First off, Road Trips Gardeners, a bit of an explanation is in order. Weald is an Old English word that signifies woodland. These days, it’s the name given to an area of southeast England located between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. The weald was once a vast forest covering this area.

The Seven Wonders are located within the “High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”, south of London and spanning the borders of Kent and Sussex.

They are:

* Bedgebury Pinetum & Forest (which was established as the National Conifer Collection in 1925)
* Biddenden Vineyards (Kent’s oldest commercial vineyard)
* Marle Place Gardens & Gallery (formal plantings plus woodland and orchard)
* The Hop Farm Family Park (yes, they used to grow hops)
* Kent & East Sussex Railway (said to be England’s finest example of a rural light railway)
* Chiddingstone Castle (unique, unspoilt castle in Kent)
* Merriments Gardens (pictured — plants in the four-acre garden can be purchased in the shop)

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