National Trust begins openings sites in Kent after lockdown with Knole and Chartwell to join those available to prebook

The National Trust has opened the first two of its sites in Kent - with two more set to follow this coming week.

The trust, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, is gradually reopening its venues, but only to those who have pre-booked tickets to keep visitor numbers down.

Tickets are being announced on Fridays, with the first in the county - Sissinghurst Castle Garden and Scotney Castle in Lamberhurst - released last week. They were fully booked by the weekend.

In a statement the trust said: "We want to make it as easy as possible for you to visit the places you love, and enjoy the landscapes and nature we’ve all missed.

"Sadly, we can’t open everywhere at once, but we’re working hard to open more places as soon as possible."

The trust added: "All visitors must book in advance for the places listed below, even if you’re a member. Sadly, if you don't book, you’ll be turned away. More slots will be available every Friday. We'll continue to add new places over the coming weeks, so if your local place isn't showing as open yet, please continue to check back each week."

According to the National Trust website from this Friday (June 5) two more attractions - Chartwell and Knole - will join Sissinghurst and Scotney in opening up ticket bookings to welcome visitors back to its grounds.

The tickets available to order from Friday, will be for visits between Monday, June 8 and Sunday, June 14.

Tickets are available to members and non members and will be given with a timed entry to enable staff to manage people coming in and allow for people to be able to socially distance.

Knole's parkland has been open to walkers during the lockdown, via the site's main pedestrian gates, but anyone coming from further afield has been required to park elsewhere in Sevenoaks.

National Trust visitors booking on Friday and returning from next week will now be able to pre-book a car parking space as the site reopens to limited numbers of motorists.

For more details on how to pre-book a visit to a Kent site and to find a list of National Trust attractions opening each week please click here.

For more family-related news and events visit www.mykentfamily.co.uk