Norman cavalrymen have been spotted riding through East Sussex on their way to a Battle of Hastings re-enactment.

Two actors on horseback, in character and costume, set off from Pevensey Castle, near Eastbourne, to Battle Abbey.

Their trek to mark the return of the re-enactment of the 1066 battle after it was called off for the last two years.

Last year English Heritage called for a year’s break to allow the grass to grow back at Battle Abbey near Hastings.

The year before, the annual spectacle was cancelled amid health and safety concerns after wet weather.

But the two-day event, which will attract 400 ‘Norman and Saxon’ participants and a company of horses, will now take place on October 11 and 12.

Lydia Tickner, of English Heritage, said the spectacle, which will culminate in a mighty clash between the warring sides, will have “more action than a Hollywood blockbuster”.