Scotney's Fairytale Christmas and Gingerbread Man Trail run 21 November to 3 January, 10am to 4pm. House shut 2 to 20 November, all shut 24 and 25 December.
Scotney Castle at Lamberhurst is the borough’s National Trust house, and the one place near Tunbridge Wells that stays open through the winter with a Christmas programme. The Trust has published its day-by-day opening calendar to 31 December and its winter events, so the whole season can be set out now: when the house shuts for its November clean, when the Christmas trail starts, the two days everything closes, and what it costs.
The quick answer
A Fairytale Christmas at Scotney Castle and the Gingerbread Man Trail run Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, 10am to 4pm, with car park booking essential (National Trust: Scotney events). The house is closed from 2 to 20 November while the garden, estate walks, shop and tea-room stay open 10am to 4pm. Everything closes on 24 and 25 December and reopens on Boxing Day. Admission is £20 an adult, £10 a child aged 5 to 17, £50 a family, under 5s free (National Trust: Scotney Castle).
Opening through the winter, day by day
The Trust publishes an opening calendar for each site. This is Scotney’s for the season, read on 25 September; the calendar runs to 31 December and the Trust had not yet loaded January 2027 (National Trust: Scotney Castle).
| Dates | Garden, estate walks, shop, tea-room | House | Old Castle |
|---|---|---|---|
| To Sunday 1 November | 10am to 5pm | 11am to 4.30pm | Exterior only; interior closed |
| Monday 2 to Friday 20 November | 10am to 4pm | Closed (Old Castle tours 4 to 18 November instead) | Exterior only |
| Saturday 21 November to Wednesday 23 December | 10am to 4pm | 11am to 3.30pm, dressed for Christmas | Exterior only |
| Thursday 24 and Friday 25 December | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Saturday 26 to Thursday 31 December | 10am to 4pm | 11am to 3.30pm | Exterior only |
| January 2027 | Not yet published; the Christmas trail is listed to 3 January | ||
The Old Castle, the moated 14th-century ruin in the garden, closes inside for the winter; you can walk round it but not into it, except on the tours below.
The Christmas programme
- A Fairytale Christmas at Scotney Castle, 21 November to 3 January, 10am to 4pm. The house is dressed for the season. The Trust’s listing says “step into a fairytale Christmas”; it publishes no separate charge, so the standard admission applies unless the listing changes.
- Gingerbread Man Trail, 21 November to 3 January, 10am to 4pm. An outdoor family trail: the gingerbread men have hidden themselves around the grounds. Car park booking essential.
- Old Castle Tours, 4 to 18 November, 11am to 11.45am, on selected days. A behind-the-scenes tour of the Grade I listed ruin while the main house is shut, subject to volunteer availability and with car park booking essential.
The Trust’s listing shows 42 dates for the Christmas events, which matches every open day from 21 November to 3 January less the two closed days. Prices for trails at Trust properties are sometimes added later; none was on the page on 25 September.
Before Christmas: the half-term trail
Monsters around the Moat, the Halloween half-term trail, runs 17 October to 1 November, 10am to 4pm. It sits at the end of the house’s normal season alongside two exhibitions in the house, a photography display to 31 October and Flapper Fashion, 1920s dresses, to 1 November, both 11am to 4.30pm. All are covered by admission. The rest of the week’s options are on October half term in Tunbridge Wells.
Prices
| Ticket | Standard | With Gift Aid |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18+) | £20.00 | £22.00 |
| Child (5 to 17) | £10.00 | £11.00 |
| Under 5 | Free | Free |
| Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) | £50.00 | £55.00 |
| One-adult family | £30.00 | £33.00 |
National Trust members enter free but must still book the car park on the days the listings say so. The Gift Aid price is the one the Trust asks UK taxpayers to pay; it lets the charity reclaim tax on the whole ticket.
Getting there in winter
Scotney is off the A21 at Lamberhurst, about eight miles south-east of Tunbridge Wells; the Trust gives the postcode as TN3 8JN (or TN3 8JD for some sat navs) and says to follow the brown oak-leaf signs from the A21. It warns there is no access via Finchcocks or Goudhurst. There is no railway station within walking distance, and over October half term there are no trains through Tunbridge Wells at all: see the Grove Hill Tunnel closure and, for Christmas week, Christmas trains and buses.
Still to be confirmed
- January 2027 opening times, once the Trust extends its calendar. The Christmas trail is listed to 3 January, which implies the site is open that weekend.
- Any separate charge for the Gingerbread Man Trail, and whether timed entry applies on December weekends.
- Old Castle tour dates within 4 to 18 November: the listing says “selected days”.
Bedgebury’s illuminated trail is the other big Christmas outing on this side of the borough; its dates and price grid are in our festive dates list.
Sources
- National Trust, Scotney Castle, the opening calendar to 31 December 2026, prices and directions, read 25 September 2026
- National Trust, Scotney Castle events, read 25 September 2026
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