2-Bedroom Hot Tub Lodge in Bodiam - Fun Days Out

Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex. Sir Edward Dalyngrigge built it in 1385 with the permission of Richard II, ostensibly to defend the area against French invasion during the Hundred Years' War. It has no keep. Instead, the chambers were built around the outer walls and inner courts, with towers at the corners and the entrance, topped by battlements.

Inside, the interior is ruined, but you can still climb the spiral staircases, walk along the battlements and pass under the portcullis. The castle sits in an artificial watery landscape, and the grounds are open to explore. There's a shop, a tea-room overlooking the river and a second-hand bookshop by the river. The National Trust runs family trails and other events through the year.

Tip: You don't need to book in advance, but the car park uses the JustPark app, so download it and set up an account before you arrive. The towers are reached by steep spiral staircases.

Battle Abbey, run by English Heritage as 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield, is the site where William the Conqueror's Normans met King Harold's English army. The abbey was founded by William soon after the conquest, said to be on the spot where Harold died. Start at the visitor centre, where interactive displays and a film tell the story of the battle, then pick up the audio tour and walk the battlefield, looking out for the dramatic wooden figures.

Afterwards you can explore the abbey ruins and climb to the gatehouse rooftop for panoramic views. An exhibition inside the gatehouse covers the abbey's history, and there's a walled garden and an ice house to investigate. There's a big café near the gatehouse and a children's playground inspired by the site's history, so it works well for families, and anyone with an interest in English history.

Tip: Head to the visitor centre first to get the story of the battle, then take the audio tour round the battlefield.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden was created by the writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson, who bought the run-down farmstead in 1930. It is among the most famous gardens in England and is Grade I listed. The design is a series of enclosed "garden rooms" linked by straight walks, and the White Garden is the best known of them. The plant collection is particularly strong on old garden roses.

Beyond the garden there is plenty of history. The estate has been occupied since the Middle Ages, and the Tower, built in the 1560s, is one of the surviving parts of a much larger courtyard house. The wider estate has lakes, a moat and ponds to explore, and there is a restaurant, coffee shop, shop and plant shop on site. Gardeners and anyone interested in the Sackville-West and Nicolson story will find most to enjoy.

Tip: Pushchairs aren't allowed in the main garden because of narrow paths, but baby carriers are fine. Dogs on leads can use the wider estate but not the formal garden. Check the National Trust page for opening times and any closures before you go.

Scotney Castle is a National Trust property near Lamberhurst, set in a wooded valley. The star is the ruined medieval Old Castle, which sits on an island in a small lake. Sloping gardens run down to the water, with rhododendrons, azaleas and kalmia in spring, wisteria and roses in summer, and strong autumn colour. The garden is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

At the top of the garden stands the house built to replace the Old Castle, designed by Anthony Salvin in an unusually restrained Tudor Revival style. Beyond the garden, the estate has parkland and woodland to walk through. The Quarry Garden holds the impression of a dinosaur's footprint, which children tend to enjoy hunting for. There is a tea-room in the courtyard, a shop and a plant shop. It suits garden lovers, couples, walkers and anyone who likes a good castle view.

Tip: The car park is small, so check the National Trust website for current parking booking rules before you set off.

Bateman's is the 17th-century Sussex home of Rudyard Kipling, who lived here from 1902 until his death. The Grade I listed Jacobean house has been kept much as it was in his day, with his study, his Nobel Prize and his Rolls-Royce Phantom I among a large Kipling collection. Kipling created the garden himself, and the estate also has an 18th-century working watermill, Park Mill, on the River Dudwell.

It suits families as well as literary and history fans. Children can explore the natural play area, which has swings, climbing frames and a carved oak tree topped by an owl, and there are estate walks to stretch your legs. Afterwards, the Mulberry tea-room serves drinks, light lunches and cakes, and the shop sells gifts, plants and Kipling books.

Tip: The house has small rooms, so leave buggies in the hall or outside. Estate paths can be muddy, so bring wellies or walking boots.

Pevensey Castle began as a Roman fort around AD 290 and is the largest of the Saxon Shore forts. Its massive walls, more than 500 metres long, still stand almost to their full height. In 1066 William the Conqueror landed here to begin his invasion of England, and the Normans built a stone keep and fortress inside the Roman defences.

You can walk around the walls and towers, then see the later chapters of the story. Machine-gun posts were built into the walls during the Second World War and can still be seen today. Displays cover sieges, royal prisoners and how soldiers lived alongside local people, and there is a recreated 1940 commander's office. Children can try the Pevensey Castle Code, look into a dungeon and explore a medieval basement room.

Tip: Book advance tickets online to save money. Battle Abbey, the 1066 battlefield, is about 9 miles away.

Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built castle in East Sussex, dating from 1441. It is one of the oldest significant brick buildings still standing in England, built with bricks made from local clay by builders from Flanders. Its story runs from a ruined shell, left after the interior was demolished in 1776-77, to a major restoration in the early twentieth century. Most of the interiors you see date from that restoration and include architectural antiques from England and France.

The parks and gardens are Grade II* listed, and the estate also has a Grade II listed walled garden to the north of the castle. The grounds were once home to the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and the domes of its Equatorial Group of telescopes are still part of the estate. It suits anyone who enjoys castles, architecture, gardens and the history of astronomy.

Camber Castle is an unusually unaltered artillery fort, built by Henry VIII to guard the port of Rye. It sits between Rye and Winchelsea, and its concentric design has a central keep surrounded by round bastions. The coastline has since receded, leaving the fort well inland. J. M. W. Turner once painted it, and it is a Grade I listed building.

There is no vehicular access, so the visit is a one-mile walk on footpaths from Rye, with the outside of the castle to explore. You can stretch it into a circular walk on the footpaths of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, taking in a martello tower, WWII pillboxes and old and new sea defences. Birds can be watched from hides along the way. It suits history fans and walkers who like a bit of wildlife on the side.

Tip: The nearest car park is on Winchelsea Road in Rye, about a mile from the castle, so wear walking shoes.