ramble & climb & explore

660 acres of speechlessness-inducing awe, the Hastings Country Park is a living, breathing insight into the heart and history of the planet.  The park's ancient woodland, grassland and heathland lie across five kilometres of exposed cliffs that are rich in prehistoric artefacts and fossils.  Its glens and wooded pockets are a timeless testament to nature's ingenuity with whole universes of rare wildlife supported by nothing more than shadow and stray rain.  Rural 1066 Country is so vast and unspoilt that even the most intrepid ramblers could lose themselves in any direction for days on end.

Hastings has several Nature Reserves, from South Saxons Wetlands to the Hastings Country Park itself. Pett Pools are some of Sussex's finest 'saline lagoons' and contain some of the world's rarest plant and invertebrate species including a kind of sea anemone that is almost extinct.  It is the word 'extinct' that should make every visitor realise just how precious and essential these places are and why care and caution should always be exercised.  Put simply, the reserves exist to try and keep whole species of plant, animal and insect on the planet.

Nearby Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is generally flat and low-lying although it features some impressive shingle ridges that have been sculpted over hundreds of years by the combined actions of tides and storms.  A short drive along the coast is Dungeness, a sparse and dry shingle beach that juts out into the English Channel at the United Kingdom's most South-Easterly point.  In addition to the famous power station, the beautiful home of the late filmmaker Derek Jarman and a lighthouse, the beach is also a haven for all kinds of rare and protected wildlife.

One of the advantages of 1066 Country's natural attractions is that they are open all year round and Bedgebury - The National Pinetum and Forest is no exception.  Nestling amongst sparkling lakes and sweeping valleys in the Kent countryside (famously known as 'the Garden of England'), the pinetum has the finest collection of conifers in the world and its owners promise visitors an insight into the secret life of these enchanting plants.  Bedgebury has a unique habitat which attracts dragonflies, butterflies and even bats so, once again, there is the chance to learn as well as relax.