March 2012 newsletter

Dear Falstaffians,

A big hello from us at the start of the spring, as we look forward to a fantastic few months of events, festivals and exhibitions in and around Canterbury. We’d love to share a few things that have come to our attention in March and April….

Kent is home to some of the most beautiful and ancient woodland in the country. Our favourite has to be The Blean, which covers eleven square miles and has over 120 miles of footpath for you to get lost in (don’t forget to do a breadcrumb trail). Spring is our favourite time of year here, when the bluebells come out in force and carpet the forest floor in a riot of colour. After a stomping walk, there are lots of country pubs in the villages around Blean for a Sunday Roast.  We’d recommend The Dove at Dargate which is particularly good for food and local ales.

Even wilder is a fantastic Easter activity on Tueday 10th April hosted by the Wildwood Trust, called Back to the Stone Age. Should you have little ones who have had enough of easter egg hunts (unlikely we know, but…), they can get stuck into learning stone age skills in the woods, followed in the afternoon by making beads, amulets and leather pouches. Wildwood run lots of other events if you can’t make this one, including Junior Zoo Keeper Days and night time moonlit tours. While there, you can also see wolves, bison, foxes, lynx and badgers. Rest assured, these animals are NOT wandering around the woods but are in captivity. An encounter with a wild boar would be taking Stone Age customs too far. At just five miles from The Falstaff, this makes an excellent country day trip.

If you’ve been to Canterbury before, and have never stumbled on a place called The Goods Shed, then next time you come, you are in for a treat. We are slightly obsessed with this foodhall-come-restaurant which, while on the pricey end, is well worth it if you want to pick up some extra-special foody presents. At the daily indoor market, you can buy from local purveyors including the Cheesemakers of Canterbury (pictured) and experimental brews from The Bottle Shop, and then flop down with your shopping for lunch in the restaurant. The Goods Shed is often in the national press ( no surprise – it is a truly magical place) and, hooray, it is jus a short walk down the road from The Falstaff.

If you are tempted to take a little break in Canterbury, whether your thing is the stone age or slap-up lunches, our rooms start at only £59 for a single or £79 for a double, on special web early bird rates. Even our top rooms with four poster beds are at £119, making the Falstaff a very good value option when staying in Kent. You can check out rates and plan your break on our website.

With Very Best Wishes,

The Team at The Falstaff