Rye

A beautiful day trip from our home in Eastbourne is Rye. We visited in early spring and it made for a great day out.

Our first stop was Rye Castle (Ypres Tower), which dates back to the 13th century. It’s a small but solid stone fortress with cannons, gloomy old cells, and a bit of a smugglers’ past. Built around 1249 as part of Rye’s coastal defences, it originally served as a fortress to protect the town against French invasions. At that time, Rye was a flourishing member of the Cinque Ports, a strategic alliance of coastal towns that supplied ships and men to the Crown in exchange for privileges. By the 16th century, the tower had transitioned from military use to become a town prison. The cells were harsh, dimly lit, and small.

Backing onto the courtyard garden shown above, is a separate women’s prison cell, one of the few surviving examples of its kind. This cell was added in the 17th century, specifically to house female prisoners separately from men. Inside, there’s a display about the women who were once imprisoned there, often for crimes like petty theft, disorderly behaviour, or accusations of witchcraft.

As with many ancient prisons, ghost stories surround Ypres Tower. Visitors and staff have reported strange sounds, cold spots, and an eerie sense of being watched in the women’s cell in particular. There are also tales of a former prisoner who was executed nearby and is said to haunt the grounds, her spirit drawn back to the place of her suffering.

Onto brighter things, we left Ypres Tower and headed into the town centre. Mermaid Street was a highlight — very steep and cobbled, with old timber-framed houses that look like they’re straight out of a film set. It’s also meant to be haunted, especially the Mermaid Inn, which has all the usual ghost story material — hidden passageways, creaky floors, and centuries of history.

Next, we wandered up to St Mary’s Church, one of Rye’s most striking landmarks. The church itself is surprisingly understated inside — peaceful, with simple lines and very little ornamentation. It’s easy to feel the weight of history in its quiet atmosphere. Stepping outside, we were greeted by another beautiful view: the cobbled lane sloping down from the church, framed by timber-framed buildings and crooked rooftops. It feels like a little pocket of the past, almost untouched by time.

From there we walked through the town, stopping at the Landgate, the only surviving medieval gateway into Rye. Built in the 14th century to defend against French raids, it’s an imposing stone archway that marks the edge of the old town. Standing beneath it, it’s easy to imagine the town as it once was, a fortified stronghold on the coast.

For lunch, we grabbed something from the Cornish Bakery, then browsed a few shops before heading out to Camber Sands. The weather was typical — windy and a bit cold — but the sand dunes were impressive. It’s a huge, open beach with proper rolling dunes, and despite the chill, it was great to walk along the shore and take in the space and quiet.

Rye is a picture-perfect medieval town filled with cobbled streets, crooked cottages, and centuries of layered history. It’s an ideal day trip within East Sussex and is definitely worth the trip.