Chestnut Meadow

Battle Abbey, run by English Heritage as 1066 Battle of Hastings, Abbey and Battlefield, is the site where William the Conqueror's Normans met King Harold's English army. The abbey was founded by William soon after the conquest, said to be on the spot where Harold died.

Tip: Head to the visitor centre first to get the story of the battle, then take the audio tour round the battlefield.

Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex. Sir Edward Dalyngrigge built it in 1385 with the permission of Richard II, ostensibly to defend the area against French invasion during the Hundred Years' War. It has no keep. Instead, the chambers were built around the outer walls and inner courts, with towers at the corners and the entrance, topped by battlements.

Tip: You don't need to book in advance, but the car park uses the JustPark app, so download it and set up an account before you arrive. The towers are reached by steep spiral staircases.

Pevensey Castle began as a Roman fort around AD 290 and is the largest of the Saxon Shore forts. Its massive walls, more than 500 metres long, still stand almost to their full height. In 1066 William the Conqueror landed here to begin his invasion of England, and the Normans built a stone keep and fortress inside the Roman defences.

Tip: Book advance tickets online to save money. Battle Abbey, the 1066 battlefield, is about 9 miles away.

The De La Warr Pavilion is a Grade I listed building on the seafront at Bexhill-on-Sea. Designed by Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff and built in 1935, Historic England describes it as the UK's first public building in the Modernist style. Since its restoration in 2005 it has been a contemporary arts centre, with one of the largest galleries on the south coast of England.

Tip: The car park outside is paid, with metered parking too, so allow for that if you're driving.

Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built castle in East Sussex, dating from 1441. It is one of the oldest significant brick buildings still standing in England, built with bricks made from local clay by builders from Flanders. Its story runs from a ruined shell, left after the interior was demolished in 1776-77, to a major restoration in the early twentieth century.

SEA LIFE Brighton opened in 1872 as Brighton Aquarium and is the world's oldest continually operating aquarium. It was designed by Eugenius Birch, who also designed the West Pier, and it sits on the seafront. Inside, the High Victorian Gothic interior survives, and you can wander through the restored Victorian Arcade.

Tip: Book a timed entry slot online in advance; you can reschedule if your plans change.

Charleston, in the village of Firle, was the country home of the artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and for decades a meeting place for the Bloomsbury Group. The rooms on show are covered in their work, with murals, painted furniture, ceramics, textiles and paintings. The collection also includes pieces by artists such as Renoir and Picasso.

Tip: Check the Charleston website before you set off, as the site closes at times between exhibition seasons.

Farleys House & Gallery was the Sussex home of the photographer Lee Miller and the surrealist artist Roland Penrose, who moved there in 1949 and lived there for 35 years. Over that time they built up a collection of contemporary art, including works by their friends Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Max Ernst and Joan Miró.

Tip: Book your timed house tour slot online in advance; the tour isn't suitable for children under 12, and tickets can't be moved or refunded.