Bodiam Castle Photo Tour
Included
Dates & Times
Throught the year.
Contact for details.
Astro workshops available.
Fitness Level
Easy
Price
£ 50
Availability
Places available
Join Us
Constructed in 1385 to help protect against invasion from the French during the Hundred Years War, this impressive example of a moated castle provides us with plentiful opportunities for compositions that take advantage of the beautiful symmetrical reflections available in the wide moat.
We’ll also explore within the castle walls and ascend the towers to admire the view of the surrounding countryside. Our visit will be timed so we can take advantage of being able to photograph the exterior after the tourists have left, allowing us to capture iconic shots without visual distractions or interuptions, making it a landscape photographer’s dream when combining the castle and bridge’s symmetry with filters to smooth the water. During the summer season, we’ll also visit 13th century Bayham Abbey, a secluded and little known ruins along the Sussex-Kent border.
Bodium Castle:
“Set in the heart of an historic landscape, with spiral staircases, battlements and a portcullis, 14th century Bodiam Castle is one of Britain’s most picturesque and romantic ancient monuments. Windows where arrows were once loosed, a tower that was once a look-out and ruins that were once walked upon by knights; this is a place where you can relive your childhood memories and let your imagination run riot.
In the impressive gatehouse is the castle’s original wooden portcullis, an extremely rare example of its kind and, beyond into the courtyard, enough of the interior ruins survive to give an impression of castle life.”
Bayham Abbey: (summer bonus location)
Bayham Abbey was built from local sandstone in the first half of the 13th century and the ruins includes much of the church, the chapter house, and a picturesque 14th century gatehouse. By the 15th century the original design had been enlarged. Steeped in history, the abbey was suppressed by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 in his attempt to gain funding for two of his new colleges, before falling into the hands of King Henry VIII in 1538.
Recommended Equipment
- Wide angle lens – 16-35mm, 10-24mm, 14-24mm (recommended)
- Walk around/kit lens – 18-55mm, 24-70mm, 24-105mm
- Tripod
- Remote shutter release – we prefer a wired trigger as it saves battery over using your phone with wifi/bluetooth or a wireless trigger to reduce camera battery drain.
- Spare camera batteries – multiple long exposures can drain batteries quickly.
- Battery Charger (we have charging facilities on our vehicle)
- Extra memory cards
- ND Filters – optional/recommended for long exposures during the day – we have multiple sets of Kase ND filters available to borrow! (please let me know the filter thread size of your lenses prior to the workshop)
- Weather appropriate clothing
Included / Not included
- Included:
- Professional photo guide & tuition.
- Return transportation from London in our comfortable 8 seat vehicle.
- Kase filter kits if required
- Battery charging facilities in vehicle
Not included:
- Food & drink
- Travel to start point or from end point of tour.
- Personal & travel insurance
- Anything not specified as “Included”
Fitness Level
This tour involves walking of up to 10 minutes along paths/trails and requires occasional short steep steps or inclines. A person of low-average fitness level should have little difficulty.
Where We'll Meet
Return journey will have two drop-off points. The first is in central London, close to Warren Street, Euston Square, Euston, & Great Portland Street tube stations.
Second drop-off point will be West Acton Station.
We expect to return to London between 19.00-19.30.
Meeting point map.
Gallery
Testimonials
You are a great host Dion: so professional and so knowledgeable. Can’t wait for the next trip you organise!!
Could not recommend him more.
Guide
Dion Hitchcock
UK Photo Tours is owned and operated by professional photographer, Dion Hitchcock.
Dion brings over a decade of expertise in teaching and guiding photography. He is an expat Australian and when not running photography tours, resides in London, UK, running photography workshops or as a locum pharmacist. His extensive travel experiences, spanning over 40 countries, ignited his passion for photography as a means to chronicle his journeys. This passion quickly evolved into a profound interest, leading him to actively participate in various camera clubs, assisting them in conducting workshops. Today, Dion independently operates his own workshops mainly across the UK, and occasionally internationally.
His London-based photography Meetup groups have 7,000+ members and over 500 5-star ratings.
Dion still maintains his registration as a pharmacist professional, dedicating his time to aiding patients and educating pharmacy students. However, he has transitioned his time into the realm of photography, where he assists clients in understanding the craft’s technical and artistic aspects. This shift, though unconventional, aligns with his upbringing; both of his parents were artists who nurtured his appreciation for the world’s inherent beauty. His extensive photography experience, professional background, passion for teaching, and numerous five-star reviews ensures you’ll be in the best of care whilst on tour.
You can reach Dion at info@uk-photo-tours.com
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Terms of Service
Please note that our tours and workshops are always in high demand and usually sell out. We historically have over 90% occupancy so we strongly advise to book early.
As photographers ourselves, we always do our utmost to ensure each participant has the opportunity to get the best shots possible on every tour. However, we are dependent upon the weather, which is highly unpredictable. Your photo guide will monitor local weather conditions and adjust any proposed itinerary according to conditions and any local weather warnings.
We highly recommend that you have your own travel and medical insurance. For our overseas clients, please be aware that your own domestic medical insurance and private health scheme may not cover you whilst you are overseas.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
We strongly recommend you to get a Trip Cancellation & Travel Insurance after booking your trip. If you cancel your booking and the tour is otherwise filled, we will refund you the full amount you have paid towards the tuition, minus a £150 service fee. If you cancel and the tour does not fill, then you will be refunded according to the following schedule, based on the full fee of tour:
Greater than 90 days from the start date of the Workshop: full refund minus the £150 service fee.
75 days or more: 75% refund
60 days or more: 50% refund
Less than 60 days: no refund
Refunds will be paid by the same method that the original payment was made.
If UK Photo Tours have to cancel a tour then you’ll be offered another place on an existing tour or a full refund. We cannot be held liable for any loss of any kind resulting from the cancellation of a tour beyond the tour ticket price.
Pricing
Prices listed on the UK-Photo-Tours.com website are per person, unless otherwise specified.
Prices are based on the local tariff at the time of quoting, converted at the prevailing foreign-exchange rate as determined by UK Photo Tours.
Price quotations are subject to change without notice, until a booking has been confirmed.
Unless otherwise specified, prices do not include any local taxes or use-fees, including foreign departure, security, port charges, park fees, customs, immigration, agricultural, passenger-facility charges or international transportation tax.
Prices do not include tips/gratuities to tour directors, drivers or local guides; passport and visa fees; baggage and personal insurance; any items of a personal nature; and any beverages or food not specifically listed under “Included” on the product pages of the UK-Photo-Tours.com website
Tour start/end
Our tours have a designated start and end point and it is each participant’s responsibility to ensure they are at the designated starting point on time and the tour price does not include any flights, accommodation, transport, taxes or charges, etc prior to our start or after our end points/time. We are happy to give advice on such should it be needed.
Passports, Visas, & Insurance
It is the responsibility of all passengers, regardless of nationality and destination, to check with the consulate of the country they are visiting for current entry requirements.
As visa and health requirements are subject to change without notice, we recommend that you verify health and visa requirements with the appropriate consulate prior to departure.
Disclaimers & Limitations of Liability
UK Photo Tours cannot be held liable for any loss, damage, accidents, injuries or sickness during your tour. The same applies for any changes in tour schedule due to weather, strikes, industrial action, viral pandemic, civil disturbance, wars, floods or sickness, or any other force majeure. UK Photo Tours reserves the right to change routes, schedules and itineraries if needed because of weather, road, boat route conditions or should the necessity arise because of unforeseen reasons. We advise all travellers to purchase comprehensive travel insurance to minimize possible losses due to unforeseeable situations during your travel.
Covid-19
We are taking great care to follow the current guidance from the government regarding Covid-19 ( https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus ), along with up-to-date advice from tourism organisations such as VisitEngland.com and VisitScotland.com in order to keep safety a priority.
All of our guides are fully vaccinated and have had booster doses. We encourage participants to be fully vaccinated if clinically able to.
To further reduce risk, we’re continuing with requiring masks to be worn in the vehicle (unless medically expempt). Vents will be open and windows lowered in the vehicle to increase fresh airflow. We provide antiviral hand gel in the vehicle and at any accommodation, along with spare surgical 3-ply face masks for participants if required.
We’ve adopted the tour industry standard of requesting a negative Covid-19 lateral flow test within 72 hours of the start of the tour, and ideally for the result to be logged on the government website. This test can be done at home.
By asking for a negative test we hope you’ll agree it is for everyone’s protection and helps to provide a smooth and safe tour. In the UK, you can obtain free lateral flow tests from either your local pharmacy scanning a QR code, or sent direct to your home through the website https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests , or by calling 119.
We ask or participants to please be vigilant in reducing their exposure risk to Covid-19 in the 10 days leading up to the tour, and remember to test if you have any symptoms and ensure that you have adequate travel insurance in place.