Pevensey Castle — Attraction in Wealden

Pevensey Castle is the ruin of a fortification that goes back all the way to the Roman invasion of England, with additions/modifications made from William the Conqueror to WWII. It must have been a very impressive sight back then, and there's enough of that left to justify a trip to Pevensey Bay. If you visit by train, be aware that connections along the Hastings to Brighton line are few and far between on the day, with two connections in either direction in the morning, and two in the middle of the afternoon. So plan your visit carefully. The castle is now being maintained by National Trust, the ticket will cost you UKP 6.90 for an adult (concessions available). Expect to spend 1-2 hours on the premises. You can walk the grounds of the castle for free, only the access to the "inside" is charged. As to be expected, no real "rooms" of the castle proper still exist, but you'll get access to a couple of towers (since those were restored for use in WW2). There's a small exhibition on the history of the castle, which is rather nice. Would have been even nicer had I not had the misfortune of a teenage student group visiting the castle at the same time. Ugh, teenagers. Double ugh, British teenagers. Anyway, I certainly enjoyed the trip own history lane, the clerk at the entrance was very helpful too - plus an audio guide is included with the ticket. Which proved to be very informative, even if the narration at certain points of interest went on and on and on. ;) I finished within one hour, which was the same time spent on the premises by those teenagers. All in all, if you happen to be in Eastbourne or Hastings, it's totally worth the trip. And if you're caught in Pevensey for some hours more, as I was, make sure to walk up to the beautiful seafront, enjoy Fish and Chips from Rosie's Fish Bar, and...

Took our 6 year old grandson to see the castle and we had a great time!

He loved wandering around the ruins and exploring the grounds, dungeons and other rooms available.

There's not actually that much to do, but if you're interested in the history of the castle there are a few information boards on the major exhibits and a couple of exhibit rooms detailing some medieval artifacts and about when the castle was used by troops in the war.

We took a picnic with us and a had it in the grounds of the castle, so spent a good 4 hours there in total.

Without kids, you'd probably be done within a couple of hours.

Its not particularly expensive to get in but then it shouldn't be considering what little is on offer to see and do.

The shop sells an assortment of souvenirs and toys, as well as water and beer! If you want a coffee or real food then there's a pub and tea house near the entrance.

As others have noted there are no toilets in the grounds, or bins either for that matter. There's a public toilet block near the car park, a 5 minute walk from the inner castle grounds, but it's pretty rundown and manky. If you need to go then you'll go, but they really could do better in this regard.

The car park costs £2 to stay all day, which goes towards the castle upkeep. Fair enough.

Pevensey Bay is a 5 minute drive away, we visited and found a shingle beach and not a lot else, but worth a visit afterwards for an hour or so, to throw some pebbles in the sea or just pass some time.

All in all an enjoyable day out, particularly if you have...

Possibly the oldest & best preserved Roman walls in Britain. Originally built in the late 3rd century AD as a Roman coastal defence fortress, back then, it was positioned on a peninsula surrounded by the sea, over time, marsh land surrounding it has silted up making it land locked. The fort was later used by Saxon invaders & later still, by William of Normandy who added extra fortifications to the castle, it was at Pevensey William landed prior to the Battle of Hastings. A fantastic castle/fortress to explore, (kids will love it), big kids too. Managed by English Heritage, booking in advance will save a little money, of course, if you're a member, you enter for free. There is a small shop inside the castle which is also where you pay. Just outside the outer Roman wall at the entrance, you'll find an outstanding cafe/tearoom which I highly recommend as I do this excellent castle. Note, parking next to the castle is...