Rye— The Holiday Paradise
Rye and its immediate seaside and country villages are a holiday paradise. Where else can one find beautiful country, antiquity, seaside coastline and sunshine in such abundance and close proximity?
Rugged cliffs at Fairlight, the western shoulder of Rye Bay, change to the beach of Pett Level and Winchelsea Beach running eastward to the mouth of the Rother. Here there is another dramatic change, once over the Rother and the beach is gone, miles of golden sand, the famous Camber Sands, stretch on towards Jury’s Gap. Beach appears here again and stretches out to Dungeness point, the Bay’s eastern arm.
The River Rother connects the Ports of Rye, three miles inland, to the sea. The Ancient Town boasts a sizeable fishing fleet. Rye Harbour lies two miles from Rye, and here a conglomeration of ships of all sizes bob up and down at their moorings making a picturesque and colourful scene.
Inland unspoiled villages dot the rolling Sussex countryside—Peasmarsh, Idea, Udimore, Broad Oak, Winchelsea, Brede, Beckley and Northiam— this is East Sussex, hop country, and although machines have largely taken over from the traditional hand picking methods and many hopfields have gone, innumerable Oast Houses are scattered about.
Orchards, cornfields, and grazing land spread over the country like a great patchwork quilt, the whole area gives the impression of quiet productivity. This is England, a place where one may sit in the sun outside an old world pub and hear the crack of leather on wood as the village cricketers battle it out with a neighbouring team.
August is traditionally the English summer month, some go as far as saying it is the English summer. Rye is usually fortunate with its weather and its hours of sunshine compare favourably with the leading sunshine resorts, but even here a great deal of its summer activities are put on in August.
Cricket Week
Rye Cricket Week starts on Sunday 13th, the home team will be entertaining a Sussex County eleven for one of their matches. The Annual Horse show takes place at Gateborough Farm on Saturday, 26th and another important event, The Sports Festival, on Monday 28th. Rye Flower Show will be held at the F.E. Centre on Saturday 26th.
In the villages, Horticultural shows at Wittersham on the 5th, Idea on the 12th, and Appledore on the 26th will be well attended events. Fetes at Peasmarsh on the 12th and Winchelsea at the Cricket Field on the 26th will also be worth a visit.
The Seaside
The seaside resorts of Chmber and Winchelsea Beach are geared to cater for all tastes—Hotels, Chalets, Guest Houses, Caravan and Camping sites abound along with amusement arcades, Bingo Halls, clubs and pubs.
Rye itself enjoys a unique place in the sun. Perched on a sandstone rock, rising out of the Romney Marshes, the ancient fortress town with its great church towering above it, commands a view of many miles in almost every direction.
Half Timbered Houses in Church Square
From the August 1967 Rye’s Own.
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