Rye in six stops

From super-fine sand to an old pirates’ haunt and jazz festival, the Sussex town has it all, says Imogen Lepere

1 Rye’s chocolate-box cobbled streets are home to all manner of quirky independent shops. There’s Grammar School Records with its eccentric, ex-rocker proprietor, Wishbarn Antiques and The Black Sheep of Rye, which stocks

2 classic jumpers knitted by local women.

Covered with golden powder and backed by rolling dunes with plenty of wildlife, Camber Sands is regarded as the best beach in East Sussex. Donkey rides and ice cream shops with nostalgic names like ‘Viv’s’ will have you reminiscing

3 about summer holidays from your youth in no time. Once a favourite with pirates and smugglers, The Mermaid Inn was built in 1420. There are three outdoor patios where you can sip sparkling wine from Sussex vineyard Chapel Down; make sure you go into the Giant’s Fireplace Bar to find

4 the entrance to the priest’s hole. mermaidinn.com

Inspired by coastal motels in California, The Gallivant is a beautiful boutique bolthole at Camber Sands. Rooms feel laidback yet luxurious with velvet seating and driftwood details. The restaurant was named the best in East Sussex in 2016 and boasts modern British plates with plenty of local seafood from The French Laundry and

5 Tom Aikens alumnus Ben Fisher. thegallivant.co.uk

A genteel 18th-century mansion, Lamb House was once the home of novelist Henry James and has hosted Kipling, Conrad and HG Wells. While away a morning in the beautiful walled garden, where trumpet vines and roses still scent the air and

6you can see the graves of James’ beloved dogs. Between 24 and 28 August, the Rye Jazz & Blues Festival will keep locals swinging to music from Kandace Springs, Seth Lakeman and Eric Bibb. The Rye Arts Festival, 16 September to 1 October, brings theatrical, literary and artistic events to venues around town. visit1066country.com