Rye

Rye is a small, picturesque medieval town in East Sussex, near England’s southeast coast. It sits slightly inland from the sea on the River Romney on a hill, overlooking the Romney Marsh and close to Camber Sands’ wide sandy beach. Known for its cobbled streets, half-timbered houses, and historic landmarks like Mermaid Street, St. Mary’s Church tower, and the Ypres Tower, it feels wonderfully preserved and atmospheric. Rye has a lively arts and antiques scene, cozy pubs and tea rooms, independent shops, and regular festivals, making it a charming place for wandering, history, and relaxed exploring.

Rye started life as a small fishing community. Originally part of the Manor of Rameslie, Rye was promised to the Abbey of Fécamp by Ethelred the Unready after the Abbey gave him sanctuary in 1014. When Normandy was returned to the French in 1205, Rye went with it and wasn't reunited with the English Crown until 1247. After this, Rye's defences were boosted with the construction of four gates and a wall.

Parts of these fortifications still exist, with the Landgate, castle and a small section of the wall in Cinque Port Street dating back to this time.

The Charter of the Cinque Ports consolidated the defence of the realm, with towns along the coast of Kent and Sussex providing safe harbour, ships and men.

In return, the 'Antient Towns', including Hastings, Rye and Winchelsea, were granted freedom from taxes and custom duties, trading concessions and rights to hold judicial courts."

Rye was "regularly attacked" by the French and was almost completely destroyed in 1377.

The town was heavily involved with smuggling in the 18th century, with "hoards of booty stored in old vaulted cellars networked by secret tunnels and passages.

Today, Rye is "home to a myriad of art, curiosities and cosy pubs, as well as modern boutique hotels and contemporary restaurants serving the best Sussex has to offer, from land and sea".

Rye is home to one of the prettiest streets in Britain

Mermaid Street in Rye is often selected as one of the most picturesque in the country.

Just recently, it made a list from The Telegraph of the top 20 prettiest streets in Britain.

The publisher wrote: "In the late 19th century, Mermaid Street was one of Rye’s poorest addresses, populated by labourers and infested with rats. How times change.

Now, this cobbled alley of close-knit Georgian and half-timbered buildings – with cute names like The House with Two Front Doors and The House with The Seat – is Rye’s most loved.

Lamb House, an 18th-century red-brick pile where Henry James once lived, is around the corner.

One of the most popular spots in the town is on Mermaid Street, and that is the historic Mermaid Inn. Its cellars date from 1156, with the building rebuilt in 1420 and, as shared on its website, The Mermaid Inn says it has a reputation for being haunted, with plenty of stories over its 600 years of history.

Actress Kiki Kendrick and her husband Robin had booked four nights in the Elizabethan Bedchamber in the 90s in what was their first visit to Rye.

They claim that on their first night, at about 4am, both sat bolt upright in bed, feeling an "eerie presence".

They say the warm room had suddenly turned strangely cold and they could hear a fight going on in the corner of the room.

Kiki said: "By the fireplace, there were huffs and puffs and sounds of clashing knives. We could see shapes moving, as if looking through opaque glass. They fought violently. It was very scary."

Other people have said they have seen doors opening by themselves and rooms suddenly turning cold.

There have also been reports of feeling something brush past them despite nothing being there.

Things to do in Rye, Sussex

The 1066 Country website has outlined some of the best things to do in this fairytale town.

It recommends a visit to the Rye Heritage Centre, Rye Castle Museum and Rye Castle to enjoy the town's rich history.

It adds: "The literary-minded will also love Lamb House, the one-time home of Henry James.

Next to the Town Hall, in a former Victorian library, you'll find the stylish independent cinema and café-bar, Kino Cinema.

Rye has its own nature reserve, with footpaths crossing its saltmarsh and shingle ridges and wonderful views across to Camber Sands and the cliffs of Hastings Country Park.

Shopping in Rye is also fantastic, with antique shops and Rye Pottery among the many great choices.

If you are seeking something more thrilling, you can plan a boat trip from Full Throttle Boat Charters, or a lesson in windsurfing, dinghy sailing or paddleboarding from Rye Watersports.

Romney Marsh is a large, low-lying coastal plain. Historically it was marshland and tidal wetlands, gradually drained and reclaimed over many centuries using ditches, canals, and sea defenses. Today it’s a distinctive landscape of flat open fields, sheep pastures, winding waterways, and big skies, with scattered villages and ancient churches. It’s known for its wildlife, birdlife, and quiet, slightly other-worldly atmosphere, as well as its role in smuggling history and coastal defense.

A Martello Tower (No 28) was built at Rye Harbour to defend the area against possible invasion during the Napoleonic wars. Today, lying unoccupied, it provides a picturesque setting.

The Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

The Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and entry is free. It has a network of footpaths which provide fascinating cycling or walks along the sea shore, across fields and large areas of shingle. There is the opportunity to observe wildlife from several excellent bird hides.

For many birds in July the breeding season will be drawing to a close. By mid month most adult Cuckoos will have left and the young Common and Little Terns will be fledging if the season has been successful, along with Black-headed Gulls, Oystercatchers, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Avocet, Redshank and many little brown birds in the bushes!

The passage of wading birds returning from the north gathers momentum with Dunlin, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Common and Green Sandpipers and hopefully a few Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint. Wildfowl such as Teal and Shoveler will also be increasing in number, and Sand Martins will begin to return early in the month. Flocks of Curlew and Lapwing will be moulting their flight feathers – look for their tatty wings.

The more conspicuous shingle flowers will include Wild Carrot, Viper’s Bugloss, Red Valerian, Yellow Horned-poppy, Red Hempnettle, Sea Campion and Sea Pea. Our rarest plant, Least Lettuce, begins to flower, but it is very hard to find on the Beach Reserve as its flowers are small and only open in the mornings! On the saltmarsh Sea Heath will be in flower and in the grassland look out for Pyramidal Orchids, Meadow Vetchling and Tufted Vetch.

On warm, calm days the ditches and pools are alive with hundreds of Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies and dragonflies such as Emperor and Common Darter may be seen. Many grasshoppers will reach maturity, the males recognised by their distinctive songs. Dark Bush-crickets can also be found in scrubby areas, while the Beach Reserve supports the scarce Grey Bush-cricket. This is perhaps the best month for numbers and variety of moths including some of our rarer species such as Pale Grass Eggar and Pygmy Footman. Some of the common butterflies to look for include Meadow Brown, Small Tortoiseshell and Small, Essex and Large Skippers.

Camber Castle, built by Henry VIII, lies to the west close to Rye Harbour. It can only be reached by bike or on foot from a footpath at the Rye end of the Rye Harbour Road, through the Rye Nature Reserve or from a footpath a Winchelsea Beach.

Camber Castle lies within the nature reserve between Rye and Winchelsea. It was originally located overlooking the shallow sea on a shingle spit which protected the approach to these towns.

Camber means a safe haven (the English fleet could safely anchor behind the castle) derived from the French 'chambre', meaning bedroom.

Rye Vineyards

Rye is one of the best bases in the UK for wine tasting, with numerous acclaimed vineyards producing world-class sparkling and still wines located just a 10 to 25-minute drive from the town center.

• Tillingham (Peasmarsh): Located about 4 miles from Rye, this estate is famous for its biodynamic, low-intervention wines. They offer vineyard tours, a wine bar, and a Michelin Green Star restaurant. Book your visit via the Tillingham website.

• Oxney Organic Estate (Beckley): The UK’s largest single-estate organic vineyard. Located just a few minutes outside Rye, you can book guided 90-minute tours, enjoy a wine flight in their tasting room, or even book an overnight stay in their shepherd’s huts. Explore options on the Oxney Organic Estate site.

• Charles Palmer Vineyards (Winchelsea): Just over 3 miles from Rye, these award-winning vineyards overlook the ancient town of Winchelsea. They offer intimate tastings and tours ending at the historic Wickham Manor. Reserve a spot through Charles Palmer Vineyards.

• Gusbourne Estate (Appledore): Located a 20-minute drive away, Gusbourne is celebrated globally for its vintage English sparkling wines. Learn more about their estate tours at Gusbourne.

• Chapel Down (Tenterden): Around 20 minutes from Rye, this is one of England’s most famous wineries. They offer year-round tours, tastings, and a 2 AA Rosette restaurant on-site. Check availability on Chapel Down.

• Oastbrook Estate Vineyard (Robertsbridge): Set in the scenic Rother Valley, this boutique estate is a short drive from Rye and offers luxury glamping or lakeside lodge accommodations alongside their tastings.

Medieval Cellar Tours

Tour or Walk
Sunday, 5th July 2026, 11:00am – 12:30pm
Winchelsea Town Well, Winchelsea

This fascinating one-and-a-half-hour tour, visits some of the town’s medieval vaulted wine cellars. Our knowledgeable guides, tell the town’s incredible story. Built by King Edward 1, Winchelsea was once, one of the most important ports in England. Find out why its success was so short lived, how it fell into poverty, the smugglers who lived there, and its eventual renaissance, as writers and artists moved to the town in the nineteenth century.

£12.50 per person plus booking fee.

Note, that the stone cellar steps are quite steep and uneven, so please wear sensible footwear. Tours are not suitably for those with mobility issues.Medieval Cellar Tours

The Winchelsea cellars, or undercrofts, are an important part of the town’s medieval history. Visitors can easily identify the tops of cellar entrances at ground level, but the size, scale and beauty of what lies below can only be appreciated by a visit underground.

Thirty-three accessible medieval cellars still exist and the sites of another 17 are known. They lie mostly in the northern quadrant of the town nearest to the river Brede. Very likely there were others, in the Winchelsea that has gone, in the areas to the south and west of the existing town. Cellars in English towns are not unique to Winchelsea, but only Norwich, Southampton and Chester have similar numbers.

The cellars’ locations in Winchelsea are recorded. Their shape and size measured and we know at least some of the goods that were stored there, but we have little idea how they were built or who built them. There is no record of their builders. Relatively few historic references have been left of the builders of England’s medieval churches and castles and few descriptions of the building methods used. The recorders of history were educated men, not artisans or builders. The records left usually indicate only the patrons of the buildings, the materials used, their source and costs; sometimes the numbers of different artisans employed and their wages. The name of the architect or master mason may have been recorded.