visit Rye and Hastings, East Sussex

Imagine a quintessential town in Britain and the picture in your head is probably very close to Rye in East Sussex. It’s home to Britain’s most beautiful street, paved with cobbled lanes, medieval timber-framed buildings, thatched roofs and cosy inns - an archetypal quaint old English town.

If bustling around independent boutiques around town isn’t enough to get your suitcase packed, Rye is surrounded by the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, one of the largest wildlife sites in England. Strolling straight from your inn to the wetlands, beaches and nature trails is plain sailing and on return, tucked up in a pub corner, listening to the tales of smugglers who once occupied the very same seat you’re in, you’ll feel smugly deserving of the pint in hand.

Still, Rye is just a small slice of 1066 Country, an area in Sussex steeped in history (no points for guessing what year that history dates back to). With Hastings and Battle a short drive away, exploring the relics of the past is a pleasure you shouldn’t deny yourself. Sure, there are castles, abbeys and ancient battlegrounds, but also a rich fishing heritage, shipwrecks, English vineyards and even contemporary art.

a cobbled street with Georgian houses at either side. Greenery covers houses on the left side and on the right wisteria hangs over a white window bay. — Mermaid Street, Rye is considered one of the most beautiful streets in England.

a cobbled street with Georgian and wooden thatched houses either side. A building on the right side is covered in greenery and an old iron sign can be seen hanging out. — Mermaid Street, Rye a sign for the Mermaid Inn, a historical inn, hangs on the right of the street.

a black door is seen under climbing greenery. Writing to the right of the door reads "The Mermaid rebuilt 1420" — Mermaid Inn on Mermaid Street is a Grade II listed building housing a pub with cellars dating back to 1156. The Inn and town of Rye was burnt to the ground by French Raiders in 1377 and the Inn was rebuilt in 1420.

a gate can be seen connecting two stone buildings. Thick Wysteria hangs over the gate. — The Wysteria tree at The Old Bell is 80 years old.

A brick building with thatching on its second storey and a black door to the left. A sign over the door reads 'The Old Bell' — The Old Bell Inn, Rye is another Grade II listed building. It was built in 1390 and was once used for smuggling, connected by secret tunnel to The Mermaid Inn. The infamous Hawkhurst Gang used this tunnel for quick getaways in the 1700s.

a cobbled street leads up to a stone church building and a tree hangs in the foreground the left — Church of St. Mary, Rye is a Grade I listed building. It’s also believed the have a haunted graveyard to the left of the building. In 1742 a butcher, John Breeds, accidentally mudered Allen Grebell instead of the mayor (who he intended to kill). John was hanged and gibbeted and then his skull was brought to the town hall and still remains there. The soul of both men is said to haunt the churchyard.

Over the water a fishing village can be seen. boat sales cover a lot of the foreground and a colourful houses stand behind. — Rye Harbour is built on an extension of the shingle beaches , progressively deposited by the sea over 800 years.

wetlands are seen stretching out to the horizon — Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is one of the largest wildlife sites in England. It is home to over 4,355 species of plants and animals - including 300 that are rare and endangered.

a black hut stands solo on the beach with a bright red roof — The Red Roofed Hut at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve has become a famous landmark on the beach at Rye Harbour.

landscape with a small red roofed hut seen to the right of the scenery — The Red Roofed Hut on the beach at Rye Harbour.

a funicular is in the background of the image on the left. On the right tall black fishing huts stand tall against a rocky backdrop. — Hastings Funicular provides access to Hastings Country Park.

Hastings Fishing Huts — Hasting’s landmark fishing huts used to store fishing nets & gear that would otherwise rot in wet weather.

a plate of fish & chips is next to a Best Bitter from Long Man Brewery — Maggie’s Fish & Chips, Hastings

a stone castle is inside a moat with a land bridge connecting it to the other side of the moat — Bodiam Castle, a 14th Century moated castle, built between about 1380-85.

interior of a ruined castle with English countryside in the background — Bodiam Castle interiors fell into ruin without any record surviving of how they were organised.

castle watchtower can be seen looking over a moat with English countryside in the background — Bodiam Castle tower looking over the moat.

a green field is seen with shrubbery coming up along all the edges — Battle is the site of the famous Battle of Hastings.

Looking for more restaurants and pubs in East Sussex? Maybe our map can help. Or read produced by Tillingham, for information on one of the vineyards local to East Sussex.

For more UK destinations check out our photo journal for Edinburgh and our photo journal for Newcastle upon Tyne.