The Soul Camp

If you’ve got an incurable urge to go poking round other people’s houses, the three local castles should suit fine. Herstmonceaux (25 minutes’ drive) is a proper turret and moat job from the 15th century, housing an observatory with exhibitions for the stargazers; Scotney (25 minutes) is older but more of a house, while Bodiam (15 minutes) is so well-preserved you expect to see some knights clanking past. For a historical mash-up experience, Bodiam is also where you catch the Kent and East Sussex Railway for a cross-county heritage steam ride to Tenterden. If water’s your element, Bewl Water (20 minutes) is the spot for sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding and fishing, and the activity centre nearby lays on quad biking, archery and clay pigeon shooting. Heading coastwards, Hastings (40 minutes) and Brighton (an hour) have a handsome spread of beaches and piers, castles and smugglers’ caves, funicular and electric railways, toy museums and aquariums. Go from petting the starfish at Sea Life Brighton to meeting creatures on the smaller side at Drusilla’s Zoo Park (40 minutes), or loving the llamas at the llama park (where else? 45 minutes). For traditional bucket and spade beach-type stuff, Camber Sands is 50 minutes away.