logo
English castle with ancient woodlands that looks just like a Disney film

English castle with ancient woodlands that looks just like a Disney film

Scottish Sun08-05-2025

Plus, what else you can do in Royal Tunbridge Wells during a visit
OLD MAGIC Small English castle with ancient woodlands that people say looks just like a Disney film
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
THE UK is home to a tiny castle that people might not have heard of - but people say its just like a Disney film.
Scotney Castle sits on its own island in Kent and is surrounded by a huge moat with walled gardens and a Victorian mansion house.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
5
Visitors say Scotney Castle looks like a scene from Disney
Credit: Alamy
5
Ruins of Scotney Castle is found on its own island with a huge moat
Credit: Alamy
The romantic fortress is found outskirts of Royal Tunbridge Wells and the ruins have been compared by visitors to something from a fairytale.
One wrote on Tripadvisor: "The gardens are some of the most beautiful in England - especially in late spring and early summer when the rhododendrons and wisteria are out.
"The castle, ruin and moat and surrounding pond is like something from a painting or a Disney movie."
Another added: "Scotney Castle is straight out of a fairy tale. It's broken down castle with tower strutting out into the lake is pure Disney."
To add to the magical feel, the castle is also surrounded by an ancient woodland and forests that you can explore.
Scotney Castle ruins also welcomes dogs and as long as they're on leads, pooches are welcome to stroll around the walled gardens.
On site, you'll also find a Victorian mansion which was a later addition to the Scotney estate.
It was a home to three generations of the Hussey family from the 1700s until 1970 when it was handed over to the National Trust.
The manor house is filled with objects collected through the decades
You can also pop into Betsy's second-hand bookshop, the Coach House tea room which offer hot and cold food and children's meals - the menu changed daily and seasonally too.
The pretty pink UK castle that is loved by Disney and Britney Spears
5
The castle is surrounded by gardens and greenery
Credit: Alamy
5
You can explore the manor house that is part of the estate
Credit: Alamy
For anyone wanting smaller bites they also have a kiosk where you can pick up cakes, biscuits and ice creams.
There's a plant and souvenir shop where you can buy perennials and accessories.
Scotney Castle hosts events like guided tours, flower festivals, and theatre events.
Throughout the summer, there are performances like A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Alice Through The Looking Glass.
There are also musical tribute evenings ranging from ABBA to Fleetwood Mac.
Scotney Castle is open daily between 10AM and 5PM. It's recommended to book in advance during weekends and school holidays to guarantee entry.
To visit the whole property, an adult ticket costs £19, tickets for children between 5-17 are £9.50 and children under five go free.
You'll find Scotney Castle in the 'Royal' English town with one of the UK's fanciest Wetherspoons.
One Sun Travel writer even stayed in his very own castle which was in the middle of the sea for £23 a night.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Five ways parents can get help with summer holiday costs including childcare and food if you're on Universal Credit
Five ways parents can get help with summer holiday costs including childcare and food if you're on Universal Credit

Scottish Sun

time34 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

Five ways parents can get help with summer holiday costs including childcare and food if you're on Universal Credit

Find out how you can get free food, activities and vouchers HELPING HAND Five ways parents can get help with summer holiday costs including childcare and food if you're on Universal Credit Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SUMMER holidays can end up costly for parents, especially those already struggling with the cost of living. Parents can find themselves forking out an extra £1,000 a week over the summer break. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The school holidays can end up expensive for parents but we've got tips that can help Credit: Getty If they choose to go on holiday, the average price of a getaway for a family of four is more than £3,600. But there are some ways you can keep the costs down - especially if you're on benefits like Universal Credit. The Sun explains what you can do... 'Kids eat free' offers Over the summer holidays you'll find plenty of cafe and restaurant chains run 'kids eat free' offers. These are especially common in supermarket cafes and in restaurant chains aimed at families. For example, Tesco gives children a free meal over the holidays as long as you buy something from the adult menu. Asda offers kids' meals for £1 but you don't need to buy anything else to get the deal. Other chains like Pizza Express, TGI Fridays, Franco Manca and Bill's also usually offer deals over the holidays. These tend to apply to any parents - not just those on Universal Credit or other benefits. Free clubs Low income families can get help from their local council through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. I've saved £15k on trips to Ibiza, Mallorca & Turkey with term time holidays - I'll never stop, fines are a tax on the working class It can be used to sign children up to sports, music and arts clubs, and it also offers them a nutritious meal each day for free. The help on offer varies by council but families who receive free school meals are usually eligible. In some areas you can get holiday club places for the equivalent of at least four hours a day. You should contact your local authority to see what's available, whether you're eligible and how to apply. Am I entitled to Universal Credit? According to the GOV website, if you're on a low income or need help with your living costs, then you could be entitled to Universal Credit. To claim, you must live in the UK, be aged 18 or over (with some exceptions if you're 15 to 17), be under State Pension age, and have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments. Other circumstances are if you are out of work, or unable to work, for example because of a health condition. Food and energy bills vouchers Another scheme run by local councils is the Household Support Fund (HSF). Councils across England have been allocated a share of a huge £742million pot that can be spent on helping struggling residents. The latest round of funding is running until March 2026. Local authorities can choose how to spend their share of the fund, but many are transferring cash to the bank accounts of low-income households or offering vouchers that can be spent on energy bills or at supermarkets. You usually qualify for help if you are on a low income, benefits or classed as vulnerable. You should contact your local council to find out what's on offer and whether you qualify for support. Use an app for free or discounted food Some apps can help you get hold of free or heavily discounted food that would otherwise go to waste. Olio lets businesses and households offer up food that would be going into the bin. It's often on a first-come-first-served basis so you'll need to be quick to snap up any items you want. Another app you can try is Too Good To Go, which gives you 'surprise bags' of food at a discounted price. Bear in mind you won't know what you're getting beforehand. Free activities Loads of UK attractions offer heavily discounted or even free admissions for people on Universal Credit or other key benefits. Some of these include ZSL London Zoo, which offers tickets for just £3 for those on Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, or Jobseeker's Allowance. Peak tickets usually start from £33. Meanwhile you can get in for free at York Castle Museum, or for just £1 at Kew Gardens or any of the Historic Royal Palaces. You can see the full list of places here. Cut childcare costs You may be able to get tax-free childcare that can save you 20% on childcare costs over the summer. If you have two kids in clubs for five weeks, that's worth about £300. The help is available for children aged under 12, or 17 if your child has a disability. Eligible parents get up to £500 every three months — a total of £2,000 per year — per child to help with care such as nurseries and after-school clubs. You can also use it toward the cost of holiday clubs. You cannot use the scheme if you are on Universal Credit or receive tax credits - and you risk losing your benefits if you apply. However you can claim for help with childcare costs separately through Universal Credit instead.

Mum rants about ‘worst hols ever' & ‘disgusting food' at 4-star Greek hotel but trolls call her a ‘drama queen'
Mum rants about ‘worst hols ever' & ‘disgusting food' at 4-star Greek hotel but trolls call her a ‘drama queen'

Scottish Sun

time35 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

Mum rants about ‘worst hols ever' & ‘disgusting food' at 4-star Greek hotel but trolls call her a ‘drama queen'

The mother had her hubby carrying her across puddles GREEK TRAGEDY Mum rants about 'worst hols ever' & 'disgusting food' at 4-star Greek hotel but trolls call her a 'drama queen' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRIT mum has been dubbed a ''drama queen'' after ranting about the ''worst holiday ever'' at a four-star Greek hotel. Mother-of-two, only known as TikToker @strawbz938, jetted off to Greece with her family after booking the holiday with TUI. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The mother-of-two took to TikTok to rant about 'the worst holiday ever' Credit: TikTok/@strawbz938 2 The family were moved to a different part of the resort - but the mother was anything but impressed Credit: TikTok/@strawbz938 The furious mother, from Cardiff, claimed they were promised ''a five-star resort'' where they'd stay for ''seven nights'' - but the ordeal soon turned into ''a long list of problems''. After landing in Rhodes and checking into the resort, the mum discovered the accommodation was ''a three-star resort''. ''But because they have a water park, they're able to bump it up to a four-star. ''In my opinion, it's not even a three-star,'' she said in the TikTok video, showing viewers the conditions of the resort. The outraged mother also added that while the pool area ''looked stunning'', upon further inspection, she discovered everything was ''taped together''. After complaining to the staff, the family was then moved to a different part of the resort - however, the new room also ''wasn't up'' to her standards. ''I was under the impression that I was booking a five-star resort,'' she said, vowing to ''do research and read the reviews'' next time. Unfortunately for the holiday-goers, it ''then went from bad to worse'', as they here hit by ''a massive storm''. ''We got absolutely soaked walking back and forth from the one hotel to the other. At this point, I was just wanted to cry,'' the TikToker lamented. To their absolute horror, the area was covered by mega puddles - with the hubby having to carry the mother across, as ''there was no way'' she'd walk through the rain water in her ''90p flip flops from Primark''. Most popular treats for Brits on holiday Although the following day the weather had improved, the mother was less than impressed with the food - which she dubbed ''absolutely disgusting''. Sharing her woes online, the holiday-goer also showed viewers her plate of lasagna, salad, coleslaw and couscous. After desperately wanting to ''leave the hotel'', the family ventured out and visited the ''stunning'' Old Town. She said: ''Everyone kept telling to try and cheer up and just deal with it - that's exactly what I did for my children, I wanted them to have the best holiday ever.'' But their troubles didn't end there - as an hour after going to bed, they were woken up by ''a massive earthquake''. In the end, the mother decided that she had had ''enough'' and took the family back home. She went on in the caption: ''I know I'm lucky to have a holiday and some people aren't in a position to even go away for the weekend but when you've requested specific standards and you turn up to a lot less, it's very frustrating!'' Cheap holiday essentials IF you're jetting abroad this summer, here are the cheap holiday essentials you won't want to miss. PACKING CUBES: They're loved by mum-of-22 Sue Radford and not only do they save space in your luggage, but they'll ensure that your case is super neat and tidy. TAG TRACKER: There's nothing worse than loosing your luggage, but thanks to this handy £15 buy from B&M, you won't have to worry about that on your next trip. KIDS' CABIN BAG: Don't worry if you can't afford to splash the cash on a Trunki, as Aldi are selling an alternative dupe buy for just £29.99 - and it's great for children. HAND LUGGAGE CASE: For those that are opting to go hand luggage instead of paying a fortune for a check-in bag, Morrisons are selling extra small cases, that are perfect for taking on a flight, for only £7.99. Although TUI ''are currently dealing with the situation'', the furious TikToker - who claimed to have forked out £5k for the trip - said she didn't ''have much faith at all''. ''As for me being dramatic over the earthquake - yes, I do overreact, I overthink and I panic and when my children are involved I act fast and I just up and left, maybe if I hadn't of had the worst holiday ever to begin with I'd feel more comfortable saying after I'd calmed down!'' 'Drama queen' Since being posted online, the holiday video has taken the internet by storm, amassing close to 370k views in just one day. But while the mother was certainly far from impressed with the getaway, people online thought she was overreacting, as they branded her a ''drama queen''. One said: ''Drama queen. you cut your kids holiday short,take out board games,enjoy your time with the children!'' Another chimed in: ''Complaining about the weather and earthquake like it's TUI or the Hotels fault.'' A third joked: ''Did TUI make it rain?'' Someone else said: ''I don't think I've ever booked a holiday without extensively checking review sites. Is that not just standard practice?'' However, there were also plenty of those who agreed with the mum-of-two, with one writing: ''it looks sounds like a holiday from hell. nice that your husband carried you over the puddle lol.'' ''This is such a shame when you spend your hard earned money trying to make the best memories for your family! glad you're home safe!'' commented another.

Tourists warning as popular holiday bar 'charges 100 Euro for a beer'
Tourists warning as popular holiday bar 'charges 100 Euro for a beer'

Daily Mirror

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mirror

Tourists warning as popular holiday bar 'charges 100 Euro for a beer'

DK Oyster in Mykonos has become notorious for bad reviews over the past few years, with recent customers claiming that they were charged 100 euro for a single beer Tourists have been warned to avoid a popular bar that has been accused of charging up to €100 for a single beer. DK Oyster in Mykonos, Greece, has long been frustrating customers. Over the years, numerous patrons have voiced their grievances about the restaurant's exorbitant prices, expressing frustration over what they perceive as daylight robbery for food and beverages. ‌ At the end of last month, a British man took to Tripadvisor to tell a new tale of eye-wateringly high prices at the beachside joint. Nathan wrote online: "Asked for a seat in the sun and a drinks menu, he offered us one litre of lager for €100 (£84) Once we said no thanks he proceeded to drop the price but we didn't stick around, if you find yourself here, do yourself a favour and walk on to another bar as they don't try to rip you off and the atmosphere is much better. We ended up paying €7 (£6) each for a lager." ‌ Another unhappy customer, Sue, claimed to have received similar treatment. She wrote: "This venue entices you in with the offer of 'free' sunbeds and a warm welcome. However, once seated, you're offered drinks without a menu or any mention of prices. Have you faced an outrageous bill at DK Oyster in Mykonos? Email "We were asked if we wanted a 'large or small beer' — naturally assuming this meant a pint or half. Instead, they brought out huge glass boots of beer (approximately a litre) and later charged €35 (£29) per drink, regardless of the size or what it was. "We were a group of four and ordered a few casual drinks while relaxing on the beach. At one point, a staff member brought over an additional drink — unrequested — as a 'gift' for one of our group who had finished their beer first. It seemed like a friendly gesture… until it appeared on the bill. When we asked for the total, we were presented with a bill just under €400 for a handful of drinks." ‌ Last year the Mirror spoke with a fuming couple who said they were slapped with a £688 bill for just two drinks at the infamous Mykonos eatery. Oscar Maldonado and his partner were shocked when they were charged a whopping 600 euros at the Greek restaurant. They had enjoyed two smoothies and lobster pasta but hadn't checked the prices beforehand; they were stunned to see that the bill was initially 400 euros, which escalated to 600 euros (£510), with each smoothie priced at 60 euros. Oscar, then aged 34, expressed his dismay at the experience. He said: "I felt tempted to call the police, but I didn't want to cause any trouble. ‌ "I said 'how do you calculate this?' He just went on a rant repeating 'service fee'. I just paid and left. I was p***ed off for the rest of the day and it almost ruined my holiday. I would never go there. I would never recommend it. I really wasn't expecting it. I live on a Honduran salary, so going to Europe is especially hard. It was a couple's trip. It was really frustrating. I cannot think about Mykonos without transporting back to this moment. READ MORE: Brits warned as Spanish protestors 'armed with water-pistols' set new date for chaos "They were really really nice and the service was really good, they made conversation with us. We ordered non-alcoholic drinks. Just some smoothies. I didn't ask for the price, then they brought the menu over. It was misleading to say the least. My boyfriend had the lobster pasta. They brought us the biggest lobster, it was a pasta but with the whole part of a lobster. It was a big bit. I thought it may cost a lot, but I never thought that much." DK Oyster's manager Dimitrios Kalamaras has previously responded to negative comments, pointing out that prices are clearly displayed. He urged Oscar and his partner to "reconsider some of the harsh expressions used and accusations". ‌ "Our sunbeds come with minimum consumption, so we encourage all visitors to check the menus, before placing their orders. I would like to note that our menus are displayed on blackboards near the entrance, showing the prices of our food and drinks to keep our guests informed," Dimitrios added. "If you wish, we can always provide further information about your order. I kindly request that you reconsider some of the harsh expressions used and accusations, as we strive to provide a positive experience for all our guests, and there is no intention on our part to spoil your experience." The eatery has also received its fair share of praise. One diner gushed: "I recently had the pleasure of dining at this fantastic beach restaurant, and it was a great experience! Me and my best friend had two drinks and a free set of sunbeds, for over 4 hours, and afterwards we chose to have a lunch, despite the online comments. "The food was delicious, the atmosphere was good, with beautiful views of the sea of Platis Gialos. Also, the music made a positive impression on us. The staff was friendly and attentive, making sure we had everything we needed. I recommend this place to anyone looking for a memorable dining experience by the beach!"

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store