Bodiam finishes tenth: its moat, towers and open-air ruined interior make a compact introduction to a castle’s plan. We place it below Hohenzollern because there is less interior variety, not because ruined buildings lack value. It may be your first choice if a moated fortress matters most.
Expect exposed ruins rather than furnished palace rooms. The tower stairs are steep; check access and prepare for the weather. From the courtyard, imagine how missing floors divided the surviving walls. Which would you rank higher: a readable ruin or a richly furnished palace?
Sources: Official guide.
Photo: DeFacto · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized/compressed.
