on paper just in case I get the opportunity. Ian is right, this is a fantastic record of your day. Love the choice of food. NOOOOO, not with FRIES! Your dessert was perfect- fresh cherries. 🌺🩷😎🇳🇱🙋♀🇳🇿
American school children are taught the rhyme "in 14 hundred ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" to remember that Columbus "discovered" America in 1492. So to see a pub from 1480 is CRAZY!!! It was fun to dine there and soak up the local culture. Chilham was a very picturesque village... we loved it! I would definitely recommend a trip through Kent and Sussex on your next British road trip. And THANK YOU for backing me up on the opinion that pizza and pasta were not meant to be eaten with fries! hahaha
@@MagentaOtterTravels so definitely NOT! 😂😂
@@IamaDutch-Kiwi I think I need to make a video on that topic! Lol
@@MagentaOtterTravels yesssssss 👌
When we lived in Sydney our local pub was the Woolpack. They must be everywhere. Everywhere there are sheep. Not that where were many sheep in inner city Sydney. I did see a pig at the pub once though.
Cherries are in season here now too. How much per kg or for a punnet are fresh cherries from the farm? When we road trip here we stop at as many farm gates as possible too. You never know what you'll find.
Montalbano is also the name of our favourite Italian / Sicilian TV detective. Inspector Montalbano. And yes, chips with Italian is a bit weird. 😀
Another most excellent trip through beautifully quaint locations. It is a gorgeous area.
Happy 31st for back then too! I think we have you beat though, I think we've been together for... um... I always get this wrong... 32!? 😂 33 this year I think? Who knows? We always seem to forget. 😂
You saw a pig at a pub! THAT would have made a great video, Shane! BTW, have you posted a video lately? I've not seen one in ages...
I have no idea how much those cherries were. I should have shown that in the video!
I AM SO GLAD YOU AGREE WITH ME ABOUT CHIPS/FRIES WITH ITALIAN FOOD! As a foodie, I respect your opinion. Glad to know that crazy tradition didn't transfer to Oz! I think I need to do a video on this topic.
Montalbano was in my favourite movie of all time... Merchant Ivory's "A Room With a View". Actually, I have a vlog coming up in the next few weeks about THAT!
Good for you for being together 33 years! We started dating on 21 February and got engaged 13 May and married 11 July... all in the same year!
@@MagentaOtterTravels I don't doubt you can get fries in Italian places here but I doubt it would be at more high end places unless it was for a specific dish - like the french do with steak. That would be acceptable 😁
Embarrassingly it has been exactly one year since I last posted a video. I have been working on the next one intermittently for the year but it has been one of those years. Not ideal. 😂 I am pretty much in awe of people like yourself, and Rachel and Wills, who can punch them out week after week.
30+ is quite the achievement. Actually over 20 is still pretty amazing. 5 months from go to woe is reasonably quick, it was about the same for us, but when you know you know. Seems to have worked out. 😁
@@ShaneNixonFamily I hope 2024 is a good year for you! Whether you publish a lot of videos or not 😉👍
@@MagentaOtterTravels Thank you!
That's odd. When I visited Chilham Castle I never noticed any country house. We must have gone in from the other side.
That does seem possible because the actual "castle" is an ancient tower that is at the back of the estate that you can make out in the drone video. Perhaps there is an entry from that side.
Is this you bashing Kent again?
@@MagentaOtterTravels Nooo. Chilham is one of the few places I like.
Those cherries look so beautiful. Seems like an amazing drive. How is driving on the other side of the road?
I'm the one that does all the driving. Dara has decided she no longer wants to. I've done it enough that driving on the other side of the road isn't an issue (usually), however, I still do get a little stressed driving narrow country lanes (Dartmoor is the worst in my experience).
Thankfully Ian has been driving on the left for 40 years, so he is pretty used to it. I am not so good... so I leave the driving to him ;-)
i live in cranbrook next to sissinghurst and kept meaning to get some off those cherries , maybe next year , and yes your benenden attemt was quite funny😀
@@arcturus8218 I rarely can pronounce a British place name correctly without in person coaching! Lol
I hope you get some of those delicious cherries next summer! Yum 😋
Hopefully you can check out some other videos from my Kent and Sussex Vlogs. 🏴 Cheers! Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels my mum and dad are watching your vids now , mum informs me that her grandad was born in chilham and much of that side of family are buried in that churchyard . it sure is beautiful. shall def get the cherries next time also used to get apples and i saw some eggs the otherday i must start buying from the roadside again the eggs are usually fresh freerange. also next time check out pluckley kents most haunted village
Wow so many place names, none I’ve ever heard of! Yes a Tudor house make over Ian, great idea! Lovely village square, it seems reasonably quiet too. Ah the Pilgrimage, now that we are familiar with! Egret I think (was bird watching the other day) ah now I have seen the North Downs National Trail partially covered, looks nice, lots of circulars enroute too. Great Chilham history. Mmm, Woolpack, isn’t that from Emmerdale Farm? I dont watch it but seen it in passing, pop culture reference id warrant. Ian’s meal looked amazing, well done on sharing the bacon! Passes Ian’s sticky toffee pudding test. Third video in a row running this moat theme Dara! Two castles with, one pudding without! I think this is Moat and Otter Travels I’ve been watching. Still sure it was an Egret! Great Old Wives Photos. Caedmon Cross? 🧐 lovely bridge and sheep. Wow that amount of rain should have stopped the cricket! Yay, another moat mention! Lovely magenta flowers. The garden of England indeed, great looking cherries. Gosh I read collision too! Oh no. Hmm, sadly fries is all that’s sold in all the Italian Italy restaurants I’ve ever been to but thats to cater for the ridiculous amount of American tourists that visit over anyone from anywhere else! 👍
Moat & Otter Travels!!! 😂😂😂
Yes, I am obsessed with Moats in my castles and my STP! We are not done with this theme ... I still haven't published my Leeds Castle video yet! Or Hever!
I thought Woolpack Inn was Emmerdale. But I've never watched the show either!
I think those Italian restaurants are catering to the British tourists! We don't really do fries with pasta or pizza here in the states...
Those were some very dedicated cricketers! I guess despite the rain they felt "the game must go on!"
@@MagentaOtterTravels there are hardly any to no British tourists where we go. It’s all Americans, besides, if it was wall to wall Brits they would be offering us a full English breakfast alternative or at least real chips. Brits don’t eat fries!
@@MagentaOtterTravels it is lovely to see, I do feel very warm and fuzzy when I pass cricketers on a summers night. Not sure I’ve seen them playing in the rain though. Our neighbour is the president of the Yorkshire Cricket Club (cough, cough, a bit controversial at the moment), but rain stopped play for so many matches last year..
@MagentaOtterTravels Did you say that you visited Penshurst Place?
I saw on the news that House of Fraser (Cavendish House) is closing this April btw.
That is very interesting. I was actually commenting to Dara last summer that I wondered how long that department store would survive. It's a shame but I was looking a bit tatty and like it is at the end of its life.
Yes, we went to Penshurst, but I didn't go to the train station. We loved the house though, and gardens! It is an upcoming video. I am still editing video around the clock... which is making me very cranky, but at least I'm keeping up with publishing two videos a week!
Sad to hear about House of Fraser. It has been there on the prom in Cheltenham since 1823! Does that have any connection Penshurst?
@@MagentaOtterTravels No connection. It was just something I read about the other day and forgot to tell you.
The food looked fabulous at sissinghurst..
It was garden fresh and delicious!
I forgot - Happy 31st Wedding Anniversary!
Thank you Catherine. We're now only 5 months away from 32!
Thank you!
That Castle I would call a Manor House and the Heron, Egret sign might be a Little egret, so as below your assumption could be correct in both ways.
The little egret is a small, white heron that feeds on small fish and crustaceans.
I guess I was impatient as you sorted out the sign later in the video.
@@barriehull7076 haha no worries! I appreciate you watching and leaving your comment!
Hi
I have happily lived in Tenterden Kent all of my 70 year life, so have been to most I have been to nearly all of Kent. However I loved your video which shows it in the glowing light it is. you did good research. so do come back.
the second D in Biddenden is not pronounced by locals
Thanks so much! We loved Kent so much that we came back again this summer with our friends Debbie and Gary. They LOVED it too! Did you see the video I filmed of the cow shed where we stayed? It was great! Cheers! Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels I know the Farm and area well as grew up 1/2 mile away. do enjoy your further visits
@@mdturner3723 wow! We were so impressed that the owner did that barn conversion himself. It was very well done! You grew up in a lovely area. 🩷
Chips with everything, thanks.
Sorry, I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to Italian food!
Everything needs bacon! 😀 And, that's a fabulous umbrella!
That umbrella is great! I bought it off Amazon and it is an inside out umbrella! It stands on its own and keeps the water from getting all over the inside of your car or home when you shut it. Best of all, if a windstorm turns it inside out it doesn't break it!
Yes, bacon is super tasty. But I have also been known to say on several occasions "butter makes everything better ". I just launched a line of merch a few days ago, and I had to put that saying on an apron! Lol
That bird on the school is a stork, Dara. Not native to the UK, but essential for delivering all the babies that end up at the school. I don't think it's meant to be a heron, although they are at least native to the UK (no egrets, sorry). The woolpack (or woolsack) is what the Lord Chancellor traditionally sits on in the House of Lords.
I love that the Lord Chancellor sits on a woolpack! That's awesome.
Apparently Chilham has a heron as their village bird (based on what I discovered later in the video) but I can't explain why the bird on the school doesn't look like a heron. LOL!
Apparently an 18th century owner of the castle was called Heron.
@@robinhillyard6187 oh!!! That explains it!
Kent is the GUARDIAN of England for obvious reasons but is often mistakenly called the GARDEN of England.
I see! How about we say it's both?
Agreed,both could apply.@@MagentaOtterTravels
I love this area and it's such an easy day trip from London.
Have you really visited England if you haven't teetered over the edge of one of the white cliffs of Dover?
That will have to be done in a second trip. We decided to avoid the coast this time around because it was July and we figured it may get crowded. Also, both Dara and I are not big on heights, so no teetering!
@@ians3586 I'd recommend the 'Seven Sisters' over the White Cliffs. They're further west near Eastbourne, and are effectively the start of the South Downs Way which will take you all the way to Winchester - 100 miles away. (They often stand in or get mistaken for, the White Cliffs.) Some achingly pretty views along the way too. I often pop down there from S London to go for a stroll/hike.
@@graememorrison333 thanks for the recommendation and I will make it part of our bucket list. I find that sometimes less well know options are the better ones. For example I can think of several better options for views in London than "The Eye" and many villages I would visit in the Cotswolds over Bourton-on-the-Water.
Ooo look, money, how quaint 😂
Get your Jane Austen note now! It's going to become a collectors item 😉
I've had a packet of crisps in a Woolpack Inn.
Where?
@Poliss95 You mad impetuous fool. 🙂
@@MagentaOtterTravels The Street. 🤣🤣In Iwade near Sittingbourne.
the last time I was in Kent I saw and Egret .... well that's what the Chinese guy was calling his son. lol
Ian didn't have Ice-cream at the Italian restaurant? I guess he must of felt a little off colour that evening.
He managed to go one day without ice cream! Hey Jean, I want to give you something... please send me an email at magentaotter@gmail.com
Dara, are you aware that another channel has done a reaction to one of your videos? Channel's called "Reacting to my roots" and the video is called "Americans react to US vs UK cost of groceries. It's an American couple reacting to your Tesco vs Kroger vid. They should reference your channel more IMO but it's got 236,000 views! Check it out if you haven't already seen it and apologies if this is old news.
Thanks for letting me know, Gary! I'm always grateful when my subs let me know about reaction videos. Shockingly, I've now had FOUR different channels react to my videos! Three were just in the last couple weeks. I had heard about Reacting to my Roots doing the Grocery video, and I have since emailed back and forth with Steve a bit. He seems like a nice guy! I am still rather ambivalent about reaction channels in general, but if it helps introduce people to my original content, then that is a nice bonus I guess! Of course, they all get WAY more views on their videos reacting to my videos than I get on the original ones, LOL!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes he does seem like a nice guy. Very genuine. I was watching that one and suddenly went "That's Dara"! 😂 So I thought I'd let you know just in case you hadn't seen it. They noticed you switching between American and British pronunciation on "tomatoes" and "basil"! Yes, I was surprised at the huge number of views their vid got. Hopefully it helps to bring more traffic your way.
Egrets are a species of heron. The more usual British heron is the Grey Heron.
Really? I had no idea! Every day's a school day ;-) Cheers! Dara
Its probably because the telephone box was hidden from view by the bus shelter.
Thank you for answering that mystery! That makes sense. Cheers! Dara
Looks very similar to the village of Lacock.
Yes, I've heard great things about Lacock and look forward to visiting there one day!
Congratulations 10k.
Thank you very much!
Actually, there are a number of ways of pronouncing Biddenden, one of which you have chosen.
The commonest is Bidden followed by Durn.
Equal emphasis on both parts.
I can't explain it, either. 🙂
It is absolutely essential that I ask a local how to pronounce a place name. Otherwise there's just too high a probability that I will mess it up! Lol... and when we are on a road trip, and I just stop in a village for four minutes like I did this time... I never have the opportunity to be schooled on proper pronunciation!🤣
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yeah tell me about it. I drove up to Scotland some years ago and asked for directions to the Renault dealer in Hawick.
I got the French bit right.
Local fellow wasn't entirely impressed with my Scottish pronunciation. 🙂
@@grahamstubbs4962 😂😂😂 oh Scots and Welsh are next level difficult!
Small portions - you get the occasional place thats very mean.
Check on-line reviews of eating places before you make your decision.
Yes, Google reviews and TripAdvisor have been so helpful to us in finding some great places to eat!
So rain didn't stop play 🏏
Indeed! They were very dedicated!
Hey can you please tell me if there's any part time job opportunities at Canterbury for international students
I'm sorry love I've no idea 🤷♀️
Chips and Pizza works for me….
THAT is the true test of a Brit! haha
Hey Gris, can you please email me at magentaotter@gmail.com? I want to give you something...
@@MagentaOtterTravels a buttered cheesy jacket works better with a pizza..
May i point out that i would never put gravy on my chips..but i do realise that chips and pizza is a sin..but not as great a sin as a bim bam with a penguin biscuit..up my nose..
The Stork brings the children to the school..
The frittata looks like a guru chefs bubble and sq ueak..wonderful..the recipe and technique for that would be much prized..
We have two blockbuster dramas on the telly at the moment “Alan Bates vs The Post Office” and “Finders Keepers”
When William is king they will call the Ten pound note a Ten pound Bill..
LOL!!! That is very funny!
Kentish cream tea probably because of them using Kentish ingredients.
That's a good point and there seem to be a lot of locally produced ingredients to source from.
I'm very disappointed I didn't get to try a Kentish cream tea! Yet another reason I need to have a return trip 😉
Kentish strawberries are the best in the world and using them for jam is good. A real Kentish dessert you need to try is gypsy tart. You don't find it anywhere else.
@@neilgayleard3842 i'm always interested in trying a yummy new dessert! Sounds great!
You can go old school Kentish and have gypsy toast as well. Which is savoury eggy bread often made with cheese.
Vlog on dudes.
🤟
They’ve really stopped providing those cosy bus shelters because homeless people used to set up home in them..swathes have been redesigned or vamolished..
So the thing that said telephone on it was a bus shelter? I can imagine homeless folks wanting to sleep in those... I would rather than be out in the rain!
@@MagentaOtterTravelsi remember our local bus stop in the daytime had a rolled up bedding under the seat..
Then at night as you went past the gentleman was all tuckered up in his bed…
Nowadays bus stop design has a less cottagey design in either glass or brick…with a perching rack below waist height that will not allow preparation of a bed..
The shelter next to the phone box could quad up as a foul weather waiting area for the phone a Bus stop.. a courting house ,and a fish and chips dining area..
@@griswald7156 true!
You need more vegan food and more ice cream!
Vegan food can be very filling. But that meal was not! Lol
@@MagentaOtterTravels tell Ian to not corrupt you!
Scientifically Treated Petroleum…STP….
That does NOT sound like a tasty pudding!
Bonnie Texan Lass I have for you a suggestion, why not if you do a dna test and see where your ancestors came from to America. I have a hunch they were English. Please do a DNA test and post the result here Bonnie Texan Lass😁🏴
I have done that DNA test! Should I do a video about it? Would be fun to compare mine and Ian's 😉
Yes, please do it would be interesting. I did my DNA including Y DNA and it revealed a fascinating story.
Definitely
Living not far from Chilham off the top of my head I can think of 4 Woolpack Inns within 15mins drive. Might be more. You’re in sheep country.
We live in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, which is definitely sheep country as well! But I've only seen one Woolpack Inn 🐑
They even have one in "Emmerdale"...😄
That’s a fair point. Wonder why there so many in Kent then.
@@andrewdoubtfire4700 I thought it might be because of Emmerdale, but that's set in and filmed in the Yorkshire Dales! So I have no idea...🤷♀️
Besides, these Woolpacks predate Emmerdale by around 500 years. Will have a think.