Tell me about it
It was probably the jumble of fine Georgian and medieval houses, cobbled streets and views of Romney Marsh that drew writers EF Benson and Henry James to Rye. Both lived in Lamb House, the setting for fictional town Tilling in Benson’s Mapp and Lucia books (as seen in the recent BBC adaptation). Seafood is the other draw: the town is two miles from the sea and perched above the river Rother. Next month the annual Rye Bay Scallop Week (21 Feb-1 March) is on, which encourages local restaurants to dish up this toothsome mollusc in ever-more inventive ways.
I’ll need a drink to wash them down.
On the town’s outskirts, The Globe Inn Marsh is an eccentrically furnished clapboard building with log fires to hunker beside while nursing a well-kept pint. The George in Rye is a smart hotel with a bar perfect for sipping a chilled glass of white.
And if I don’t like scallops?
Freshly flavoured regional Indian food is dished up by chef Dev Biswal at The Ambrette. Webbe’s at the Fish Café serves fish from the local fleet. And the High Street is packed with tea rooms offering homemade scones and sandwiches.
Anywhere to stay under £100?
Jeake’s House (rooms from £45pp) is a snug, richly furnished 16th-century small hotel in the centre of town. For a beach vibe, The Gallivant (rooms from £95), down the road in Camber, is a restaurant with rooms a scramble away from the dunes.
Anything else I should know?
Plenty of shopping opportunities including The Vintage Stockroom, a new shop packed with utilitarian furniture, industrial bits and Americana. A cluster of antique shops by the quay include Glass Etc, run by Antiques Roadshow expert Andy McConnell. The George hotel has just opened The Shop Next Door , selling hotel-inspired soft furnishings.
Do I need a car?
Not for meandering around town but it would be handy for exploring nearby dunes at Camber, Rye Bay and Romney Marsh. Trains run from Rye station to Ashford International (21 minutes), which has high-speed trains to London (38 minutes), then beyond. The number 312 bus will take you from the town centre to the nature reserve at Rye Harbour.
