Smugglers Adventure: A Journey into Hastings' Dark Past
What is Smugglers Adventure in Hastings?
Smugglers Adventure is an underground attraction inside St Clement’s Caves. Visitors follow a self-guided route through tunnels and caverns while exploring the history of smuggling on the Sussex coast.
The experience focuses on the dangerous world of eighteenth-century smugglers. Displays feature pirates, smugglers, bootleggers and the people who lived and worked around this illicit trade.
Interactive displays, sound effects and dramatic scenes bring the stories to life. The route takes visitors through dark passages and underground chambers.
What can you see at Smugglers Adventure?
More than 70 life-sized figures appear throughout the route, bringing the smuggling era to life. Visitors are also accompanied by the notorious smuggler Hairy Jack, who guides the journey through the underground passages.
Along the way, you’ll encounter pirates, smugglers and bootleggers. Interactive displays and dramatic recreations show how smugglers hid and moved contraband along the Sussex coast.
The attraction also includes historical information about the caves themselves. This gives visitors an insight into how these unusual spaces have been used over the centuries.
The history of St Clement's Caves
The caves have a much longer history than their association with smuggling.
St Clement’s Caves have been used for a variety of purposes over the years. These include a military hospital during the Napoleonic Wars and an air-raid shelter during the Second World War.
The caves were also rediscovered during the Victorian period. Their history includes some unusual stories connected with their use over the years.
This mixture of history and folklore adds to the attraction. You’re walking through a genuine network of caves with a long connection to Hastings.
Is Smugglers Adventure worth visiting?
Smugglers Adventure is well worth considering if you want to experience one of the more unusual attractions in Hastings.
The combination of local history, life-sized characters and atmospheric effects makes it very different from a conventional museum.
It is particularly appealing if you enjoy history with a theatrical twist. Instead of simply reading about the smugglers of the Sussex coast, you follow their story through the tunnels.
The characters and scenes are recreated around you as you make your way through the attraction.
How long does Smugglers Adventure take?
Allow around one to two hours if you want enough time to explore the caves without rushing. The route is self-guided, so you can take your time with the displays and interactive elements. There is no need to keep pace with a scheduled tour.
Smugglers Adventure is currently open daily from 10am to 5pm. The last admission is at 4:15pm, so allow enough time to arrive before the final entry time if you’re planning a later visit.
Where is Smugglers Adventure?
Smugglers Adventure is located at St Clement’s Caves on West Hill, Hastings, East Sussex.
The attraction is at Castledown Terrace, Hastings, TN34 3HY. Its location makes it easy to include alongside other sights around Hastings during a day out.
Smugglers Adventure: an unusual Hastings experience
Smugglers Adventure offers the chance to explore a different side of Hastings. The attraction combines local history with an immersive experience inside St Clement’s Caves.
With more than 70 life-sized figures and stories of smugglers, pirates and bootleggers, it offers something very different from a traditional museum.
For visitors staying in Hastings, it is an unusual attraction worth adding to your itinerary.
Choose Apollo Guest House For Accommodation
At the Apollo Guest House, you’ll have easy access to all the best that Hastings has to offer, thanks to its prime location. So if you’re looking for comfortable accommodation in the heart of this beautiful coastal town, look no further than the Apollo Guest House.
