We visited Sissinghurst in Kent on a coach trip on a typically showery April day. The gardens looked lovely and we managed to avoid most of the showers by having a coffee or lunch in the cafe or wandering around the shop.
This was the home of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson from the 1930s to his death in 1962. The National Trust started looking after it in 1967 and the cottage is still used part of the year by members of the family.
The white garden is, I think, the most famous. This was attractive in April but we all preferred the orange one which was gloriously colourful and full of bloom. The fruit trees were just coming into blossom so this was a lovely area for a wander.
The view from the tower was good but on a sunny clear day would probably be great. We got timed tickets for the cottage when we arrived and found this a very interesting part of our day out, definitely a building where they relaxed and worked rather than a show house.
The cafe was very good with a comprehensive range of light lunches and cakes, good coffee and helpful staff. The shop was a fairly typical national trust affair but with a reasonable range of locally grown plants.
All in all a good time was had by all for the 4 or 5 hours we were there.
