Is Leeds Castle's Knights' Retreat the perfect family break? We went there to find out Parents with young children will be aware of the school-holiday conundrum: it is both a boon and a burden to spend more time with your kids. You know the time is precious yet its preciousness is what puts so much pressure on you not to let it fritter away in front of the TV or with prosaic trips to local parks. I was thus over the moon to hear about a new initiative from the innovative folk at Kent’s Leeds Castle: its Knights’ Retreat family accommodation, comprising eight luxury lodges in the heart of the castle’s 500-acre grounds. The inspiration for the accommodation dates all the way back to the thirteenth century, when the castle’s hedonistic owner, Queen Eleanor of Castile, coined her home the ‘Castle of Delights’. Clearly what constituted ‘delight’ in the Middle Ages diverges somewhat from modern-day mores so, suitably intrigued, we packed our bags and embarked on the perilous Dartford Crossing from Essex to Kent. Would we have a ‘knight’ to to remember or a ‘knightmare’? Read on to find out… Its aesthetic appeal is largely down to two factors. The first is the green fields and moat which encircle the castle in a manner befitting a Disney fairytale (just how I like my castles). The second is the fact that over the years, the 12th century Norman castle has only been besieged twice and also undergone several significant renovations, the most recent under the auspices of the castle’s last private owner, the Anglo-American heiress Olive, Lady Baillie in the early 20th century. While previous renovations focused more on the castle’s facade, Lady Baillie revamped its interiors with the aim of turning it into something of a pleasure palace.#leeds_castle #olive_lady_baillie #kent #daphne_du_maurier #errol_flynn
