Bodiam Castle {National Trust}

We are always looking for new National Trust properties to explore. Just before Christmas we had a weekend in Kent and on the way to our accomodation we stopped off at Bodiam Castle, somewhere I had wanted to visit for the last couple of years.

Bodiam Castle is beautiful. It’s a fully formed castle on the outside with so much of the inside still standing as well. The castle’s original wooden portcullis is the oldest in the country and as the castle is surrounded by a moat full of water it really is a sight to be seen. It feels like going back in time.

We only had an hour spare to visit Bodiam Castle but it was just enough time to walk to the castle, cross the bridge over to it, climb both towers inside and admire the views. Both towers, on either side of the castle, have quite tight spiral stone staircases going up and down which LP didn’t like very much so she and I only went up one of the towers – this is worth baring in mind if you have small children as it may not be very accesible.

But, the rest of Bodiam Castle is perfect for even toddlers to explore. With different castle rooms to walk around and ruined walls to hide behind. Even without a play park the castle is the perfect adventure for children.

LP and Little Man loves that Bodiam Castle looked just like the castles from their storybooks. It inspired them to ask more questions about castles and the world of years gone by. But, one of their favourite bits was the bridge leading to and from the castle. This was such a good space to run, jump and act out any castle story their imagination could create.

Bodiam Castle was a lovely place to stop off but would be great for a whole morning, afternoon or even a full day. They had storytelling and performances throughout the day and plenty to keep children occupied as well as a lot of grounds to explore.