Coastguards Lantern

Coastguards Lantern, Jury's Gap, East Sussex

Wake in comfort to the sound of the sea, explore the misty brooding Romney Marsh, then warm up in the many atmospheric pubs with intriguing histories, resident ghouls, roaring fireplaces, cracking ales and tasty pub grub, walk along our pebbled beach, look out across the shimmering blue sea and you’ll feel like you’ve discovered another world.

Stay at Coastguards Lantern and discover a landscape full of myth’s and legends, surrounded by the haunting loneliness of Romney Marsh. A flat, open landscape of wide skies and fields criss-crossed by a lattice of drainage ditches, where yellow waterlilies float in early summer, it offers the opportunity to wander quiet lanes and paths and to visit some of its famous medieval churches and the vast stretch of historic invasion coast.

Built in this secluded spot, to help guard against smuggling and invasion, this beautiful renovated coastguard cottage is the perfect location for a holiday away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Coastguards Lantern

Right beside the sea, near the village of Camber, Coastguards Lantern is a special, holiday cottage surrounded by wild beauty. To one side is SSSI-designated marshland (Site of Special Scientific Interest). To the other, the sea, so seclusion is a given. Yet you are only a few minutes’ drive to the medieval Cinque Port town of Rye for shops, pubs and restaurants.

Coastguards Lantern is a modified traditional coastguards cottage with modern updates layered over its 143-year-old bones. As soon as you step inside, you will note the careful attention paid to this home’s renovation and benefit from the installation of superfast fibre broadband.

Other things to note

Coastguards are old properties in a very exposed location and in the winter months the wind can really howl off the sea – some guests love watching the weather go wild or the sea mist rolling creating an eerie atmosphere, while some have found it a little unsettling.

So if you are not a fan of older houses that have history and character then this would not be for you – we do have modern properties down the road that are in a more sheltered environment.

Sea Defence Works and Nearby Military Firing Range

Our properties are situated near the Lydd Ranges, a historic military firing range that has been in use for over 150 years. This unique area is also a nature reserve and part of the Dungeness, Romney Marsh, and Rye Bay Site of Special Scientific Interest, home to incredibly rare plants and animals. While this adds to the natural beauty and significance of the area, it also means that certain times the ranges won’t be accessible to walk along. Don’t worry as there will still be several miles of beach to walk along as you head to Camber.

Military Firing Range Information:

Access to the foreshore is occasionally restricted due to live firing exercises. Red flags are flown during these times, indicating that access is prohibited for safety reasons.

When firing is not taking place, it may be possible to walk along a designated path along the shore, offering a chance to enjoy this unique environment.

Sea Defence Works:

This stretch of coast has been subject to extensive flood defence works over the years and is due to finally be completed in early 2025 – below is the updated letter we have been given on the works going forwards:

The construction of the Lydd Ranges Sea Defences Scheme is now complete. The scheme made up part of the wider Folkestone to Cliff End Coastal Strategy which is crucial for safeguarding the Romney and Walland Marsh areas and better protects 14,000 properties. In addition to being a key component in the wider strategy, the Lydd Ranges Scheme better protects nearby properties and nationally important critical infrastructure including the Ministry of Defence Lydd Ranges from flooding.

Upcoming Sea Defence Works:

The Environment Agency (EA) is continuing its work on improving the coastal defences between Jury’s Gap and Dungeness. These vital works will provide better protection for the area and our coastline.

Here’s what you need to know:

Works August 2024.

Between Monday 19 August to Friday 23 August, contractors will carry out works at Jury’s Gap. These works included large rock transfer from the compound to the beach and part of a beach clean the removal of smaller rock shards from the beach.

October 2024: Reduction of the welfare cabins to a single storey. This work will involve a crane and is expected to last less than four weeks.

December 2024 – January 2025: Annual shingle recycling works will take place, involving daily plant movements along the beach. Efforts will be made to complete the work as quickly as possible.

The EA will be utilising the compound to the right of the cottages. This will mean that the construction vehicles will be using the promenade to access the ranges on the MOD land.

PLEASE LOOK AT ALL THE PHOTOS

Dog friendly Coastguards Cottages

Dogs love to have a good sniff around a beach – space to run, water to splash in, interesting smells to discover and plenty of other dogs to play with. So when you bring your four-legged friend to Coastguards, it’s good to know that the dog friendly beach is right on your doorstep. They will be in hound heaven!

This dog friendly holiday cottage is the perfect place to bring your faithful furry companion. A beautiful beach at the back door, lots of great places to go for walks, and even dog friendly pubs so that you can both enjoy a relaxing drink after a day of sniffing about the atmospheric Romney Marsh!

Eat & Drink

Good food is an important part of a great holiday, so rest assured of eating well during your stay. From the simple pleasure of fresh fish and chips to local produce menus that the many character-filled taverns and restaurants serve. Whether you prefer cosy inns with roaring fires to luxurious beach restaurants, you will be spoilt for choice.

Being close to the sea and surrounded by farmland it’s little surprise that the food served in some of these fabulous buildings comes from only a few miles away. The famous Romney Marsh Lamb, Rye bay Scallops and Dover sole all feature on the menus as well as traditional English pub dishes using locally sourced ingredients such as Rye Bay fish, fruit, veg and meat from the local farms along with our award winning sparkling wines to give you a taste sensation.

Fancy yourself as a chef then colourful farmers markets, and delis are where you will be able to source all you need to produce your own gourmet meals in the kitchen of this coastguard holiday cottage.

What to see and do at Coastguards Cottages

Nestled on the border of 1066 Country and The Garden of England with their stunning coast and countryside, ancient towns and historic sites, a holiday at Coastguards Cottages can be exactly what you want it to be.

Seasonal Activities

Spring and summer evenings are best spent gathered around the BBQ after a day of exploring the coast and countryside. Autumn, the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ (to quote Keats) is a time for fantastic seaside sunsets bursting into turquoise and pink, and the countryside sprinkled with gold and auburn. It’s also a time of food and drink festivals, and a time to scare yourself silly on a ghost walk in Rye!

A winter break at Coastguards Cottages is an unsurpassed experience. Revive your senses with an invigorating walk, then warm your toes in front of the log burner with a good book and a glass of wine.

Walks & Hikes

Keen walkers will be in hiking heaven with the diverse natural landscapes to explore on your doorstep, such as Romney Marsh with its colourful history of invasions, threatened attacks and smuggling. As one of the most important nature conservation sites in Europe, this patch of pristine wetland covers a whopping 100 square miles and is packed with wildlife, including birds, plants and insects.

From the back of Coastguards, follow the beach to Dungeness, a shingle foreland on the tip of Kent. Home to a nuclear power station and two lighthouses, and designated a National Nature Reserve, Dungeness is often described as ‘the end of the earth’. Be sure to check out Prospect Cottage, where filmmaker Derek Jarman once lived – its prettiness presents a jarring and fascinating contrast to its hauntingly desolate surroundings.

The Royal Military Canal Path runs for 28 miles along the entire length of the Royal Military Canal from Seabrook, Kent to Cliff End in East Sussex. The route treads a path between the vast openness of the Romney Marsh and the old cliff line with its wooded hills and quiet villages.

Kitesurfing

If that sounds too tame, we also have the kitesurf centre just five minutes’ walk away. When you think about it, strapping yourself to a small plank of wood while a huge kite pulls you through the water is probably bonkers. But then again, they said similar things about snowboarding too – and look how much fun that is!

Day Trips

Ideally situated for day trips into or out of London, the region’s beautiful gardens and vineyards, historic castles and picturesque medieval towns and villages offer so many attractions that you will no doubt be tempted to stay on longer.