East Sussex | Picture Perfect Roadschooling at Bodiam Castle
Closer to France than London (45miles), Bodiam Castle is certainly one of Britain’s most picturesque and magical castles. Set in a charming location close to some of East Sussex’s most beautiful villages. It attracts thousands of visitors each year either by car or even by steam train from Tenterden!
Having loved exploring France during our roadtrip, we’ve been amazed by their variety of Chateaus & Castles including Carcassonne, Azay Le Rideau, Chateau des Enigmes & Villandry… but the ‘Hundred Year War’ seems to have bought some of this fine French architecture to British shores…. and there’s probably no better example of a ‘picture perfect’ castle than at Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. A castle design that still reflects its Norman ancestry dating back to the times of Sir Edward Dalyngrigge in 1385
So as those guys at ‘Wales Online’ say…. why not get out with your kids and use some of British’s undoubted historical treasures to add to your growing ‘ed-ventures‘ experiences. (see the full article about our adventures here)
So how would you describe Bodiam Castle
Perfect for young adventurers! Bodiam Castle may not be as famous as fellow British Castles like Alnwick or Lincoln Castle . But perhaps it should celebrated for the centuries of ownership by the families who inhabited the magnificent inner castle. As an example, the castle played a pivotal role in the War of the Roses (on the red side!) and also the Civil War… but still retains all it’s defensive ramparts and offers a fantastic insight to life in a castle in the 1300’s via the superb video exhibition inside.
Not only does it offer a great tour inside including access to the ‘bat room’, ‘medieval chapel’, ‘private rooms’ and a chance to walk the battlements…. there’s also plenty on offer outside the moat including archery, historical exhibitions, a variety of educational activity boards and some glorious places for a picnic! Plus it’s motorhome friendly too!!
For hundreds of years, if you wanted to control territory in Europe, a castle was your best friend. A combination of a military fortification and the home of an important person like a king, castles served many different purposes. The earliest castles began appearing in the 9th or 10th century, but by the late 1500s they’d fallen out of use. However thanks to Lord Curzon and the National Trust, castles like Bodiam are now great places for a family day out that’s almost always a guaranteed success!
For some it meant a lifetime of saving the pennies to afford one, only to lose it within years of completion. In the case of Bodiam Castle, its original architect barely spent any of his married life within it’s walls due to his prominent role in the ‘Hundred Year War’ against the French.
For more on it’s interesting history here – click here
Look at those happy smiling faces, do you think we enjoyed it!!!
From the very moment we turned down the twisting narrow lanes into Bodiam, we’d decided we loved this quiet area of Sussex. Having seen yet another of Sussex’s historical centrepieces in Battle the day before (think Battle of Hastings!) we were hooked….
We’ve really fallen in love with this laid back part of England. Perhaps even more so now we’ve clambered along some of it’s beautiful cliffs beside the Seven Sisters (see here), scaled some of it’s castle towers at Bodiam or even got friendly with its wildlife in the Ashdown Forest !!
For those that will have seen our adventure antics across Europe… You’ll know that we encourage our girls to embrace a little adventure whilst being respectful of the danger of the environment…. However East Sussex’s ‘mother nature’ was kind to us this week providing us with a calm sea, blue sky and acres of coastal cliffs, heathlands and forests to explore.
But if you’d like to find out more about some of our adventures acros Europe….. we hope you’ll find plenty here to inspire a little ‘wanderlust’ for your next holidays. Perhaps a ‘Dune buggy safaris across Croatia’s National Parks‘ or a ‘Railway Ride of a Lifetime on the Flamsbana Express‘ in Norway…. or even something a little closer to home like ‘Sea Cliff Climbing in Pembrokeshire‘
want to see another amazing castle?
Got kids who also love opportunities to explore castles?
Ever thought about taking your kids to the land of castles in Pembrokeshire ? Don’t miss the chance to see the region with the most castles per sq mile in the WORLD! Check out our what we found on our visit in this short video (see left).
In fact Castles have become such a big hit with our girls they even made their own LifeinourVanKids blog post –
You’re never too old or young to enjoy a Castle!
To find all the latest news, exhibitions and activities at Bodiam Castle, click here to find more
bodiam castle
so where did we park the bus for the night?
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