Ratings

Buggy - suitable for walk, buggy isn't suitable for Deal Castle*.
Carrier - good for both walk and castle.

Walking - plenty of places to sit if needed, lots of cafes and pubs along the route of the walk. Roads can be quite busy, so we used a wrist strap to keep our "runner" in check!

Toilets - a few around town, toilets at the Deal Pier Kitchen on the end of Deal pier and the outdoor paddling pool. Toilets also available at the castle, but no sign of disabled toilets.

Wheelchair - castle not wheelchair friendly, due to age and design of the building..

*buggies are not allowed into Deal Castle itself and have to be left just inside entrance..

Things to note

Deal Castle is an English Heritage property, pay at the gate or membership required.

The walk was purchased from QuizTrail.co.uk.

On a good day Walmer outdoor paddling pool is very popular, so a swimming costume for children might be a good idea.

Deal walk and Castle

As a family we have long been fans of "treasure trails" and have discovered a good local company, Quiz Trail, that produce very good printed treasure trails, for many towns around Kent. We are also good at making sure we have rainy day things to do, so had brought a treasure trail with us for our family break at Ripple.

The treasure trail was good, taking you around parts of Deal you may otherwise have missed. There is a good mix of questions for adults, and also a child question for each adult one - there is also the opportunity to be entered into the annual prize draw, for all correctly completed trails. Right, advertising over!

Deal is a quintessentially typical English seaside resort. It isn't difficult, especially when looking back to land from the pier, to see that Deal, like a lot of town of its type, used to have a former glory, sadly a little lost over time and changing holiday habits.

Having pretty much completed our walk we decided to take in Deal Castle. I have visited Deal on several occasions in the past, but never the castle. As castles go it's not much to look at, consisting of a squat brick structure, that offers none of the romance of other Kent castles, like Leeds, Hever or even locally Walmer. It has a similar feel to it as the coastal Martello Towers, dotted along the south coast - appearing functional - which in reality was it's aim. The castle was built on the orders of Henry VIII and is apparently the finest example of a Tudor artillery castle.

As the old saying goes, don't judge a book by it's cover - as the interior of the castle is in complete contrast to its bluff exterior.

The castle is designed with a series of inter-connecting corridors, called rounds. It can feel a little claustrophobic and enclosed walking round these corridors. The lower level can also be rather echoey and like the enclosed spaces could present problems for some with sensory issues. The floors are very uneven and there are stairs between each level. The main stairway has a rope handrail, which could also be an issue for those with mobility issues

The image above, kindly pinched from the English Heritage website, shows an aerial view of the design of the castle. The rounds follow the contours of the building and at each window there was a gun placement, with a "chimney" above each placement to allow the smoke from the muskets to escape the area. English Heritage have kindly left replica muskets for children (and adults) to play soldiers as they explore the castle - just make sure you give them back before you leave.

The rest of the castle has some interesting artifacts and items of historical interest, and in my opinion well-worth a visit.

We rounded our day off with a visit to what must have been the most expensive pub in town, the Royal Hotel. Granted it is right on the front and has some excellent sea views, but the bar prices seemed a bit on the steep side! On the upside, my granddaughter had offered to pay before we got the bill - so I kindly let her.