In the grounds of Battle Abbey on the field where King Harold and William, Duke of Normandy, fought in 1066, a group of elite “Saxon warriors” is preparing for battle against the invading Norman knights. Kite shields are raised and the steel blades of Dane axes glint in the sunshine. Saxon chieftain, Taran, tells onlookers: “Nothing threatens a Norman knight like a Saxon huscarl with a Dane axe. The Normans thought it very unsporting to take off a horse’s head with an axe.”Nearby, where spears, slings and bullets are at hand for missile combat, children are ordered to pick up a sling bullet (it’s a beanbag). “Right, slingers,” commands Taran. “The field is yours. Let ’em have it!”A significant year for all things battle, 2026 marks the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings and the 60th year of the annual reenactment, which takes place on the green slopes of Senlac Hill at Battle Abbey, each October. More exciting still, the Bayeux Tapestry will soon arrive in Britain for the first time in more than 900 years.Battle Abbey will have a new 1066 exhibition in place at the visitor centre this summer (English Heritage)The tapestry has left Bayeux in France only twice in its lifetime, once at the behest of Napoleon Bonaparte, who had it displayed at the Louvre, and again during the Second World War when it returned to that museum for safekeeping. In September, it will go on display at the British Museum.In time for the summer holidays, Battle Abbey – the Benedictine monastery founded by William the Conqueror – will have a new 1066 exhibition in place at the visitor centre. New interpretation panels across the battlefield and abbey will complement the existing sculpture trail, featuring life-size wooden figures representing Saxon and Norman warriors. “This is a great year to relive the blood-curdling combat of the Battle of Hastings,” says Battle Abbey site manager James Witcombe.The 1066 story begins 17 miles southwest of Battle, at Pevensey, where the Norman fleet landed on 28 September. William strengthened Pevensey’s third-century Roman fortifications to create Pevensey Castle, the first of the Norman castles. Children can see a recreated 1940 commander’s office, spiral down stone steps to a dungeon and search the Norman keep to crack the “Pevensey Castle Code.” Displays among the ruins tell of sieges, soldiers and royal prisoners, and there are views to the English Channel from the castle’s 13th-century ramparts.Inland from the coastal towns of Pevensey, Hastings, Bexhill and Rye, there are keeps, follies, murder holes and saw-toothed turrets waiting to be explored. Stay at a winery, historic pub or converted outhouse and consider ditching the car, instead seeing the Sussex Weald under steam on the Kent & East Sussex Railway (KESR), which puffs its way between Bodiam and Tenterden.Sights including Bodiam Castle and Great Dixter House can be visited on one of six “Walk and Ride trails” based around the KESR routes.“This is a great year to relive the blood-curdling combat of the Battle of Hastings,” says Battle Abbey site manager (English Heritage)Read more: The best places to go in Cornwall to avoid the crowdsAt Battle Great Wood, I dipped into the 1066 Country Walk, which extends for 31 miles between Pevensey Castle and Rye. Much of it passes through the High Weald National Landscape. Spotted orchids brushed my feet and foxgloves poked through the bracken.I followed sun-dappled paths shaded by hornbeam, birch and sweet chestnut trees to Keith Pettit’s “Hidden Truths” sculpture – one of 10 Bayeux Tapestry-inspired pieces installed along the trail. As I circled the artist’s wood-carved crown, scenes of soldiers in battle emerged through gaps in the sculpture.That night I stayed in a “hop picker” hut, a stone’s throw from Bodiam Castle and the Bodiam terminus of the KESR. My cosy, solar-powered cabin opened onto a wooded glade filled with birdsong and rabbits. Instead of cooking, I opted for a pub ploughman’s with views of the castle, just a 20-minute walk away. I strolled back with the sunset, past orchards and barley fields, and drifted off to the hoot of owls.Bodiam Castle is transformed in the summer by activities (Teresa Machan)Read more: The six best campsites in the Lake DistrictMirrored in a moat and surrounded by acres of green, 14th-century Bodiam Castle is as classic as they come. In the gatehouse, an oak portcullis is pierced with murder holes for dispensing hot sand, boiling water and stones over the enemy. A climb up the curling stone steps to two of its nine “sandcastle” towers is rewarded with sweeping countryside views. Summer’s activities will breathe life into the medieval pile. Visitors can expect storytelling, circus skills and long-bow archery lessons with Hiccup the Viking, in a How to Train Your Dragon adventure.Back at Battle Abbey, on the hill where King Harry’s men formed a “shield wall,” visitors can attend sword school and cavalry training and get hands-on with replica weapons, learning battle moves, shooting arrows and launching catapults. Before leaving, I’m keen to throw a spear, a skill that the huscarls on the field have demonstrated with ease.Taran shows me how to find the counterbalance. “Battles are won and lost on it,” he says. Like most things that look easy, it isn’t. “Don’t throw across your body – keep your hips facing the target.”Instead of sailing through the air, my spear lands, repeatedly, less than a couple of metres away. The horses are safe, for now.How to do itSoutheastern and Southern run trains from London Charing Cross, Victoria, London Bridge and St Pancras to Hastings, typically taking just under two hours. Battle Abbey is open daily over the summer. Entry starts from £15.38 per adult and £7.65 per child. This year’s Battle of Hastings reenactment will take place from October 10-11 between 10am and 5pm. Prices from £24 per adult; £14 per child. The Bayeux Tapestry will be on display at the British Museum from 10 September to 11 July 2027. Tickets available from 1 July. Where to stayCabins at The Original Hut Company start at £120 per night; tent pitches from £25 per night. There is an on-site cafe and sauna (£20 for 75 minutes). River and other activities are available with Epic Life. Book now Teresa was a guest of English Heritage and Visit 1066 Country