20 Attractions to Explore Near The Big Cat Sanctuary

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Biddenden Vineyards

Biddenden Vineyards

7.56km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Biddenden Vineyards is Kent’s original commercial vineyard; a family run vineyard with the second and third generation of the Barnes family managing the estate. Here at Biddenden 11 different grape varieties are planted across 23 acres of gentle south facing slopes, on sandy loam over clay situated in a shallow sheltered valley.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden

Sissinghurst Castle Garden

7.57km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Sissinghurst Castle garden was created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson who transformed the ruins of this Elizabethan mansion and gardens in the 1930s. It is among the most famous gardens in England and is designated Grade I on Historic England's register of historic parks and gardens. The gardens contain an internationally respected plant collection, particularly the assemblage of old garden roses. The writer Anne Scott-James considered the roses at Sissinghurst to be "one of the fi

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle

9.9km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Leeds Castle is a castle in Kent, England. It is the ideal venue for hospitality during the 149th Open at Royal St. George's, Kent in 2021. It is built on islands in a lake formed by the River Len to the east of the village of Leeds. The castle and its grounds are a major leisure destination with a maze that is exited through a shell grotto, a golf course and what may be the world's only museum of dog collars. There are two castle-themed children's adventure play areas targeted at the under-sev

Kent & East Sussex Railway

Kent & East Sussex Railway

10.33km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

The Kent and East Sussex Railway refers to both a historical private railway company in Kent and East Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company. The picturesque line weaves between Tenterden and Bodiam for 10 1/2 miles. England's finest rural light railway enables visitors to experience travel and service from a bygone age aboard beautifully restored coaches and locomotives dating from Victorian times.

Hole Park

Hole Park

11.51km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

This is one of the best known gardens in Kent, a worthy winner of Visit Kent's Garden of the Year award in 2016. It contains fine yew hedges, large lawns with specimen trees, walled gardens, pools and mixed borders combined with bulbs, rhododendrons and azaleas. The massed bluebells in the woodland walk make spring an especially good time to visit.

 Godinton House

Godinton House

11.9km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Godinton is a remarkable country house, nestled in the heart of Kent. Dating back to the 14th century. It has a Rose Garden, an Italian and Walled Garden, Delphinium borders, a Wild Garden and Ponds. The gardens include one of the longest Yew hedges in England, as well as having spectacular displays of delphiniums, irises, wild flowers and roses.

Chapel Down

Chapel Down

13.71km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Chapel Down is England’s leading wine producer with an award-winning range of world-class sparkling & still wines and hugely successful range of Curious beers and cider. Chapel Down offers a world-class range of sparkling and still wines, together with a collection of premium spirits, and an award-winning range of Curious beers and cider. Enjoy a truly memorable day out at England’s leading winery.

National Trust - Smallhythe Place

National Trust - Smallhythe Place

14.02km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Smallhythe Place in Small Hythe, near Tenterden in Kent, is a half-timbered house built in the late 15th or early 16th century and since 1947 cared for by the National Trust. It has existed as a simple working farm, one of the most significant shipyards in medieval England, and later the home of distinguished Victorian actress, Dame Ellen Terry. The unique Barn Theatre radiates the spirit and history of Ellen's life. Discover this hidden gem in the Kent countryside.

Mote Park

Mote Park

14.41km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

A huge park that has 450 acres pf area and dates back to the 13th Century. During the late 1700s, the grounds were considerably improved, and the mansion that still stands overlooking the lake was built. Its wide variety of facilities, attractions, and scenery make it an excellent place to go for a day out – and its location means that it’s easily accessible from Maidstone town center.

St. Stephen's P.E. Church

St. Stephen's P.E. Church

15.41km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

St. Stephen's Protestant Episcopal Church, located in Kent County, Delaware, is a historic Episcopal church with roots dating back to the early 18th century. Established in 1734, it stands as one of the oldest Episcopal congregations in the state.

Maidstone Museum

Maidstone Museum

16.03km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Maidstone Museum is a beautiful and elegant regional museum housed in the gorgeous Chillington Manor, an Elizabethan manor house. It is home to a wide range of collections including especially Ethnography, Japanese Decorative Arts, Ancient Egypt, Archaeology and Costume. The museum is one of three operated by Maidstone Borough Council. The building is Grade II* listed.

Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest

Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest

17.96km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Bedgebury National Pinetum is the most complete collection of coniferous trees anywhere in the world. It provides a beautiful setting for peaceful walks and picnics. The Bedgebury cafe also has wonderful views of the pinetum. It has miles of family cycling and mountain-biking, walking, and running trails, as well as Go Ape tree top adventure, and an adventure play trail.

Bedgebury Forest

Bedgebury Forest

18.2km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Bedgebury is an award-winning visitor attraction with something for everyone. Open all year, Bedgebury is the perfect place for healthy outdoor activity. Its Forest has miles of family cycling and mountain-biking, walking, and running trails, as well as Go Ape treetop adventure, and an adventure play trail. It's National Pinetum is a world-class collection of dramatic conifers and a beautiful setting for a country walk in all seasons.

Kent Life

Kent Life

18.46km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Kent Life is a fun destination with a host of attractions on its 28-acre site, including a collection of fascinating buildings relocated from the Kent countryside and so more. Whether you want to learn about Kent history, get up close with farm animals, or simply burn off some steam, this is a great place to be.

Great Dixter House & Gardens

Great Dixter House & Gardens

18.93km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Great Dixter is a historic house, a garden, a center of education, and a place of pilgrimage for horticulturists from across the world. The garden, widely known for its continuous tradition of sophisticated plantsmanship, is Grade I listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

Cobtree Manor Park

Cobtree Manor Park

19.09km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

A beautiful country park, standing on the site of the old Maidstone Zoo, the park features a themed play area, along with a sculpture trail, plenty of space for picnics, and a cafe. It has since been planted with over 600 different species of trees and shrubs. An array of exotic plants can be found in the Arboretum, or Parkland Garden, which lies on the eastern side of the park.

The Hop Farm

The Hop Farm

19.16km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

The Hop Farm Family Park is a 400-acre Country Park in Beltring, near East Peckham in Kent, England, is over 450 years old, and has the largest collection of oast houses in the world. The River Medway flows through the park – so you can arrive by canoe if you like, or stick around on site for fishing and kayaking. If you'd rather arrive by more conventional means, there's easy access from the A228 and Paddock Wood train station is a handy five minutes' drive away.

Scotney Castle

Scotney Castle

19.3km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Scotney Castle was built in c. 1378-80 by Roger Ashburnham. It was strategically sited where the road from Rye and Hastings crossed the valley of the Bewel. It is a fourteenth century moated castle with a garden that is a prime example of picturesque aesthetic ideas applied to garden design. The central feature is the ruins of a medieval, moated manor house, Scotney Old Castle, which is on an island on a small lake.

Bodiam Castle

Bodiam Castle

19.59km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge. It hosts one of the largest bat roosts in south-east England, and is home to five species of bats. The castle survives physically as a moated ruin within the Rother valley, but its spirit resides in its power to capture your imagination and allow you to ‘look into another world’.

Kit's Coty House and Little Kit's Coty House

Kit's Coty House and Little Kit's Coty House

20.76km from The Big Cat Sanctuary

Kit's Coty House and its neighbor, Little Kit's Coty House, are the remains of two megalithic 'dolmen' burial chambers. Kit's Coty is the larger of the two monuments, with three uprights and a massive capstone, while the smaller, Little Kit's Coty, is now a jumble of sarsens. Archaeologists have established that the monument was built by pastoralist communities shortly after the introduction of agriculture to Britain from continental Europe.

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Know more about The Big Cat Sanctuary

The Big Cat Sanctuary

The Big Cat Sanctuary

Headcorn Rd, Smarden, Ashford TN27 8PJ, UK

The Big Cat Sanctuary is the UK's largest specialist Big Cat Breeding and Conservation Centre. It was founded in 2000 and is a UK registered conservation charity which is home to over 50 wild cats. A 32 acre site hidden in the peaceful Kent countryside began by default as a refuge for rescued cats. Now recognised as a centre of excellence and one of Europe's biggest wild cat centres making global partnership and supporting conservation initiatives.