Frant

Frant sits on a ridge of the High Weald, just south of Royal Tunbridge Wells and close enough to Kent that many visitors assume it is over the county line. In fact Frant is firmly in East Sussex, part of the Wealden district, and its position on this high ground gives it long views over wooded valleys in every direction. The village grew up around a sizeable green, still used for cricket in summer, with tile-hung and brick cottages, a pub and the parish church arranged around its edges much as they have been for two centuries.

The High Weald here was shaped by iron and timber long before tourism arrived. Local ironmasters made fortunes from the Wealden iron industry, and the wooded, sunken-laned countryside around Frant still carries the marks of that older economy in its field patterns and ghyll woodlands. The area also has a history of smuggling, with goods once moved quietly along the lanes between the coast and London. Today Frant is quiet and residential, a conservation area of considerable charm, but it makes a good, calm base from which to explore the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the spa town of Tunbridge Wells on its doorstep.

Top things to do in Frant

Frant itself is small, but it is superbly placed for walking, wildlife and a clutch of well-known Weald attractions within a few miles.

• Frant village green — the heart of the village, ringed by cottages, the church and the pub; still used for cricket matches through the summer.
• St Alban's Church — a Grade II listed Gothic Revival church rebuilt in the 1820s largely at the expense of the Earl of Abergavenny, with a chancel added later in the Victorian period.
• Eridge Rocks — a Sussex Wildlife Trust nature reserve within the parish, where sandstone outcrops up to ten metres high, formed tens of millions of years ago, rise out of the woodland; look out for ferns and mosses that thrive on the damp rock faces.
• Eridge Park — a historic deer park bordering the village, part of the wider Eridge estate and a good spot for a longer walk through parkland and woods.
• Royal Tunbridge Wells — just a few miles north, with the colonnaded Georgian shopping walk of The Pantiles, the Chalybeate Spring, and Tunbridge Wells Common for a stroll among sandstone outcrops of its own.
• Bewl Water — the largest reservoir in the south east, a short drive away, good for a lakeside walk, sailing or cycling the perimeter track.
• Scotney Castle — a National Trust property over the Kent border with a moated ruin, gardens and a Victorian country house, a popular half-day out.
• Bayham Old Abbey — English Heritage ruins of a medieval abbey set in a riverside valley, within easy reach for a quieter, more romantic sort of visit.

Getting to Frant

Frant lies on the A267, the old turnpike road between Tunbridge Wells and Mayfield, with the A21 trunk road a short drive away giving quick access north to Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and the M25, and south towards Hastings. By road it is roughly forty miles from central London, generally under an hour and a half depending on traffic.

Frant railway station, actually located in the neighbouring hamlet of Bells Yew Green, sits on the Tonbridge to Hastings line and is served by Southeastern trains, with a journey to London Charing Cross of around an hour and direct services on to Hastings on the coast. For most visitors arriving by car, the village is easiest reached via Tunbridge Wells, from where it is a few minutes south along the A267.

Best time to visit Frant

Spring brings bluebells and fresh green growth to the ghyll woodlands around Eridge Rocks and Eridge Park, while summer is when the village green comes into its own, with cricket on fine weekends and long evenings for walking the surrounding lanes. Autumn is arguably the prettiest season in this part of the Weald, as the mixed woodland turns colour across the valleys, and Bewl Water and Scotney Castle are both particularly photogenic. Winter is quieter, but the High Weald's wooded ridges and sunken lanes have their own appeal on a crisp, clear day, and nearby Tunbridge Wells stays lively year-round.

Where to stay in Frant

Frant itself is small and largely residential, so accommodation in the village is limited, but nearby Royal Tunbridge Wells offers a good range of hotels and guesthouses within a few minutes' drive, from Georgian townhouse hotels to more modern options close to the station. The surrounding countryside also has a scattering of bed and breakfasts and country inns, making it easy to base yourself centrally for exploring both the town and the wider High Weald.

Food and drink in Frant

The George Inn on the High Street is the village's long-standing pub, its core building dating back to the 1670s, with beamed bars, a large garden and a menu of traditional pub food alongside cask ales. The Abergavenny Arms, overlooking the green, is another local fixture typical of the Weald's village pubs. For a wider choice, the restaurants, cafes and tearooms of Tunbridge Wells and its Pantiles are only a short drive north.