Autumn Beside The Sea

Autumn is a magical time of ghosts, gunpowder and of course a famous battle in 1066 country. As the surrounding countryside puts on a blaze of colour, with the leaves turning into shades of crimson, gold and orange, you can enjoy fiery sunsets over the deserted Camber Sands. This time of year is perfect for a walk or cycle ride through the tumbling leaves, or a refreshing stroll along the stunning beach.

Autumn is a wonderful time to explore by bike or foot, the stunning and contrasting countryside, coast and historic towns and villages of this area.

From the flat coastal plains of Rye Bay, to the rolling hills and orchards of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, get out and enjoy this picture postcard corner of England.

Autumn is also the perfect time to visit the vineyards dotted all over the countryside. You will be able to taste the award winning wines and ciders on many of the vineyard tours. How about enjoying a bottle, with a sunset view, nestled amongst the dunes of Camber for a romantic evening?

England’s on the anvil

hear the hammers ring


Clanging from the Severn to the Tyne!

Never was a blacksmith like our Norman King

England’s being hammered, hammered, hammered into line!

Rudyard Kipling

On 14th October 1066, a place called Senlac Ridge became the site of the most famous battle to take place on English soil. An event so significant it completely changed the course of English history – and today the Battle of Hastings is probably the one event in history that every adult and child can recall.

Explore the UK’s most famous battlefield and picture the scene as the battle for life and death raged on the day that England’s history changed forever made more evocative by the autumn light and mist.

The Anglo-Saxons with King Harold at it’s centre held the ridge – now under the abbey buildings – whilst the Norman invaders under the command of William The Conqueror attacked. Follow the full course of the battle with an audio guide, and special children’s version.

There are many country estates you can visit, such as Great Dixter and Batemans with their beautiful gardens to explore and magnificent castles like Bodiam, bathed in Autumn sunlight, surrounded by the fiery colours of the countryside.

Do you dare wander through the cobbled streets of Rye, home to many ghosts and spirits who remained here long after their demise?….

Centuries old stories of ghosts and spirits in and around Camber and Rye come to life when the sun goes down, but don’t think that by escaping into one of the cosy Inn’s throughout the town will offer shelter from these spectres. The Mermaid Inn once a smugglers haunt, has many ghosts and was featured on the TV show ‘Most Haunted’. Spirits are regularly seen to appear and walk through walls, guests have told of waking at night to find a man sitting on the end of their bed, a grey lady drifting through corridors and a vicious dual ending with one protagonist stabbing his opponent with a rapier before dragging the body to a trapdoor and dropping it into the space below. There is also a ghostly rocking chair that often rocks on its own. When it rocks, the cushion on the seat is squeezed flat as if someone heavy is sitting on it. If you hear the sound of a turkey cock gobbling in the lanes of Rye it could be the ghost of a heart-broken monk. Punished for breaking his vows, the monk was walled up in a room and left to die. Legend has it that he went mad before he died and the last sounds he made were those of a turkey gobbling.

Autumn is a wonderful time to explore the Romney Marsh, a flat, open landscape of wide skies and fields criss-crossed by a lattice of drainage ditches, home to all manner of wildlife, it offers the opportunity to wander quiet lanes and paths and to visit some of its famous medieval churches.

But Romney Marsh is not entirely an idyll. It has its darker side, for it has strong associations with smuggling in the past and according to legend, witches lurked around every corner…

As you can see an Autumn break here Beside The Sea really is magical, with plenty of events to keep everybody entertained whatever your interests. Whether you want to be stand on the very spot where our history changed during a famous battle, be terrified by tales of ghosts and ghouls or you are just looking to enjoy the beautiful beaches and countryside, our welcoming, cozy, clean and fresh holiday cottages are the perfect places to enjoy a relaxing break in the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.