Photo by flickr user Loz Flowers
Bordered by West Sussex, Kent, Surrey and the English Channel, East Sussex is one of the greenest and least spoilt counties in the south of England. It has some striking scenery, charming towns and historic buildings but no motorways. The landscape varies from rugged chalky cliffs, the most famous being Beachy Head, to the rolling hills and forests of the Weald. This is wonderful walking country, whether you ramble through Ashdown Forest or tackle one of a number of long-distance trails, such as the Sussex Border Path or the Vanguard Way. Other attractions are its beaches, including Camber Sands, with its windswept dunes, and the wide flats of Normans Bay.
Of the towns, Rye, a picturesque medieval port, the county town of Lewes, historical Hastings and Battle, the resorts of Eastbourne and Bexhill-on-Sea, and Hailsham, a thriving market town, are all worth a detour. There are castles to visit at Bodiam and Herstmonceux, and an Abbey at Battle, built to commemorate the Battle of Hastings. At Bateman’s, a stunning 17th-century house just outside Burwash and home to Rudyard Kipling, it feels like the writer has just walked out of his book-lined study.
As for characterful hotels in East Sussex, our favourites range from brilliant b and bs such as Old Whyly and Jeakes House in Rye to reborn inns such as the George, also in Rye, and the Griffin Inn at Fletching, often referred to as one of Britain's first true gastropubs. The order by which hotels appear in no way reflects our preference.
Written by Leonie Glass
