You will be close to 1066 country and a visit to the battlegrounds at battle would be a good family day out.

hi dmcq,

We used to live near there, so I hope I can remember the area well enough.

The first thing to say is that the train line from Buxted may not be your best option - the trains certainly didn't used to run very often. it may be better to drive to Tunbridge Wells which has a much better more frequent service.

secondly, will you have a car? without one, you may be quite stuck!

assuming you will have one, there are lots of places to go - in no particular order:

Rye, Tenterden, Cranbrook, Lewes, Sissinghurst, Hastings [Battle], Romney to Dymchurch railway, Brighton, Arundel, Scotney Castle, Leeds Castle, Ashford [for access to the channel tunnel to France] Dover and the CAstle, Westerham, Chartwell, ......

can I stop now?

if you like gardens, try to get hold of the "Yellow Guide' which will give you details of many private gardens that open for charity a few times a ear as well as the bigger ones.

hope you have a lovely time.

Canterbury, Penshurst, ....

Thanks so much!

We have stayed in Heathfield & loved the area. Our favourites were Bodiam castle, Battle, Scotney & Herstmonceau castle. Leeds castle is further away but very good. Enjoy!

Fishbourne Roman Villa (the largest Roman Palace north of the Alps); http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishbourne_Roman_Palace

The Weald And Downland Museum; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weald_and_Downland_Open_Air_Museum

If you go to Dover for the castle (and Roman Lighthouse, and Napoleonic Tunnels and WW2 stuff too) be sure to carry on and drop into Deal too by way of a castle contrast; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_Castle

There's really an awful lot to do in Kent & Sussex!

Dr D.

On your other thread you said you wouldn't have a car. As annhig says - you will have a MUCH easier time of it w/ a car. Not for your trips into London, for that the train is best.

All the sites mentioned above are great (and there are many more as well) but few are on rail lines and bus service is very spotty.

We will probably not have a car.. looked into renting, but was outrageously expensive and to borrow from my in laws will not work because of insurance purposes..Do you know which "must do" sights are near public transport? We can get bus from Heathfield to Tunbridge Wells station or a ride to Buxted station.. We are alo working on when to stay overnight with friends in London and Cambridge to best meet our planning needs..My husband grew up in Wiltshire and his parents now live in Heathfield, so he is unfamiliar with the area... Thank you so much for your help and advice, it is greatly appreciated and the kids are getting so excited!

to borrow from my in laws will not work because of insurance purposes>>

really? has anyone asked the insurance company?

annhig - Actually it can be a PITA. I tried for ages to get my father onto my car insurance, and the company didn't want to know - foreign resident etc even though he has held a UK driving licence for over 40 years.

There arte short term insurance cover companies, but they tend to be quite expensive - over £50 a week if I remember rightly.

but they won't know til they've tried, willit!

probably cheaper than renting and perhaps worth it to give them wheels!

Just how expensive are we talking about? Where have you looked for a rental car? I rent cars in the UK a LOT and it is seldom more expensive than in the States and sometimes less. (And we definitely pay less than locals would renting there)

Start w/ Autoeurope.com They are a broker that often gets the best rates. If you have a platinum cc it will cover the insurance so you don't have to pay extra for that.

And especially since you are staying in a place w/ no rail service.

You may not need a car for the entire time, but a weekor two will REALLY make thing easier.

this site might be helpful

http://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/search.php?county=East-Sussex