Things to do in Rye

This is a town steeped in history. Rye Castle Museum, which was originally a bottling factory, boasts a unique 18th century fire engine, relics from the town’s shipbuilding past, and a display showing how the coastline has changed over the past thousand years.

Down the hill is Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, with a good network of accessible footpaths criss-crossing its saltmarsh and shingle ridges, and wonderful views across to Camber Sands and the cliffs of Hastings Country Park. It’s a twitcher’s paradise, with five hides provided for watching the wildlife. Look out for corn buntings and whimbrel flocks, bitterns and egrets, circling lapwings, dragonflies, damselflies and marsh frogs. In fact 4,275 species have been recorded in the reserve so far, including more than 300 that are considered rare and endangered in Britain.