A Weekend Break | Rye, East Sussex

My husband and I decided to go for a little weekend break in Rye, East Sussex just before Christmas to start winding down for the year.

We hadn’t been before but I’d seen some lovely pictures and read lots of good things, and with it being just down the coast from Brighton, it seemed like the perfect place for a little staycation.

Rye is a quaint little ancient English town with cobbled streets and is steeped in history with Tudor and Georgian buildings. Rye itself is situated inland but was originally a seaport associated with the Cinque Ports, and one of the oldest buildings in Rye, the Mermaid Inn on Mermaid Street was a hideaway for smugglers with it’s secret cellars and passages.

The outside was looking picturesque in December with deep red and burnt orange leaves climbing the front of the half-timber building. We stopped off for a drink and sat by the fire, it definitely felt like we were stepping back in time inside. Also on Mermaid Street, you’ll find the The House with Two Front Doors where you can stay the night if you’re looking for accommodation on what is the most famous street in Rye.

We had a wander to Rye Castle (aka Ypres Tower), which was used to defend Rye from attacks across the channel and is now a museum. Sadly it was closed but we watched the sunset and had a walk round the Gun Garden, which has views over the River Rother.

Rye is full of independent shops, art galleries and antique shops - we didn't see a single chain shop, cafe or restaurant. If you’re looking for places to eat and drink, I can recommend The Fig where we had an amazing dinner and The Grapevine Champagne and Piano Lounge for cocktails, which had live music on the Friday night.

Having wandered around the town, we planned to go to Camber Sands beach, near Rye but we just missed the bus. Instead, we walked to Rye Harbour Village (and got the bus back to the train station from the Tram Road bus stop at Rye Harbour) and nature reserve where you can do a spot of birdwatching over the salt marshes - Rye used to sit on the shoreline before the river silted up.

As you walk through the nature reserve, you come to the Red Roofed Hut and a Machine Gun Pillbox that was used during the Second World War. These lead to the pebbled beach where you can even spot seals - the beach is neighboured by Winchelsea beach on the right and to the left, overlooking the river, the sand dunes of Camber Sands beach - though you can’t get across to Camber Sands from here.

We stayed at Whitehouse Rye, which is right in the centre on the High Street with the rooms above a modern cafe and bakery. We enjoyed our stay and had breakfast (also recommend) here as well, which was lovely and the cafe was beautifully decorated for Christmas.

For a small town, Rye has plenty of things to do and places to eat and drink - I can see why it’s become a bit of a tourist destination, especially since it makes the perfect day trip from London with it not taking too long to get to. I’d love to visit again in the summer, though I can imagine it gets very busy!

I would love to hear if you have any recommendations for UK getaways/weekend breaks.


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