Things to do near Rye and Camber Sands
A medieval hilltop town, marsh churches, steam trains, castles, gardens and Britain’s strangest headland, all within forty minutes of the cottage and the reason guests so often come back out of season.
Rye
A hilltop citadel of crooked timber, cobbles and chimney smoke that was once nearly an island. Give it a lazy half-day at the very least; it repays slow wandering far more than any checklist.
Mermaid Street & the Mermaid Inn
A steep cobbled lane of fifteenth-century houses. Halfway up is the Mermaid Inn, rebuilt in 1420 and once the haunt of the Hawkhurst smuggling gang. Duck in for a drink beside the giant inglenook even if you don’t eat.
Ypres Tower & St Mary’s
A squat thirteenth-century fort that has been a defence, a prison and a mortuary, with a free harbour view from the Gun Garden. Climb St Mary’s tower (narrow ladders) for a rooftop view that explains the whole landscape in one glance.
Landgate, the citadel & the shops
Enter as travellers did for six hundred years, through the fourteenth-century Landgate. Then antiques on the Strand, independent bookshops and galleries, and a street market every Thursday on Rope Walk.
Hidden corners worth the detour
The places day-trippers drive straight past.
Camber Castle
Henry VIII’s artillery fort of 1539, stranded a mile inland when the sea retreated and now alone among grazing sheep. There is no road. You earn it on foot across the levels from Rye or Rye Harbour. Exterior circuit free; guided interior tours in season.
The walk →Winchelsea
Often called England’s smallest town: a medieval grid laid out for Edward I, three surviving stone gates, and the great half-ruined church where Spike Milligan is buried. His headstone reads “I told you I was ill”, in Gaelic. Book a tour of the medieval wine cellars beneath the town if the dates line up.
Fairfield Church
St Thomas à Becket stands utterly alone in a sheep field, reached by its own causeway path. It looks like something from a dream and is a favourite with photographers at dawn and dusk. If it is locked, a sign directs you to where the key is kept.
Dungeness
Britain at its strangest and most beautiful: a vast shingle headland of fishermen’s shacks, two lighthouses (climb the Old Lighthouse) and the light film-makers dream about. Seek out Prospect Cottage, Derek Jarman’s black-and-yellow home with its driftwood garden. It is a private house, so admire from the path.
Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway
One-third-scale steam locomotives that have run along this coast since 1927, a proper railway in miniature, not a fairground ride. Board at Dungeness and steam across the marsh; a joy at any age. rhdr.org.uk
Castles, gardens & Ellen Terry
Bodiam Castle (National Trust) is the castle a child would draw, rising sheer from its moat, and pairs with the Kent & East Sussex steam railway. Great Dixter at Northiam is Christopher Lloyd’s world-famous garden. Smallhythe Place is Ellen Terry’s impossibly pretty half-timbered home in what was once a Tudor shipyard.
Hastings Old Town
A full classic seaside day about 35 minutes away: two Victorian funicular lifts, tall black net shops and a working fishing beach with the largest beach-launched fleet in Britain, the free Shipwreck Museum, Hastings Contemporary gallery, crazy golf, arcades and rock pooling at low tide. The Old Town chippies by the net huts are worth the trip in themselves. In October, the torchlit bonfire procession is one of the great nights of the Sussex year.
What’s on this season →
Eating and drinking
Rye Bay lands some of Britain’s best seafood, scallops in winter and sole and plaice all year, and the town’s food scene punches well above its size. Always book ahead for evenings.
The Owl & The Gallivant
The Owl is the village pub: unpretentious, dog-friendly, locally sourced, and exactly what you want after a windswept walk. Sunday roasts go fast. The Gallivant, just across from the dunes, is our pick for a treat night: a serious kitchen built around local boats and farms, and an English-wine-heavy list. Book well ahead.
Fish, beams and brunch
Webbe’s at the Fish Café for Rye Bay fish done properly; the Mermaid Inn for six centuries of beams and smuggler stories; the Standard Inn, a restored fifteenth-century pub on the Mint with dogs welcome in the bar; The Fig for brunch; and Knoops, the made-to-order hot chocolate specialists who began in Rye.
The essentials
Several good chippies contest the crown around the Mint and Landgate. Eat them warm on Strand Quay. Rye does afternoon tea properly. For the cottage: the village store for beach-day basics, Jempson’s in Rye (larger store at Peasmarsh), Rye’s Thursday market, and the Wednesday farmers’ market on Strand Quay. And your stay includes membership of The Grapevine Champagne & Jazz Bar in Rye.
Four miles from all of this
Beachside Cottage puts Rye ten minutes up the road and the beach a short walk the other way. The best of both, with a garage and parking, and the 102 bus for car-free days.
Wish you were here?
You could be.
Sandy floors forgiven, sunsets encouraged, and seconds of everything. Check live availability and book your dates securely online.