Great Escapes: Taking the sea air in Camber Sands and Rye.

London living is wonderful and I love it dearly, but every now and again a little break is required.  A day or two to fill the lungs with fresh air and walk in open spaces.  Living in London actually makes escaping it every now and again very doable.  There are so many places within an hour or two of the city which provide a complete contrast to busy streets and buildings.

If I am not in the city, my other favourite place to be is by the sea, and when a little restorative escape is needed it is to the sea my inner compass will usually point.  Recently I had the most lovely weekend taking the sea air in East Sussex.

The Beach

Camber Sands is the most beautiful 3 mile stretch of beach near Rye in East Sussex.  Grassy dunes hide the endless sweep of sand from view and arriving there is always a breath taking moment.  Much like my beloved Norfolk beaches, it spreads as far as the eye can see.  Beyond it, sky and sea meld somewhere into the distance.

In winter, the wind tears along the beach, whipping up the sand, exposing shells and pebbles. With the winds come the kite surfers who literally fly through the air with the greatest of ease. A wonderful spectacle to enjoy from the shelter of the dunes. Brisk walks along here blow any cobwebs away and prepare you nicely for morning coffee or afternoon tea in the nearby town of Rye.

The Town

Rye is one of those places which always elicits the same positive and often envious response from anyone you happen to mention your forthcoming visit to!  It is an appropriate and well deserved response, Rye really is rather lovely.

A small historic town with enough timber clad house and cobbled streets to keep history buff and photographer equally happy.  For a small place there is ample to see and do. There are some wonderful places to drink coffee and eat lunch and plenty of book shops and independent shops selling local wares to enjoy.  All an essential of any weekend escape.  Apart from doing all of this we managed to cram quite a bit into the few hours we spent Rye.

Walking the Streets

One of the joys of Rye is wandering through its cobbled lanes marvelling at the higgledy piggledy houses and slightly wonky buildings.  There is so much history here and it is easy to transport yourself back in time, or in fact imagine you are walking through a film set.  Mermaid Street is the most famous street and the probably the most photographed.  It is quintessentially old England and definitely a must see.  We were surprised and pleased at how quiet it was when we visited.  We had expected hoards of folk taking pictures. At one point it was just us, and this was mid morning on a  Saturday!

 Wander away from Mermaid street and there are lots of other pretty streets too.  Wherever I am its the side streets and the more hidden places which always intrigue me.

Literary Connections – Henry James at Lamb House

One of Ryes absolute treasures is Lamb House.  This Georgian house is the the former home of Henry James and E.F Benson and is now owned by the National Trust.  It is a fascinating place to visit and a lovely taste of the literary side of Rye. I confess to previously knowing nothing of E.F Benson, but have learnt that Rye was the inspiration for his well known ‘Mapp and Lucia’ novels which were set in Tilling, which was based on Rye.  Henry James wrote many of his famous works here, including TheTurn of the Screw, The Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl. The house is beautifully displayed and visitors are free to wander the rooms at their leisure.  Henry James study is set out as if he had just wandered away from it for a moment. A large desk strewn with papers and writing material, and beside it an overflowing waste paper bin! He was visited her by the likes of Evelyn Waugh who had the pleasure of using the writing room he kept especially for his house guests to use.  I would quite liked to have used it myself.

The garden is an absolute delight, and I can’t quite believe I didn’t take any pictures of it.  You will have to take my word for it when I tell you it is a walled and surprisingly large and very tranquil.  From the facade of the house there is no clue to the size of the garden beyond. In warmer weather this would be a lovely place to sit.

St Marys Church – Views From the Tower

Another Rye highlight is a visit to St Mary’s Church.  The church is welcoming and friendly with some stunning stained glass windows. These fill the church with a beautiful light when the sun shines through them, as it did on the day we visited.  The highlight however is the view from the top of the tower. The narrow steep climb is worth it to get a different perspective of Rye and see it from the roof tops.  

The area around the church is particularly pretty with a mixture of quaint cottages and character filled grander homes.  Its a very peaceful part of the town and a lovely place to rest awhile.

Where to Stay

We stayed at The Gallivant in Camber Sands. A gorgeous restaurant with rooms convenietly perched just across the road from the beach.  The Gallivant promotes itself as ‘a hideaway for grown ups wishing to find some peace and relaxation a hop and skip from the dunes’.  I certainly couldn’t put it better myself. The Gallivant is relaxed and comfortable with enough little touches of luxury to make it feel special.  There is plenty of comfortable seating in a lounge like snug lined with book cases and tables piled with coffee table books and magazines.  The restaurant where both dinner and breakfast is served is bright and light and the food served in it is local and delicious.

Getting There

Rye is 75 mins on the train from central London or about a 2 hour drive (Friday night traffic permitting!) and is the perfect restorative great escape.