Bodiam Castle

Sir Edward Dallingridge, who had made money fighting in France, was licensed in 1385 to crenellate his manor against French raids up the Rother, and what he built is the picture-book castle: a square block with round corner towers and square intermediate ones, no keep, and a broad rectangular moat that reflects the whole thing. The argument is whether it was ever a serious fortification. The moat is shallow, the windows are large, the walls are thin, and the gunports appear ornamental, which led to a long-running scholarly view that it was a display of status dressed as defence; more recent work has pushed back, noting the elaborate approach across the moat with three turns under fire. The interior is a roofless shell with spiral stairs to the towers.

What you actually see

• The moated exterior - a square castle reflected in a broad rectangular moat.
• The roofless interior - a shell with stairs climbing to the tower tops.
• The zigzag approach - the causeway that once turned three times under the walls.
• The steam railway - a heritage line arriving at Bodiam station.

When to go

April to September for the best weather and the steam railway timetable; the moat reflects best on still mornings. Winter days can be atmospheric with mist over the water. Weekends fill the car park.

Honest expectations

The inside is an empty shell with no rooms or furnishing, so the visit is largely exterior and stairs. Tower stairs are narrow spirals with no handrail in places. The site floods in winter and paths can be closed.

Nearby

Rye lies southeast; Battle and the 1066 abbey are south.