Rye and Winchelsea (East Sussex) - Free Walking Guide

Ticket to Rye? A Turbostar diesel train en route to the town.

The information on this page may be freely used for recreational walks. It was originally printed as a free guide which was available at the Queen's Head pub in Rye. Beware that some information may change over time. Any known errors will be corrected. Photo by Mark Gostling.

The ancient Cinque Port of Rye is a great base for exploring the diverse scenery of East Sussex. There is a station on the Marsh Link railway line which runs between Ashford, Kent and the coastal towns of Hastings and Eastbourne. It is one of only two remaining diesel lines in the provincial Southern region. Rye has a striking feature in the form of a stone archway known as the Landgate. The Rye Town Model is also well worth a visit. The scenery around Rye is very varied, making the town a great base for walkers. The rivers Brede, Rother and Tillingham meet at the town, and the smaller town of Winchelsea, three miles southwest, is arguably to be the smallest town in England. 

Winchelsea Loop (6 miles)

When exiting Rye Station from the main building, head towards the town past the bus stops on the left-hand side and turn right to walk along Cinque Ports Street. Continue ahead at the junction with the road to Battle, walking along either pavement until reaching a mini roundabout with the A259 near a fish & chip shop.

Continue ahead (signed 'Hastings') and after around 400 yards. take the turning on the left, signed 'Rye Harbour'. Here you will bridge the River Brede. Turn right onto the track. Fork left onto the grassy trail at the houses and follow this for a mile, with views of Camber Castle to your left. This was built by Henry VIII. The modern-day village of Camber is actually located several miles away on the opposite side of the Rother estuary. The path bears left as though heading towards the castle and then turns right to continue running along a grassy ridge.

The path rejoins the river-bank for a bit and later bears left to pass through a gate. Continue ahead on the concrete drive and onto a lane at the second gate. Upon reaching a larger road, turn right and walk for half a mile to the end of the road.

At the T-junction with the A259, turn left, and after passing the former Bridge Inn (now a house on the right) turn left again, climbing the steep hill into Winchelsea. Winchelsea has a claim on being England's smallest town and it is thought that it once possessed around ten times its modern day population.

Winchelsea was laid out in a grid pattern in the 13^th century, like a quaint precursor of Milton Keynes! You will pass around the stone arch Strand Gate, one of three which mark the ancient entrances to the town. At the top of the hill continue straight ahead, passing the churchyard to your left. Comedian Spike Milligan is buried here and there is a well-trodden path through the grass to this location. St Thomas' Church is worth entering, not least to discover Winchelsea's influence on famous paintings.

At the New Inn pub, turn right, and then left at the next junction. Cross the A259 at the end of the road (with views of the Pipewell Gate to your right) and continue ahead along the drive on the other side. Follow the footpath ahead passing a beacon which marks the site of an ancient windmill. Continue, descending into the Brede Valley, bearing right around the hillside as you go. Keep bearing right to pass through a gate and over a small footbridge into trees, eventually reaching the road again. Turn left onto the lane signed 'Winchelsea Station'. Cross the railway line and follow the lane onward towards the hills. At the end of the lane, turn right onto the curiously named 'Dumb Woman's Lane.' Where this lane turns sharply left to climb the hill, continue ahead along the bottom of the hills on the trackway. This route can also be cycled as it forms part of the South Coast cycle route.

When the track becomes a small lane near houses, turn right to follow the path. After passing a car park, turn right opposite the windmill and cross the railway line. You will exit onto the A259 where you can turn left to retrace your steps to the station, but don't miss out on Rye town centre before you leave.

Leasam / Houghton Green Loop (4 miles)

When exiting Rye Station from the main building, turn right to pass a large supermarket. When you reach a level crossing at the end of the road, turn right to cross the railway and continue down the alleyway to the right of the former Queen Adelaide pub.

Continue ahead on this path towards the hills. At the end you will see a footpath with steps climbing steeply ahead. Take time to savour the view behind as you climb.

At the top, follow the gravel trail through a cemetery, bearing right when you pass a small chapel. The tarmac drive will bring you out onto the A268. Cross the road and turn left to follow the pavement passing the Playden Oast Inn. After two thirds of a mile you will come to a turning on the right, just before the T-junction with the B2082. Turn down the lane towards Houghton Green and follow it around a sharp left-hand bend.

100 yards after the bend you will see a public footpath on your right hand side. Follow this along the field edge which gradually bears left. Continue into the next field, walking beside the hedgerow on your right. Soon you will come to a bridge over a stream. Bear left at the stile after the bridge and follow the bottom (left) edge of the field, continuing into the next field in the same direction. Eventually you will reach a lane. Bear right.

At the end of this lane, turn left, taking great care walking along the road. The cliffs here once formed part of the ancient coastline when Romney Marsh was covered by the sea. Cross the bridge over the River Rother on your right when you reach a dam, and then turn right to follow the Royal Military Canal Path along the east bank of the waterway with views of the Cheyne Court wind farm.

Follow the bank for a mile and a half, eventually passing beneath the railway bridge and coming out onto the A259. Cross the road and turn right along the pavement, bridging the river. Continue ahead at the mini-roundabout and cross the road again at the lights, climbing the slope on the opposite side. You can explore the town centre by turning left at the top. To return to the station, turn right at the top to pass beneath the Landgate arch and turn left onto Cinque Ports Street, looking out for the station approach on your right as you continue.

One-way route to Hastings (13 miles)

A long-distance walk for seasoned ramblers:

Follow the first three paragraphs of the Winchelsea Loop but before you bridge the Royal Military Canal to reach the A259, turn left onto the canal path to follow the south bank south-westward. The canal is a 28-mile waterway which was built as an obstruction against a feared invasion by Napoleon. It is the third longest defensive structure in the UK (after Hadrian's Wall and Offa's Dyke). This area of marshland is known as Pett Level, and this southernmost section of the canal is much narrower than the section from north of Rye to Appledore, Hamstreet, Hythe and Seabrook. There is a sister blog post on walks from Hamstreet which explore the Kent section of this waterway.

Remain on this side of the waterway for the next three miles. Be prepared: you may encounter long grass and weeds in places. Continue ahead when you eventually cross a concrete drive.

Cross the bridge over the canal at this point and continue to the end of the canal along the north bank. Turn right at the road - you will pass the former village shop of Pett Level (now a private house). There used to be a pub in the village called the Smuggler too. Bear left at the T-junction to follow the main route towards Fairlight. Take extreme care as you walk for a mile along the road around some right-angle bends.

Soon you will reach a track to your left just before the road bridges a stream. Take this shady trackway and continue straight ahead at each of the junctions, climbing past houses. Beware that this can be wet / muddy. Eventually Lower Waites Lane becomes Smugglers Way which bears left and climbs steeply. Turn right at the end onto Bramble Way. At the end of this road turn left to reach the cliff-top Saxon Shore Way track. Turn right here, climbing towards Hastings Country Park. A footpath continues ahead on the left side where the track becomes private.

Each time there is a fork, take the left path to remain following the cliff-edge (also follow the marker posts for Hastings). After passing a lookout tower to the right you will descend into three deep glens (Warren Glen, Fairlight Glen and Ecclesbourne Glen). The views are stunning but a certain level of fitness is required as there are a lot of steps. At the final descent into Hastings the route opens up into a wide green, heading towards a beacon. The green eventually funnels towards a series of steps down beside the East Cliff lift. At the bottom of the steps, continue straight down the hill and cross the A259 at the bottom. Continue ahead into Hastings Old Town on Courthouse Street.

Turn left at the T-junction with High Street, Then take the 2^nd turn right into George Street. Continue onward when you emerge back onto the A259 and bear right at the roundabout to go through the underpass and into the pedestrianised area. At the large junction of streets, take Havelock Road which continues ahead past the John Logie Baird pub and curves to the right. Continue ahead at the traffic lighted junction to reach the station to catch your train back to Rye.

A humorous travelogue by the author of this blog is available. Check out 'Mud, Sweat & Beers' today!