Back Roads Great Britain (Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

DRIVE 9: The Garden of England 105

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under £25; moderate, £25–£50; expensive, over £50

EAT AND DRINK

RYE

Webbes at the Fish Cafe moderate

The best seafood restaurant in town –

try the steamed selection of fish with

shellfish – also serves meat dishes, too.

Tower Street, TN31 7AT; 01797 222 226;

http://www.thefishcafe.co.uk

AROUND RYE HARBOUR

The Tea Tree inexpensive

This café-restaurant serves a wide range

of wholesome snacks and daily specials

12 High St, Winchelsea, TN36 4EA (6

km/3 miles on A259); 01797 226 102

AROUND TENTERDEN

West House moderate

Eat Romney lamb and crème brulée

with rhubarb at this excellent Michelin-

starred restaurant, on the road to

Sissinghurst, in the centre of the village.

28 High St, Biddenden, TN27 8AH;

01580 291 341; http://www.thewesthouse

restaurant.co.uk; closed Mon

Above Camber Sands has seven miles of

award-winning dune-backed beach

roundabout, and take the first exit
past the Bridge Inn. Then, turn first
left up the steep Strand Hill under
Strand Gate into Winchelsea^3.
Overlooking the wetlands and sea
below, Winchelsea is laid out in the
manner of a medieval Bastide town
(from Southwest France) – on a grid
pattern divided into quarters with
wide streets. With little modern
development, it feels as if nothing has
changed since it was first designed by
Edward I in 1288, following a series of
storms in which Old Winchelsea all
but disappeared. At the town’s centre
is the large Church of St Thomas the
Martyr. Half ruined, its great chancel
now serves as the nave, with brilliant
stained-glass windows, including one
to the victims of the 1928 Rye lifeboat
disaster. A feature of Winchelsea’s
houses is their enormous cellars: look
out for the stone steps leading to
these vaulted undercrofts where wine
was stored; tours are arranged at
weekends in summer (www.
winchelsea.net). The town, which is not
big enough to get lost in, merits a
wander and offers several places to
stop for refreshments or a cream tea.
Return down to the roundabout
and back down Sea Road. Past the
Castle Farm barns, just after the
footpath begins, follow the signs left,
along the track to Camber Castle 4 ,
a ruined 16th-century fort. Take the
path forking right that skirts the Castle
Water. This is another great spot for

seeing more birdlife. Follow the path

sharp left towards the road, then right,

between the ponds and back onto

the road. Turn right here back to the

car park by the Martello Tower 5 ,

one of a series of 74 bastions built

along the south coast between 1805–

08 during the Napoleonic Wars.

ª Return to Rye, take A268 through

the town centre, forking right onto

B2082 to Tenterden. Park free for 2 hours

at the supermarket just before town.

9 Tenterden

Kent; TN30 6AN

On the road to town, after a series of

sharp bends, stop at Smallhythe Place

(open Sat–Wed; weekends only, in winter),

home of the actress Ellen Terry (1847–

1928). Dating from the 16th century,

when Smallhythe was a centre for

shipbuilding, this pretty half-timbered

house and cottage garden was the

actress’s home for nearly 30 years.

Also on the way, look out for Chapel

Down Vineyard (with free tastings),

and Morgew Park Farm selling organic

potatoes from their honesty stall.

Antiques shops in Tenterden are

open at weekends and the high street

is ideal for browsing. Visit the small

local museum and step back in time

at the Kent & Sussex Light Railway

Station (www.kesr.org.uk) which runs

steam and classic trains to Bodiam.

ª Drive through Tenterden turning

left on the A28, signed to Ashford, then

forking left on the A262 to Sissinghurst.

Below The restored Kent & Sussex Light Railway

Station, Tenterden

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