How To Spend A Day In Rye

Landgate Bistro is housed in interconnected Georgian shops. Here, you’ll find classic British food with a modern twist. Ingredients are sourced from the local fields, woodlands and waters – from farms just up the road to fish landed a few hundred metres from the restaurant. Expect the likes of pickled wild mushrooms with potato gnocchi; local rabbit with harissa mayonnaise and pickled carrot; and scallops with cauliflower panna cotta, chorizo crumble and honey roasted pork belly.

Visit LandgateBistro.co.uk

Step back in time for a drink at this historic pub, established in the 12th century. The current building dates from 1420 and has some 16th-century Tudor additions, but cellars built in 1156 also survive. The inn has a strong connection with the notorious Hawkhurst gang of smugglers who used it in the 1730s and 1740s as one of their strongholds when Rye was a thriving port. Ghosts of the smugglers and their mistresses are reported to haunt the inn – but don’t let that put you off stopping by for a pint or two. 

Visit MermaidInn.com

The owner of artisan chocolate company Rye Chocolates, Paulina Filar, started her business in 2016 selling chocolate from small independent brands, but now creates her own bars in a variety of interesting flavours (e.g. earl grey, peanut butter and honey) using the best ingredients sourced from around the world and wrapped in lovely illustrated packaging.

Visit RyeChocolates.co.uk

Interiors aficionados will love the beautifully crafted furniture, unusual lighting and one-off objets at McCully & Crane. It also shows works by emerging artists. A great place to browse.

Visit McCullyAndCrane.com

You could walk around the town in an hour or so, so it’s worth taking your time to see the historic architecture. Don’t miss Mermaid Street, one of the most Instagrammed streets in Britain, home to higgledy-piggledy houses and the famous Mermaid Inn. You should also visit St Mary’s Church which has dominated the town for 900 years. Today, visitors come to see one of the oldest functioning church turret clocks in the country, dating back to 1561. You can climb the tower to get a panoramic view of Rye and the surrounding countryside.

Other sights worth seeing include Landgate, the one surviving stone gate built in the 14th century to defend the town from French invaders. Similarly, Ypres Tower (also known as Rye Castle) was built in 1249 to defend Rye against attacks from across the channel. It has served as a fort, private dwelling, prison, court hall and is now a museum. From the balcony you can look out across Romney. If you’re literary minded, you’ll enjoy a visit to Lamb House, a National Trust Georgian house.

Down the hill, you’ll come to Rye Nature Reserve – some 450 acres of salt marsh, beach and woodland, and one the UK’s most important wildlife conservation sites. You can walk along its network of pathways – it’s a real birdwatcher’s paradise. If you’re after a longer, bracing walk with sea air, head to Camber Sands, a stunning seven-mile stretch of sandy beach with massive dunes. You can get there on foot (it’s about 3 miles) or there’s a regular bus service from Rye. 
 
This part of East Sussex and neighbouring Kent is famed for its vineyards. Most offer tastings and tours. Chapel Down is probably the best known, about 15 minutes’ drive away near Tenterden. Others close by include Tillingham in Peasmarch where you can stay overnight in one of 11; Charles Palmer in Winchelsea; and Gusbourne in Appledore.

Rye is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from central London. By rail, it is just over an hour’s journey from London Stratford International with one change at Ashford.