Calshot Castle

The centrepiece is the three-storey gun tower, roughly 16 metres across, with displays inside covering the site's long afterlife as an anti-smuggling base, a First World War seaplane station that hosted the Schneider Trophy air races, and a re-armed defence position in the Second World War. The Sunderland Flying Boat connection is the part most people remember. Climb to the top and you get wide views across the Solent toward the Isle of Wight, with a gun mounted on the keep roof and shipping traffic passing close by. Plan on a short visit rather than a half day; the site is small and the interest is concentrated.

• Opening is on selected dates, not daily year round. Check the current opening information before making a special trip, because the pattern changes through the year.
• Parking is paid, and charges apply to all castle visitors.
• There are many stairs inside the keep and up to the roof, so climbing may be difficult for some visitors, and pushchair access is limited.
• The castle is surrounded by a deep moat with a steep drop and a real drowning risk. Keep children closely supervised, especially near the outer edges.