A Kent Face To A Scot

Frosty start to a beautifully bright day which I have really enjoyed.

I took my daughter to Kent to pick up her Honda S2000 with its newly fitted custom exhaust. It sounds great, hangs higher and the anti-drone pipe works. :) 

It felt a bit foreign being south of the Thames. I got excited because we could see a pair of oast houses from the garage. I kept saying, "It's The Garden of England." I suggested that we go to Lullingstone Roman Villa for lunch. The SatNav took us along some lovely single track roads, including some vertiginous hills with wonderful views. We were driving very slowly, quietly and considerately but whether it was older earnest walkers, or young 4x4 drivers, not a single person smiled. I asked a couple who were sitting in their car for directions and neither of them took their faces for joy rides either. Weird.

On the way we called at a hop farm shop as I thought it looked photogenic. It is also a lavender farm, must go back next summer for pics. It was beautifully stocked and heady with hoppy/lavender perfume which reminded my daughter of her wedding. She bought a lovely doggy scarf that I spotted. That was weird too. We don't usually stop at shops on whims and actually buy stuff. :)

As we entered Eynsford we saw the castle, which isn't one, by a lovely lake. Shortly after that we encountered the strategically important ford that has given the place its name. Just as well there was a little bridge over the Darent, considering how low my daughter's car is. I captured the above beautiful beast grazing by the river.

It turned out that the villa does not have a cafe so we left the mosaics until another day and made for home, passing the Norman castle ruins that have until recently been used as dog kennels by the family that lives in the other castle that's really a manor house.

PS Re my title. I've read that Scots call a well-known face a kent face. TheBear will put me right if not. :)