1066, all that and more
Knock your socks off at Knockhatch, an adventure park with soft play, boating lake, go-karts, farm and owl sanctuary. Meet sharks and puffer fish at the Blue Reef Aquarium. Explore the smugglers’ caves. Visit the pub garden on the pier. Ride the cliff cable cars. Learn all about the Norman Invasion at Hastings Castle. This is 1066, all that and more.
Kids ahoy!
Knock your socks off at Knockhatch. It’s an adventure park packed with fun, including Froggies indoor soft play area, outdoor adventure playground, boating lake, jumping pillow, go-karts, owl sanctuary, and a children’s farm. Or how about Flamingo Park’s rides, including Cinderella’s Carousel, Venture River and the Hot Air Balloons?
Head to Laser Quest Eastbourne to zap your opponents before they zap you. Stick around for ten-pin bowling and American pool. See the three galleries – the Sargent Collection, the Costume Gallery and the Technology Collection – at Bexhill Museum. Or head to the Blue Reef Aquarium for sharks, rays, puffer fish and more.
Go back in time, with Hastings Castle and the 1066 Story. Discover how the Battle of Hastings unfolded at the video show. Then visit Battle Abbey on the site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings. Explore the atmospheric ruins of William the Conqueror’s famous Abbey and stand on the very spot where King Harold is said to have died.
Climb the towers, hear the stories and play the interactive audio game at Bodiam Castle. Ride the mini trains at Eastbourne Miniature Steam Railway Adventure Park and walk around the five-acre lake. Or go putt-crazy at Hastings Adventure Golf, home to three courses and the annual World Crazy Golf Championships.
For the grown ups
There’s history in abundance around these parts. Don’t miss Bateman’s, a beautiful 17th-century Jacobean house once the home of Rudyard Kipling. Or how about 300-acre Herstmonceux Castle Estate, once host to the world-famous Royal Greenwich Observatory. Walk the tranquil gardens and woodlands.
See some of the country’s largest telescopes at the Observatory Science Centre. Wander Hastings Old Town with its olde worlde high street. Ride the funicular railways up and down the cliffs. Or walk Hastings Country Park and strain your eyes to see Dungeness and even France.
Explore the smugglers’ caves with their scary mannequins. Visit the pub garden on newly rebuilt Hastings Pier. Learn about the history of local fishing at the Shipwreck Museum. Enjoy live entertainment and exhibitions at St Mary in the Castle. Or see the best of music, theatre, literature, dance and the visual arts at the Opus Theatre.
Pop in to Teddy Tinker’s for vintage clothing, fancy dress, antiques and collectable curios. Shop at Priory Meadow. Head out at night for cocktails at Ye Olde Pumphouse, Twisted Bunny or Bat and Bee, with its resident DJs. Enjoy more live music at Crowley’s, or try a silent disco at the Brass Monkey.
