Doddington

Doddington sits on the slopes of the Kent Downs, a small village of around 550 people wrapped in cherry orchards and rolling farmland between Sittingbourne and Faversham. The Syndale Valley, part of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, shelters the village and gives it a hidden, tucked-away feel despite being only a few miles from the M2 and the Kent coast. The Street, Doddington's main road, is lined with weatherboarded cottages, a medieval church and a 14th-century coaching inn, and the whole village has the unhurried, close-knit character of a place that has changed little in centuries.

The village dates from the 11th century, though there is evidence of an Iron Age Belgic fort nearby at Sharsted Court dating back to around 100 BC. Doddington's parish church has an unusual dedication to the Beheading of St John the Baptist, recorded since at least 1467, and Sharsted Court itself, a Wealden hall house dating from at least 1080, is now owned by former Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade. Beyond the historic buildings, Doddington is really a village built around the land: fruit farming has shaped the surrounding countryside for generations, and the orchards, hop gardens and open downland make it a genuinely rural base for exploring this corner of Kent.

Top things to do in Doddington

Doddington is small, but it punches above its weight for a village of its size, and it sits within easy reach of some of Kent's best-known attractions.

• Doddington Place Gardens — Ten acres of landscaped Victorian and Edwardian gardens surrounding a Victorian mansion built in 1870 for the Croft sherry family, with a woodland garden full of rhododendrons and azaleas, a large rock garden with pools, a formal sunk garden and a flint-and-brick folly. The gardens have opened for the National Gardens Scheme for more than fifty years.
• Sharsted Court — A striking medieval Wealden hall house dating from at least 1080, set in its own parkland on the edge of the parish; not routinely open to the public, but a notable landmark on walks around Doddington.
• The Kent Downs AONB and Syndale Valley — The chalk downland and orchard-covered slopes around Doddington offer some of the best walking in the South East, including a stretch of the Augustine Camino pilgrimage route, with wide views over the Swale countryside.
• Doughty's Butcher — An award-winning butcher's shop in the village that has traded continuously since 1919, on a site used for butchering since 1789, and a good stop for genuinely local Kentish produce.
• Faversham — A handsome market town a short drive away, with a medieval street plan, a bustling Saturday market, Shepherd Neame's historic brewery (Britain's oldest) and a creek lined with sailing barges.
• Sittingbourne — The nearest town, with a full range of shops and services plus the Swale Heritage Trail and the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, a narrow-gauge steam line built for the local paper mills.
• Leeds Castle — Often called the world's most beautiful castle, set on two islands in a lake near Maidstone, within easy reach of Doddington by car.

Getting to Doddington

Doddington is well placed for road travel, lying just off the A2 between Sittingbourne and Faversham and close to Junction 6 of the M2, which makes it an easy detour for anyone heading along the Kent coast towards Canterbury or the Channel ports. From London, the M2 route via the Medway towns takes around an hour and a quarter in normal traffic. The nearest railway stations are Sittingbourne and Faversham, both a short drive from the village, with regular high-speed services from London St Pancras taking under an hour, as well as slower services from London Victoria and Charing Cross. From either station a taxi or short drive completes the journey into the village itself, as there is no direct rail or bus service into Doddington.

Best time to visit Doddington

Doddington Place Gardens open from Easter to the end of September, with the woodland garden at its best in May and June when the rhododendrons and azaleas are in full flower. Spring is also when the surrounding orchards come into blossom, making it a particularly pretty time to walk the Kent Downs around the village. Summer brings long days for exploring the AONB and nearby coast, while early autumn sees the cherry and apple harvests in the orchards around the village. Winter is quieter, with the Chequers Inn's fires and traditional menu offering a cosy reason to visit even when the gardens are closed.

Where to stay in Doddington

Doddington itself is tiny and has no hotels, but its location makes it a good base for staying in or around Sittingbourne and Faversham, both a short drive away and offering a wider choice of accommodation from country inns to modern hotels. For something more rural, farm-based B&Bs and self-catering cottages are dotted around the surrounding villages, letting visitors wake up among the orchards rather than in a town centre. Faversham in particular has a good spread of characterful guesthouses within its historic streets, while Sittingbourne offers more conventional hotel options for those who want easy access to the A2 and M2.

Food and drink in Doddington

The heart of village life is the Chequers Inn, a listed 14th-century coaching inn on The Street with oak timbers, an inglenook fireplace and hop bines strung from the ceiling. It serves home-cooked, locally sourced food alongside ales from Shepherd Neame, Britain's oldest brewer, and has a beer garden and family garden with a children's play area at the rear; it was named Best Village Pub for London and the Home Counties in 2005. For provisions, Doughty's Butcher on the same street has been trading since 1919 and is well regarded for its Kentish meat. A short drive away, Faversham offers a much wider choice, including pubs tied to the Shepherd Neame brewery itself, independent cafes around the market place, and restaurants making the most of Kent's orchard fruit, hops and coastal seafood.