Tiny but beautiful UK village with cosy pub, farm shop cafe and river walks

This quaint village in Kent, known for its picturesque bridge and charming whiteboard cottages, has a reputation that extends far beyond the UK.

Teston, located just four miles from Maidstone, could easily be mistaken for a Scottish hamlet.

The village green is adorned with daisies in the summer, and the local pub has recently undergone a significant refurbishment.

However, visitors should note that the stunning six-arch, Grade I-listed bridge connecting Teston to West Farleigh is currently closed for repairs.

Despite this, the village remains accessible via the A26 Tonbridge Road. With only around 250 houses, Teston boasts a close-knit community and even has its own parish council.

In years past, you might have spotted Highland Cattle ‘conservation grazing’ in Teston Bridge Country Park.

If you take a detour down Church Street, you’ll be greeted by beautiful homes draped in roses and fragrant white wisteria during the summer months.

Nestled in the heart of Teston, the picturesque spire of St Peter and St Paul’s church, complete with its traditional lychgate and a charming rural graveyard, completes this quintessentially English scene.

Just off the A26 Tonbridge Road, you’ll stumble upon the delightful family-run Farmer’s Farm Shop café, reports Kent Live.

Open every day from 9am to 4pm and boasting a five-star hygiene rating, this gem offers an extensive menu that includes breakfast, lunch, “and everything in between”. Patrons rave about their irresistible pastries and the freshly-baked sourdough bread, “delivered warm to our door”.

Not too far away, on the Tonbridge Road, lies the much-loved pub The Wateringbury. After closing for a summer refurbishment, it has reopened to rave reviews, with one satisfied customer exclaiming: “This was my first visit to The Wateringbury since its recent refurbishment and, I must say, it has been wonderfully transformed.”

They added: “The new seating area feels warm and cosy, creating a perfect atmosphere for a relaxed meal. The updated menu offers some great options, and we thoroughly enjoyed the Camembert cheese and chutney sandwich – it was absolutely delicious and very generous in portion.”

With four out of five stars on TripAdvisor from 878 reviews, The Wateringbury stands as a testament to the village’s hospitality and charm.

“Overall, the refreshed look and new menu make The Wateringbury a fantastic spot for a meal. We’ll definitely be back soon!” said one visitor.

Teston, meanwhile, boasts a post office in its village store, open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The village’s global reputation for manufacturing cricket balls is evident at the crossroads, where the former factory of Alfred Reader and Co, now converted into homes, still stands.

For over 200 years, Readers produced high-quality cricket and hockey balls, and although the company was acquired by Kookaburra Sport Group in 2002, it remains the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of leather cricket balls. The village’s cricket ball-making history dates back to the mid-19th century when Thomas Martin first began producing them in his workshop above the village store.

Interestingly, when women’s cricket was introduced, their balls were made in a different colour, as noted in a 1939 article by the Dundee Telegraph, which highlighted Teston’s long history of cricket ball production, stating, “For more than 100 years cricket balls have been made in the village of Teston, near Maidstone.”

“The industry was started in 1808 in the days when side-whiskered cricketers went out to rough wickets wearing top hats, white blouses, with bow ties and tight trousers, and hit prodigious scores off lob balls. Edward Martin and Fuller Pilch, Kent cricketers of the middle of the 19th century, were proprietors of the factory at various times.”

“In time the business was acquired by Mr Alfred Reader. It has continued in the family ever since. In a drawer in the office Mr Reader keeps several balls which have a sentimental interest.”

“Most valued is a blue ball, relic of a consignment made by his father when women’s cricket was introduced in 1891. Father was asked by a big London sports outfitter to make ‘something different’ for the ladies. So he dyed the cover-hide blue instead of our usual red. The dyeing process is our secret.”

Another valued ball is one used for a year on the Western Front during the war and there is another, sent home from Gibraltar, where it had been knocked about by Garrison teams to the tune of 3000 runs.

It was Mr Reader who took over when Mr Martin retired, and he expanded the business, with his sons then opening the new factory.

Back to the village today, and a lovely place to visit is Teston Bridge Country Park, which is only 13 miles from Tunbridge Wells. It’s a 12-acre park on the banks of the river and it’s the perfect place for relaxing rural riverside walks and a spot of birdwatching.

It also has a children’s play area. Perhaps not this time of the year, but a perfect picnic place is Bridge Meadow.

The park has easy access paths including the Medway Valley Walk, which leads all the way to Rochester in the east, a distance of 16 miles, and Tonbridge 12 miles away to the west.

Visitors should note that while dogs are permitted off-leash in certain spaces, they must be leashed near the car park and kept out of playgrounds.

A Kent County Council spokesperson explained, “We conservation graze Teston Country Park with cattle, usually between May and September.”

They added, “We have had Highland Cattle previously but we do use other breeds, this year for example we had Aberdeen Angus. The cattle have recently been mooooved, sorry, couldn’t resist, to Manor Park.”