Barn Meadow Camping

East Sussex is steeped in history. Start your time travel at Battle (10 minutes’ drive), scene of a rather well-known conflict in 1066. Visit the battlefield and take in the museum relating the story of the Norman Conquest in neighbouring Battle Abbey. Housed in a centuries-old building, Battle Museum of Local History is also worth a peek, to see dinosaur footprints and an axe reputed to be a relic of 1066. Head for seaside Hastings (25 minutes) to learn more about 1066 with a short film at the hilltop castle, then take the kids deep underground on the interactive Smugglers Adventure through St Clements Caves. Next up is the National Trust-owned, 14th-century moated Bodiam Castle (10 minutes), where you can book guided tours of the stately ruins and coax the kids to join in archery sessions or medieval craft workshops. Close by, the former Cinque Port harbour town of Rye (20 minutes) sits prettily on the confluence of three rivers and serves up half-timbered houses and cosy pubs in cobbled streets. After all that culture, should you fancy heading for the beach, options include Bexhill (25 minutes), backed by the modernist De La Warr Pavilion, and the vast powdery expanse at Camber Sands (half an hour).