Hadleigh Castle

When you're preparing the kids for a stop at Hadleigh Castle, it's best to clarify for them that they are ruins: it's a very different castle experience to tourist fort with museum and shop built in, but to the imaginative kid this is even better!

The ruins of the two ancient towers and part of the curtain wall are all that remain standing of Hadleigh Castle, but of course the destruction of the ages as wrought on such an indomitable seeming structure is fascinating for kids, and the backdrop of the Thames estuary and Essex marshes make for great nature walks while they role play knights and kings (or indeed queens!). Why not pop some regal dress up stuff in the boot to surprise them with? Great family photo opportunity!