Bodiam Castle
Bodiam, High Weald
Image: National TrustA moated 14th-century castle in the Rother valley that looks exactly like a child's drawing of a castle. Inside the walls it is an open ruin, so you can climb the towers and explore the courtyard, then walk the grounds and parkland around the moat.
Highlights
- Original moat and gatehouse
- Rare surviving wooden portcullis
- Spiral stairs up the towers
- Riverside tea-room and second-hand bookshop
Good to know
- Dogs on short leads are welcome in the grounds and the tea-rooms, but not inside the castle or shop
- The towers involve steep, narrow spiral stairs
Getting there
Bodiam Castle, Bodiam, near Robertsbridge, East Sussex, TN32 5UAParking: Car park £5 per car for non-members, free for National Trust members.
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More things to do in HawkhurstEvery National Trust place in Kent
Nearby
Image: Great DixterGreat Dixter House and Gardens
A medieval timber-framed house near Northiam surrounded by a bold, experimental garden with a long season. The nursery, started by Christopher Lloyd in 1954, sells plants raised from the garden.
Photo of Hawkhurst: Patrick Roper, CC BY-SA 2.0Hawkhurst Fish Farm
Hawkhurst Fish Farm is a coarse and carp fishery on the Hastings Road outside Hawkhurst, with several lakes ranging from small, well-stocked junior ponds to a big-fish water holding carp and catfish. Beginners can turn up at the Junior Lakes without booking and hire a rod and bait on the spot, and the lakeside cafe makes it an easy stop for families.
Photo of Hawkhurst: Patrick Roper, CC BY-SA 2.0Slap n Dash
Slap n Dash is a paint-your-own pottery and craft studio inside the Hawkhurst Fish Farm complex. You choose a ceramic piece, decorate it with the studio's paints and leave it to be glazed and fired, and there are also decopatch, make-a-bear and keepsake sessions.