Ticket to Rye - recommendations

[danny la rouge]

Barbies!

The wonderful Mrs LR and I are going dog sitting in Rye the end of September. What is there to do for a man with chronic fatigue/chronic pain who can’t walk far but has a blue badge.

Seeks: stone circles, bookshops, history, all things Palaeolithic, art, cakes, coffee, vegan/veggie food, music that doesn’t require standing or camping, more coffee.

 

[Callie]

Birds birds birds!


Do you like birds?

 

[Callie]

Actually maybe not birds...not sure how close you can get, probably too walky.

 

[Callie]

Ypres Castle Inn is a dog friendly pub with a nice garden. Limited food options but they do a nice local cheeseboard.

Rye is a little bit slopey/hilly and wobbly from memory.

 

[Sue]

If you've a car. Camber Sands for the beach. Dungeness for weirdness and Derek Jarman's cottage (outside only).

Read the Mapp and Lucia books.

 

[danny la rouge]

Read the Mapp and Lucia books.

Yeah, Mrs LR is a long-standing fan. I’ve seen the TV adaptation.

 

[danny la rouge]

Camber Sands for the beach.

For pulling mussels from a shell?

 

[ska invita]

a drive around Dungeness is good, maybe even go on the mini train

Dungeness Railway Station - RH&DR - Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

Dungeness Railway Station is a station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway on Romney Marsh in Kent

www.rhdr.org.uk

 

[neonwilderness]

Camber Sands for the beach.

and Pontins

 

[ska invita]

Rye is a good pub crawl town ... a historic pub every few staggers

 

[cesare]

and Pontins

Closed?

 

[neonwilderness]

Closed?

Extra disappointment

 

[Puddy_Tat]

dunno really.

i had a mooch round rye when i had a few days in hastings some years ago, and stopped in rye on the way to dungeness.

vague memories of a historic market town sort of place, but not excessively twee. it was a while ago, but would expect bookshops and sources of tea / coffee and cakes.

rye has a castle, but may not have been built to be very accessible.

more on the romney, hythe and dymchurch railway here.

hastings isn't that far away if you feel so inclined. it probably has arty things and vegan food, but it's a good few years since i have been there.

bexhill is a bit beyond hastings, and has the de la warr pavilion, which is quite an impressive bit of 1930s modernism if you like such things, and has arty things.

 

[danny la rouge]

Do you like birds?

I do. And all of nature and its bounties.

I like to forest bathe, gaze upon bodies of water, contemplate scenic vistas, and commune with the outdoors (but not sleep the night in it).

 

[RoyReed]

Barbies!

The wonderful Mrs LR and I are going dog sitting in Rye the end of September. What is there to do for a man with chronic fatigue/chronic pain who can’t walk far but has a blue badge.

Seeks: stone circles, bookshops, history, all things Palaeolithic, art, cakes, coffee, vegan/veggie food, music that doesn’t require standing or camping, more coffee.

There's not a lot of stone circles in Kent, but here's a link to the Megalithic website based on the closest item to Rye. It might not be of interest, but it contains a list of the closest other items and a map of the area.

Queen's Elizabeth's Well

Holy Well or Sacred Spring in East Sussex, England

www.megalithic.co.uk

 

[cesare]

There's a good art gallery in the town. Lots of cafes (and as ska invita said, pubs). There's a good tiny bookshop also a cinema in what looks like someone's courtyard. It's a good place for meandering. There's generally quite a few local events.

 

[cesare]

When you say you.have a blue badge, does that mean that you're driving there?

 

[danny la rouge]

When you say you.have a blue badge, does that mean that you're driving there?

Yes I am. Although I can use it in other people’s cars so it doesn’t necessarily follow.

 

[quimcunx]

Rye is definitely a bit cobbley and slopey. You'll just have to take it in bite size chunks. It's very compact.

IIRC there were a couple of gollies in the window of a 2nd hand shop when I was there. You can cause a kerfuffle and get in the papers and the twitter.

Go to camber sands for an ice cream and a look at the sea.

 

[danny la rouge]

there were a couple of gollies in the window of a 2nd hand shop when I was there.

 

[cesare]

Yes I am. Although I can use it in other people’s cars so it doesn’t necessarily follow.

Not much in the way of parking in the town centre but there's a couple of car parks near the station (not free - not sure re blue badge cost).

 

[danny la rouge]

Not much in the way of parking in the town centre but there's a couple of car parks near the station (not free - not sure re blue badge cost).

I can park anywhere. Mwah hah hah!

 

[cesare]

There's a fantastic second hand record shop!

It's also.worth going to the Rye heritage centre on the river side.

There are 5 roads in and out of Rye and 5 rivers.

It's worth driving to Sissinghurst for the day if you're a National Trust Member - a bit pricey if you're not.

 

[colacubes]

If you have a car it's worth going to see the Dungeness Sound Mirrors on the RSPB nature reserve. You can park on the streets nearby for free (or you could 2 years ago) and walk from there. The ground's a bit uneven in places but plenty of places to sit down. They have open days once a month where you can get up close, but you can still admire from a distance normally.

Good blog about them here:

Denge sound mirrors | Sound Mirrors

Upcoming open days:

RSPB Events

Come along to one of our events to enjoy quality time in the natural world and see conservation in action. Nature is in crisis. Together we can save it.

events.rspb.org.uk

 

[Mogden]

Yes Rye is full of slope and cobbles. Just in case that wasn't clear. Camber Sands goes out for a literal mile when the tide goes out. Great for rockpools. Lots of pottery places in Rye. Hastings has a funicular railway.

 

[danny la rouge]

Hastings has a funicular railway.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Hastings has a funicular railway.

it has two

Cliff Railways - West Hill

A heritage funicular railway on Hastings' West Hill.

www.visit1066country.com

Cliff Railways - East Hill

The United Kingdom's steepest funicular railway is not only a structure of national importance but also a source of immense local pride.

www.visit1066country.com

(although some things on the web suggest that the east one is currently out of action)

 

[danny la rouge]

I shall sing that when I visit.

 

[Little Piranha]

My family have a caravan at Winchelsea Beach so I've been going to the area my whole life, and will be spending the first two weeks of September there.

In Rye specifically I'd say you must get chips from Marino's Fish bar, they are the absolute best. There is also Rye Deli which does a good quiche/salad lunch box and has a reasonable cheese counter. The supermarket is a locally owned and has a pretty decent amount of local produce, especially fruit and veg. The Globe pub is a really nice just outside of the main town.

The bookshop is actually really good, although it's technically a Waterstones it has a super nice atmosphere and I good selection. There are also a couple of good old fashioned charity shops. The market on Thursdays is kind of fun, lots of tat but it's busy and there's stuff to look at.

For good stuff a little further away I'd say you should definitely drive down to Rye Harbour, there's a nice pub and cafe and you can see the boats and a Martello tower. Winchelsea is very close and I'd say worth a visit, especially if the little museum is open. It's up on a hill and used to be a large port before the sea receded and left it well in land. Also, Spike Milligan's grave is in the church yard there. The cliff top at Fairlight is absolutely beautiful and easily accessible.

Rye Arts Festival runs from the 13th-29th of September so sounds like you'll be there for that. There's lots of events so I'd say definitely have a look at the program.

Hope this isn't too long!

 

[smee]

We have family in rye, lovely town to wander around (though slopey and cobbly and taxis are few and far between)
The waterworks pub is lovely as is another one - maybe the standard.. - very friendly and interesting.
Didn’t know about the arts fest so will maybe be visiting then