BattleVISIT / Bexhill / Bodiam / Camber / Hastings Herstmonceux / Pevensey / Rye / Winchelsea VISIT1066COUNTRY.COM 1066 COUNTRY VISITOR ATTRACTIONS 2020 1066 COUNTRY BEXHILL from their childhood in Bexhill for RETRO ON SEA their song, ‘Sovereign Light Cafe’. The date is easy to remember. Behind its modern vintage Bexhill’s blend of unique character façade, quirky Bexhill conceals and quirkiness are what people The place is hard to forget. an eventful past. Not only was come here for. The Victorian it the trailblazing birthplace of promenade mixes attractive listed British motor racing, it was also shelters with sailing boats and Where the wooded hills of the Sussex Weald stretch down infamously the fi rst resort to allow a rowing club (founded 1893) and touch the sea of England’s south coast, you’ll fi nd 1066 men and women to swim together giving way further west to award- Country. Set deep in history, its ancient settlements nestle in on the same beach. What scandal! winning modern shelters, play a rich landscape of woods, marshes, shorelines and horizons. Home to the innovative De La Warr fountains and eye-catching classic Yesterday’s traditions meet today’s thriving art and music scene, Pavilion, the UK’s fi rst public building seaside planting. while castles and forts tell timeless stories of invasion and conquest. BATTLE UNFOLDING At Battle’s beating heart is a built in the Modernist style, the town The same quirkiness is refl ected in ENGLAND’S STORY bustling mix of independent is a pioneering centre for the arts the town’s eclectic mix of shops; Despite its feeling of seclusion, 1066 Country is living proof that hosting contemporary exhibitions, Named after the most famous businesses, including a revival of think modern vintage, retro and a breath of fresh air doesn’t need to mean a long journey. On a several traditional stores lost to events and entertainment. pre-loved, art and music instead direct rail route from London, it’s just 1 hour and 23 minutes from confl ict on English soil, this compact market town grew up modern high streets. Here wool Local boy and international star of chain stores or neon attractions. the big smoke, making it the perfect escape – and an easy one too. alongside the battleground. It’s shops, book stores, cosy pubs Eddie Izzard is a regular visitor to There are plenty of independent tranquil medieval abbey and the and tea rooms jostle alongside his hometown, and platinum-selling cafes and restaurants to enjoy too. ultra-modern designer boutiques CONTENTS surrounding ancient woodlands super group Keane drew inspiration visit1066country.com/bexhill are largely unchange to this day. and gentlemen’s outfi tters. You INTRO 27 SURROUNDING AREA 1825 can even get a one-stop suiting, Celebratory bonfi res and battle booting and barbering service, BATTLE 8 ACCOMMODATION 2628 re-enactments, a year-round all while sipping champagne. BEXHILL 9 REGISTERED GUIDES/COACH PARKS 29 programme of events, plus an annual festival of contemporary visit1066country.com/battle HASTINGS DIRECTIONS/TRAVEL 10 15 3031 arts, theatre and music, are all RYE 1617 features of its enduring heritage. VISIT1066COUNTRY.COM 3 1066 COUNTRY VISITOR ATTRACTIONS 2020 HASTINGS Country Park, where on clear Take the West Hill Lift from Heading west, the alternative Tucked inland from Pevensey, RYE STYLISH creative community offers a warm SALTY SEA DOG days you can see from Beachy George Street, up through a vibe continues into St Leonards. Herstmonceux is a village with COBBLED CITADEL welcome in the many art and To soak up Hastings’ history, Head to Dungeness and as far tunnel of rock to emerge into the Built in the 1800s by James and many claims to fame — moated A medieval citadel huddled photography galleries. as Folkestone and the coast of tranquil light of another world. Decimus Burton as a resort for the castle, former Royal Observatory, wander the preserved Old Town’s against invaders and the sea, Rye A walk around the charming France. The nature reserve covers Explore the ruins of Hastings aristocracy, it provides a striking science centre and home of the winding streets and tiny twittens reveals its history gently. Today cobbled streets is essential, 345 hectares of coastal gill Castle and the labyrinth of caverns backdrop for galleries, antique Sussex trug. With its telescope crammed with Tudor houses and it’s home to a myriad of art, especially to the famous woodlands, open pasture and hidden deep within the West Hill, shops, boutiques and a thriving domes, windmill and castle fl ower-bedecked cottages, and curiosities and cosy pubs, as well Mermaid Street, where a mix of cliff top grassland, together with packed with the thrilling history café culture. turrets, it sits modestly between inhale the hard-working fi shing as modern boutique hotels and timber-framed inns and elegant fi ve kilometres of dramatic soft of smugglers, bootleggers and Wealden hills and marshy levels, quarter with its towering net huts A visit to the town’s quirky museums contemporary restaurants serving houses rejoice in eccentric rock cliffs and coastline. It’s one of warring bloodthirsty gangs. its eyes on the skies and its feet and ramshackle huts on the beach. is a must. The Shipwreck Museum the best Sussex has to offer, from names. Many of the beautifully three Green Flag Award winning on the ground. Then, for a cool, modern twist is a fascinating reminder of the land and sea. Built on smuggled preserved medieval, Tudor and Hastings Old Town lies in a valley parks in the town, the others being head for the America Ground. dangers of the sea, while the visit1066country.com/ secrets and timeless tales, Rye has Georgian buildings are open between the East and West Hills, the spectacular Alexandra Park, This vibrant triangle in the centre nearby Fishermen’s Museum gives pevensey-herstmonceux nooks and crannies to explore to the public as fi ne restaurants, each with their own funicular and the Regency-style St Leonards of Hastings was formed when the an insight into the fi shing culture. PEVENSEY AND and distant views across Romney tearooms or pubs. railway. Take the East Hill Lift from Gardens. great storm of 1287 threw up a Just up the road is the ultra- HERSTMONCEUX Marsh to ponder. the fi shing beach up to Hastings visit1066country.com/rye silt and shingle spit beyond the modern Hastings Contemporary, CASTLES AND STARS Reach to the tip of the estuary boundaries of Hastings Borough. showcasing the best of British art. A Roman coastal fort stands proud and you fi nd Rye Harbour, its Above the independent shops, The Flower Makers’ Museum above Pevensey beach, the spot saltmarsh and shingle shore a restaurants and cafes you’ll see invites you into a world of fabrics, where Norman forces landed haven for wildlife, wide open to the grand architecture of Hastings cutters and presses, while the True in 1066. Today the village is an the wind and sea. Library, The Printworks and Crime Museum is full of acid baths, eclectic seaside stronghold, one The High Street hosts an array Holy Trinity Church. These lead execution beds and knuckledusters. face hugging the shoreline, the of delicatessens, bookshops you through to the RIBA Stirling The more formal Hastings Museum other overlooking a hinterland of and other quirky independent Award-winning Hastings Pier and and Art Gallery on Bohemia levels. Open spaces, broad skies emporia. Luxury products, The Source, transformed from Road has excellent regularly and closeness to nature — this antiques, books, records a Turkish baths into the biggest changing exhibitions of local and piece of Saxon frontier land has and artisan goods are Rye’s underground BMX and skate park international history and art. its own original story to tell and a specialties. The fl ourishing in the world. visit1066country.com/hastings wild side for every season. 4 VISIT1066COUNTRY.COM VISIT1066COUNTRY.COM 5 1066 COUNTRY VISITOR ATTRACTIONS 2020 HIDDEN GEMS steam railway, and exploring The Observatory Science Centre Combine a trip on the beautiful historic buildings, and there is OF 1066 COUNTRY Itinerary Planner the crumbling remains of the in Herstmonceux is a fascinating Kent & East Sussex Railway with a year-round programme of Bodiam Normans’ fi rst stronghold, day out, offering hands-on a stop at Northiam for Bodiam events at Battle Abbey and Explore our rich culture Pevensey Castle. experiments, giant telescopes Boating Station which offers Bodiam Castle to ignite their Bodiam’s fame rests on its Find a cosy country pub with an and an outdoor Discovery kayaking, rowing, canoeing, imaginations. storybook moated castle. Reach Wander the gardens at Great open fi re in winter. Taste a pint or Park that will keep children stand-up paddleboarding, river it by steam train or river cruise, by Dixter, the home and passion The Source Park on Hastings two of the local brew. Enjoy a plate entertained for hours. cruises and riverside camping. kayak or on foot, a gentle meander of the plumpest Rye Bay scallops or of the late gardening writer seafront is the world’s largest Brave the waves with the kite and through the breathtaking Sussex some salty Romney Marsh lamb. Christopher Lloyd, embrace the The nearby Knockhatch For an action-packed day out, underground skate park and a Weald. Combine visits to nearby wind surfers, build sand castles, Tulip Festival at Pashley Manor or Adventure Park has a petting visit Drusillas Park – part zoo, super-cool venue for your hard- gardens and organic vineyards jump the dunes, or hire an ebike to Relax on the De La Warr’s 1930s walk the world’s largest collection zoo, owl sanctuary, go-karts, part theme park.