Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle dates back to about 1066 and the Norman invasion of England.  

It has plenty of history to enjoy, including arrow slits, oubliette dungeons and soaring walls,

medieval warfare equipment for children to try out 

and also a 1,000 year old murder mystery – who killed King Edward?

Swanage Railway

Corfe Castle sits next to the Swanage Railway line and you can see the trains steam past.

This full-size heritage railway operates a range of steam and diesel locomotives, as well as historic carriages.

Nearest Town: Corfe Castle, near Wareham
County: Dorset
Nearest Postcode: BH20 5EZ

Adult Cost Range: Free with National Trust membership. Various prices for non-members. Please see their website for details. 
Child Cost Range: Free with National Trust membership. Various prices for non-members. Please see their website for details. 
Free if: Under 5 years or with National Trust membership.

Opens: Various times throughout the year. Please see their website for details.

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic, try the cafe or one eat at one of the nearby pubs.
Facilities: Cafe, shop, snacks, ice cream, picnic area, toilets and accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour.
Buggies: Some of the castle is buggy-friendly but there are also slopes, steps and narrow walkways in some areas.  

Parking: There are a few car parks to choose from, including a National Trust car park, as well as a few parking spaces in the village.
Cost of Parking: Varies depending on the car park you choose. The National Trust car park is free for members.  

Information Written: June 2022

Our visit to Corfe Castle in Swanage is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Longleat’s Adventure Castle

The play area’s centrepiece is a huge wooden castle with ramparts, walkways, nets, and slides galore.

I am not going to list out all of its equipment because it had almost everything you can imagine for children of all ages.

There is also an indoor soft play area for small children.

The Splash Pad

The splash pad’s jets of water activate when you press discs in the floor – some sprayed up, some sprayed down, some formed tunnels to run around. 

Nearest Town: Warminster
County: Wiltshire
Nearest Postcode: BA12 7NW

Adult Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 3

Opens: Daily during the summer but with seasonal closures.

Where to Eat: There are various cafes and you can bring a picnic.
Facilities: Cafes, picnic areas, snacks, ice cream, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: A full day.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free.

Wildlife You Might See: Zoo and safari park animals, including zebra, giraffes, camels, vultures, monkeys, an elephant, rhinos, deer, lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, insects, hippos, seals, gorillas, bats, anteaters, otters, meerkats and wallabies.

Information Written: July 2017
Information Checked: January 2024

Our visit to Adventure Castle Play Area at Longleat, near Warminster, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Hurst Spit

Hurst Spit separates the sea and the Lymington River Estuary.  

To one side it has mudflats and salt marshes.  

To the other it has the sea and views to the Isle of Wight and the Needles. 

Swimming or using inflatables in the sea here is not recommended as the currents are very strong.

Walking to Hurst Castle

The walk to the castle is about two miles and is part of the Solent Way. It is not the easiest of walks.  Sturdy footwear is recommended and it is hard going with a buggy.

You can pick up the path to Hurst Spit and Hurst Castle from Keyhaven Car Park – just head for the Hurst Castle Ferry and then keep walking.  

Sailing to Hurst Castle

If you would like to visit Hurst Castle but don’t fancy the walk or have little ones with you, then consider the Hurst Castle ferry.  

It is a beautiful 20 minute ferry ride through salt marshes, mud flats and moored boats. 

Hurst Castle

Hurst Castle is an artillery fort that was built in the 16th century by Henry VIII to protect the Solent, Southampton and Portsmouth. 

It is one of the best preserved of Henry VIII’s castles and had an active military role until the mid-20th century.

Nearest Town: Lymington, New Forest
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO41 0TP takes you to Keyhaven Car Park and if you keep driving, Hurst Spit. 

Opens: Daily

Adult Cost Range: Hurst Spit is free but there are various costs for castle entry – please see the websites for details.
Child Cost Range: Hurst Spit is free but there are various costs for castle entry – please see the websites for details.
Free if: Hurst Spit is free. Children under 5 years enter the castle for free.

Where to Eat: Eat at the Hurst Castle cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: There are toilets and accessible toilets inside Hurt Castle. There are no toilets available for people not visiting the castle. There is a cafe outside the castle that is available to all visitors.

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours
Buggies: Not buggy friendly. 

Parking: Pay and display car park at Keyhaven. 
Cost of Parking: From £3 for two hours.

Wildlife You Might See: Fish, crabs, seabirds and sea creatures.

Information Written: January 2023

Our visit to Hurst Spit and Hurst Castle near Milford on Sea in the New Forest, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Hurst Castle

The castle is strategically placed at the end of Hurst Spit, halfway between the mainland and the Isle of Wight. It can only be reached by a little ferry or on foot. 

It is a coastal fort so it does not look like a traditional castle. It is low to the ground to make the smallest possible target for enemy ships, 

and has thick walls to withstand bombardment.

Inside the walls is a labyrinth of passageways, stairs 

and some enormous guns on display. 

There are also some beautiful views from the ramparts.

The Ferry – Sailing to Hurst Castle

Our favourite part of the trip was the beautiful twenty minute ferry ride on a boat that takes you past salt marshes, mud flats and moored boats.

The ferries were running every 20 to 30 minutes when we visited. 

Hurst Spit – Walking to Hurst Castle

You can walk to the castle along Hurst Spit, which is about a two mile walk along the sea. This walk is part of the Solent Way.

Hurst Spit is a shingle bank that juts into The Solent, linking Keyhaven and Hurst Castle. It separates the sea from the Lymington River Estuary. 

As this walk takes you over shingle, sturdy footwear is recommended. It is hard going with a buggy.

Swimming or using inflatables in the sea here is not recommended as the currents are very strong.

You can pick up the path to Hurst Spit and Hurst Castle from Keyhaven Car Park – just head for the Hurst Castle Ferry and then keep walking.  

Nearest Town: Lymington, New Forest
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: SO41 0TP

Opens: There are various opening times depending on the time of year. Please see the websites for details.

Adult Cost Range: Various costs for the ferry and for castle entry – please see the websites for details.
Child Cost Range: Various costs for the ferry and for castle entry – please see the websites for details.
Free if: Under 3 years for the ferry. Under 5 years for the castle.

Where to Eat: Eat at the cafe or bring a picnic.
Facilities: There are toilets and accessible toilets inside Hurt Castle. There are no toilets available for people not visiting the castle. There is a cafe outside the castle that is available to all visitors.

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours
Buggies: Not buggy friendly but you could bring a buggy if you were prepared to leave it somewhere as you explore the castle, which has lots of steps. I wouldn’t take a buggy onto Hurst Spit as it would be too hard to push. 

Parking: Pay and display car park at Keyhaven. 
Cost of Parking: From £3 for two hours.

Wildlife You Might See: Fish, crabs, seabirds and sea creatures.

Information Written: June 2020
Information Checked: July 2022

Our visit to Hurst Castle and the Hurst Castle Ferry, near Milford on Sea in the New Forest, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

The Look Out Play Area

The play area is divided into three sections, each aimed at different ages and abilities.

Ship Play Trail

This is an Infant Play Trail for ages 3 to 6 years that has:

• a galleon with nets, a wheel and a slide
• a second, smaller boat
• springers
• a trampoline
• a train
• a wobbly, wooden hut
• toddler swings
• wobbly bridges
• a climbing wall
• a balance course and
• wobbly balance boards.

Inclusive Area 

This fully inclusive area has:

• a wheelchair accessible roundabout 
• a swing 
• a cradle swing 
• an accessible slide 
• musical instruments 
• fun house mirrors
• a basket swing.

The Fort 

This is a Junior Play Trail for ages 7 to 11 years that has:

• swings
• climbing walls
• wobbly bridges
• ladders
• balancing logs
• hanging rings and
• a rope climbing frame.

Kiosk and Picnic Area

Next to the play area are lots of picnic tables and a kiosk that sells refreshments.

Swinley Forest

The play area is next to the Swinley Forest, with cycle routes and various trails.

The Look Out also has a permanent orienteering course and you can buy a map from the reception desk in the Discovery Centre for £1.

The Look Out Discovery Centre

Inside The Look Out Discovery Centre are over 90 activities including a huge marble run, a building site, an indoor stream, a reaction testing game and a range of hands-on science experiments, including a hot air balloon to launch and a globe that floats in mid-air. 

Nearest Town: Bracknell
County: Berkshire
Nearest Postcode: RG12 7QW

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Picnic tables and a cafe.
Facilities: A shop, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: 2 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: There is a large car park but this gets very busy.
Cost of Parking: From £2 for the first four hours.

Wildlife You Might See: Birds and insects.

Information Written: March 2017
Information Checked: January 2022

Our visit to the adventure play area at The Look Out Discovery Centre Play Area in Bracknell is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

The story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is brought to life by costumed Tudor characters, panelled rooms, 

banquet halls and even a potential candidate for Henry VIII’s bed chamber.

The Grounds

The grounds boast several formal gardens, statues,

waterfalls, a lake 

and bushes shaped like chess pieces and animals. 

The Ducks

There are also plenty of marauding ducks to feed.

Two Mazes

There are two mazes to pit your wits against – a hedge maze and a water maze.

The Hedge Maze

The hedge maze is lots of fun and took us about ten minutes of wandering around to solve.

The Water Maze

The water maze is ingenious. 

Your task is to reach the centre whilst dodging the jets of water that suddenly erupt if you step on the wrong stone.

The Adventure Play Area

The fantastic Hever Castle Adventure Play Area centres around a castle called Tudor Towers. 

It has tube slides, turrets, bridges and poles. 

It also has a secret passage, maze and musical instruments.

The castle is surrounded by more play equipment, including slides, swings, tunnels and an obstacle course. 

Nearest Town: Hever, near Tonbridge
County: Kent
Nearest Postcode: TN8 7NG

Adult Cost Range: Various 
Child Cost Range: Various
Free if: Under 5 years or entry to the gardens can be free with RHS membership at set times.

Opens: Daily from March to December.

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at the cafe.
Facilities: Picnic area, cafe, snacks, barbecues, toilets and accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 4 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: The castle is a short walk from the car park, which has lots of spaces.
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks and swans.

Information Written: May 2016
Information Checked: September 2021

Our visit to Hever Castle in Hever, near Tonbridge, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Hever Castle Adventure Play Area

You can roughly divide the play area into three sections.

Tudor Towers

This is a large wooden castle built like a castle and is for those aged 5 to 14 years. 

with tube slides, poles, tunnels, 

rope bridges, net tunnels, ladders and climbing walls. 

Outside there is a well hiding a secret passage, which eventually emerges through a fireplace. 

The castle also has musical instruments, a maze, hidden passages and games. 

Acorn Dell – Natural Play Area

This sandy play area has:

• a wooden climbing frame
• tree trunks and climbing logs 
• a tunnel 
• stones to climb on
• a tree house with a tube slide and a wobbly bridge 
• a willow tunnel
• and a musical instrument. 

The Wooden Play Area

This play area has:

• toddler swings (for under 5s) 
• swings
• a castle slide with easy to climb steps
• knights’ horse springers
• a swinging basket
• wooden climbing frames with nets and ropes 
• an obstacle course
• a zip wire.

Nearest Town: Hever, near Tonbridge
County: Kent
Nearest Postcode: TN8 7NG

Adult Cost Range: Various 
Child Cost Range: Various
Free if: Under 5 years or entry to the gardens can be free with RHS membership at set times.

Opens: Daily from March to December.

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic or eat at the cafe.
Facilities: Picnic area, cafe, snacks, barbecues, toilets and accessible toilets. 

How Long We Spent There: 1.5 hours
Buggies: Buggy friendly

Parking: The castle is a short walk from the car park, which has lots of spaces.
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks and swans.

Information Written: May 2016
Information Checked: September 2021

Our visit to Hever Castle in Hever, near Tonbridge, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Odiham Castle Story Trail

It’s a funny story about Henry, a pilgrim making his way from Winchester to Canterbury. He has a couple of mishaps along the way that made my children laugh out loud. 

Henry eventually encounters the French army and the soldiers garrisoned at Odiham Castle, so before starting the story it is helpful to explain some of the castle’s history (thankfully outlined in the story pack!).

The Wildlife

We saw ducks, moorhens, grey herons and a huge white bird that turned out to be a great white egret.

Odiham Castle

Odiham Castle was once one of King John’s strongholds. By 1605 the castle lay in ruins. 

By 1605 the castle lay in ruins. Today all that remains are the flint cores of the walls. 

Where to Start the Trail

As the story pack suggested, we parked in Greywell village at the Fox and Goose pub (RG29 1BY). 

To reach the towpath from the pub, leave the car park and turn left and then immediately right onto Deptford Lane (RG29 1BS). There are no pavements between the pub and the footpath. 

At the end of the fir hedge on the left-hand side of the lane, is a narrow footpath.  This will take you over the Basingstoke Canal, down a short hill and onto the towpath.

The Paths

The paths were mostly wide level but the towpath can be quite stoney. I did not have any access issues with a double, all-terrain buggy, although it was a little muddy in places. 

Hampshire CC’s Story Trails

This is one of Hampshire County Council’s Story Trails. These are walks with interactive stories to read along the way, which are told by a cute character called the Story Snail.

Each Story Trail is about one mile long and divided into numbered sections. Numbered markers prompt you to read the sections of the story along the trail.

Find a Story Pack

To follow the Story Trail you need a free pack that you can either borrow from a specified place (with a Hampshire Library card and a £20 returnable deposit) or download a copy of a story trail from the internet in written or audio form. 

Each pack has a map to follow and the trail itself is marked with arrows and/or pictures of the Story Snail.

Nearest Town: Odiham, near Fleet and Basingstoke
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: RG29 1BY

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic and a blanket. 
Facilities: Picnic table.

How Long We Spent There: About three hours.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: We parked in Greywell village at the Fox and Goose pub (RG29 1BY), which the story pack suggested. The pub has a car park. 
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks, moorhens, herons, birds and insects. 

Information Written: February 2017

Our visit to the Odiham Caste Story Trail in Odiham, near Fleet and Basingstoke, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Odiham Castle

Odiham Castle is one of only three fortresses built by King John. When construction finished in 1214, it boasted an octagonal keep, walls finished in stone, solid wooden doors, a lead covered roof and protection from the River Whitewater, moats, banks and fences.

The Ruins of King John’s Castle

Despite all this, by 1605 the castle lay in ruins. Today all that remains are the flint cores of the walls.

You cannot climb on these but can walk around the ruins and go inside the keep, where there are information boards about the castle and Magna Carta.

Basingstoke Canal 

The castle can be reached on foot by walking along the beautiful Basingstoke Canal towpath, either from North Warnborough or Greywell village (see below for details). 

We walked from Greywell and saw ducks, moorhens, grey herons and a huge, white bird that turned out to be a great white egret. 

Henry the Forgetful

There is a story trail available to download called “The Story of Henry The Forgetful”, which you can follow from Greywell village to Odiham Castle and back again.

You can read about our walk along the Odiham Castle Story Trail.

The Paths

The Basingstoke Canal tow path is generally wide and level but can be quite stoney. There are no barriers between the path and the canal.

Where to Park

I’ve found two options for parking, either Tunnel Lane in North Warnborough (RG29 1HQ) or Greywell village (RG29 1BY). 

From Tunnel Lane

The Basingstoke Canal goes across Tunnel Lane so is easy to find. Walk along the path with the canal on your left and you will arrive at King John’s Castle.

From Greywell Village

To reach the towpath from Greywell village, take the footpath that starts on Deptford Lane (RG29 1BS), which is the road opposite the Fox and Goose pub.

This path is narrow and there is a short hill down to the towpath but this did not cause us a problem and our double buggy went through without issue. Please note that there are no pavements on either Deptford Lane or Hook Road.

Hampshire County Council’s Story Trails

These are essentially walks with interactive stories to read along the way, as told by a cute character called the Story Snail. Each Story Trail is about one mile long and is divided into numbered sections that you read out as you reach number markers along the trail.

Finding a Copy of the Story Trail

To follow the Story Trail you need a free pack that you can either borrow from a specified place (with a Hampshire Library card and a £20 returnable deposit) or download a story trail from the internet in written or audio form.  

Each pack has a map to follow and the trail itself is marked with arrows and/or pictures of the Story Snail.

Nearest Town: Odiham, near Basingstoke and Fleet
County: Hampshire
Nearest Postcode: RG29 1HQ or RG29 1BY (see above).

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a picnic and a blanket. 
Facilities: Picnic table.

How Long We Spent There: About three hours.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: I’ve found two options for parking, either Tunnel Lane in North Warnborough (RG29 1HQ) or Greywell village (RG29 1BY). Please see above for full details of parking. 
Cost of Parking: Free

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks, moorhens, herons, birds and insects. 

Information Written: February 2017

Our visit to Odiham Caste in Odiham, near Basingstoke and Fleet, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.