Holiday rentals in Rye

In Rye, a lovely town overlooking the South Coast, a tangle of ancient cobbled streets is knotted between three rivers, with the River Rother stretching 1.5 miles across saltmarshes down to the sea. Geography made this the perfect place for smugglers in the 17th and 18th centuries, and you can almost hear their whispers still in the atmospheric, tumbledown inns and centuries-old timbered houses of Rye. With the coastal towns of East Sussex and Kent gaining traction as cool, sceney spots that attract legions of DFLs (Down from Londoners), Rye has a reputation for antiques and vintage finds. Its crooked streets are packed with secondhand stores and treasure-trove shops run by real experts.

Modern cafes, seafood restaurants, and design stores are thrown into the mix, and many other great South Coast spots are nearby. To the northeast of town are the flat but romantic landscapes of Romney Marshes; to the west, the High Weald of Kent, a region of wooded hills, farms, and orchards, where every village seems to boast a perfect pub.

A great variety of festivals bring this region to life all year long, including celebrations dedicated to food, art, cultural traditions, and even scarecrows (held in Battle in July). Rye hosts an International Jazz & Blues Festival in August, a week-long food festival celebrating scallops in February, an arts festival in September, and a spectacular Bonfire Night in November. Celebrations in nearby towns are equally spirited, with nearby Hastings boasting some superb traditional festivals executed with a modern twist, from May’s Jack in the Green festival to an epic Halloween and Bonfire Night, in which all the townsfolk get involved. Rye’s cosy pubs and shopping make an autumn trip particularly appealing, although the nearby beaches such as Camber Sands are wonderful for swimming in summer and early autumn.

Rye Harbour

From the town of Rye, the River Rother runs south to the sea, with Rye Harbour halfway between the two. Linger at this quiet, olde-worlde spot, once one of the most important harbours in Britain, to watch the gulls and sip a refreshment from the local waterside pub.

Camber Sands

Adjoining Rye Bay is the enormous beach at Camber Sands. Swim, walk, fly a kite, or settle into the tufty sand dunes to watch the magnificent sunset. The dunes at the undeveloped western end of Camber Sands are part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a habitat for rare plants and wintering birds. You can follow a walking-cycle route for a few miles through salt marshes from Rye Harbour to Camber Sands.

Ypres Tower

Now part of the Rye Museum, the 13th-century Ypres Tower was built for defence against the French, and later served as the town jail. It’s the oldest building in town, after St Mary’s Church. Learn about medieval medicinal plants in the walled garden, and head to the Rye Castle Museum on East Street to learn more about the town’s history.