The first heat wave of 2018 stimulated us to go for our first backpacking weekend trip that year. Having very recently seen Rye ranked as one of the cutest small towns in the UK  and recognising Hastings because of the 1066 battle, we thought a coastal hike from the latter to the former would make for a great weekend. And it did!

Hastings

We spent most of Saturday in Hastings beaching, walking, chilling, gaming, eating and drinking beer beering. In the process, we discovered a few things which might help you enjoy the city fully, should you go there some time.

Shingle beach

The beach is mostly a shingle beach, i.e., armoured with pebbles, which means that you get a free foot massage if you’re brave enough to walk barefoot (we just saved you £40). Jokes aside though, if sunbathing on stones isn’t your thing, there are some patches of sand here and there, seemingly more so closer to the pier. On the other hand, if you like it more peaceful, with fewer people around you, go to St Leonards beach, which strikes a good balance between proximity to the city centre and remoteness. And if you’re a fan of Greek cuisine, find a spot near Royal Victoria Hotel, where you can find a food truck with really tasty souvlaki (it gets busy around lunch time so go early/late to avoid a long wait).

Shingle beach; tiny bit of sandy patch captured at the bottom

Pier

The pier is quite pleasant, it features a little restaurant with overpriced beer, some souvenir shops and provides a good view of Hastings, the castle and East Hill Cliff Railway. By some, it’s ranked one of the best piers in the UK.

Pier in the background

Other things to do: Hastings Lookout View Point

There are three widely advertised attractions in Hastings: Smugglers Adventure, Blue Reef Aquarium and Hastings Castle. The first one is more for small kids, so don’t bother. The Aquarium could be fun if you’re into fish, they have sharks apparently. For the castle, again not worth it in our opinion, it’s really just a bunch of ruins on a hill, and you can get a good view on it if you climb the hill just next to it, marked on Google maps as ‘Hastings Lookout, View Point’. If coming from the old town (George St), you’ll have to take a very well hidden, small alley called ‘The Hundred Steps’, located between an Indian restaurant and amusement centre. Besides seeing the castle well, you also get a pretty view of Hastings, East Hill and the sea. Finally, it’s a really great spot for a little picnic, so if you have time, grab a few cold beers and a bag of crisps from a shop nearby and enjoy yourself up there.

The photographer didn’t do a great job, but that’s (part of) the view from the hill

Old town

Speaking of the old town, it’s certainly worth a visit. George Street has an especially favourable vibe, with tightly packed pubs, bars and restaurants and cool decorations. There’s more food places on High Street (we ate in Porters Wine Bar and strongly recommend, especially the soup!) and a lot of less crowded pubs close to East Hill.

George Street

Ye Olde Rumphouse!

In summary, there’s really three things you should be doing in Hastings: old town (walk, pub, dine - highly recommended), beach (could do) and chill on the hill (potentially picnic!).

Hike from Hastings to Rye

The route to Rye can essentially be divided into two parts: it’s great until Pett Level Beach and average afterwards.

Day 1: Hastings to Ecclesbourne Reservoir

This stage is really cool due to compelling views, varied terrain, splendid houses and wild beaches. At times, you’ll be walking just by the edge of the cliff, other times you might need to take an inland detour, yet another time you’ll get a chance to get right down to the sea level and have a swim. It also gets quite muddy initially, especially on the path by Ecclesbourne Reservoir. We recommend taking an alternative route closer to the sea. There’s plenty of different possible paths and as long as you don’t get too far from the sea, you won’t go astray.

Random wild camping spot

A bit random wild camping spot. That’s what happens when you leave it until late…

Day 2: to Pett Level and then, to Rye

Fairlight Glen Naturist Beach (…)

A must stop place halfway to Pett Level is Fairlight Glen Naturist Beach. Don’t get put off by the sign warning you of cliff falls - just be careful not to slip on your way down.

We did go there… BADASSES (with Sainsbury bags…)!

If you’re lucky, you might even get to see some naked people, and if you’re very lucky, you might get to see old perverts staring at the naked people. Gross! Anyway, what you’re guaranteed to see is a remote beach with plenty of big stones near the water and even more of very coarse-grained sand further back. Great place for a swim!

Fairlight Cove

As you approach Fairlight Cove, you’ll have to diverge a little inland, but you’ll see houses you won’t forget.

Cool houses

Extravagant?

Original?

Fabulous?

Pett Level

This stage starts with a looong, unexciting walk along the Pett Level Beach. We would like to suggest an inland alternative, but unfortunately, we’re not aware of one. There’s a network of drainage channels stretching almost a mile inland, which makes a detour problematic. If you, however, do decide to attempt to find a path through the channels and are successful, feel free to share it in the comments!

Pett Level Beach

At the end of that stretch, there’s a pleasant cafe, called Winchelsea Beach Cafe. They serve very reasonably priced all day breakfast + some sandwiches, toasts, cakes and hot & cold drinks.

From the cafe, follow a path that passes near Camber Castle and takes you to Rye.

Rye

Proclaimed as one of the most beautiful small towns in the UK, Rye was supposed to be the icing on the cake of our trip. And indeed - cobbled streets, Georgian houses, historic inns, peculiar shops, abundance of pubs and landform make it a town like no other. The steep, cobbled Mermaid St boasts half-timbered houses with quirky features (see photos below) and could easily contend to be one of the prettiest streets in the whole country. Strolling along it takes you back to the time when Earth was still thought to be the centre of the universe and brussels sprouts were claimed to be inhabited by evil.

Mermaid Street

Mermaid Street

And the most original house goes to…?

Another singularity found in Rye are houses ‘with special features’, some depicted below.

The House with the Seat\

One of many half-timbered houses

Pubs

As mentioned above, there’s loads of pubs in Rye (relative to its size), but the one we chose and can recommend is The Ypres Castle Inn in the south-west corner of the town. It’s got an impressive collection of craft beers, mostly from abroad, along with some local ales. Moreover, it boasts a quiet and spacious beer garden, and hosts artists performing live music some nights of the week. Be warned though that kitchen closes between lunch and dinner, so plan ahead if you wanna eat there (it reopens for dinner at 6pm, and closes after lunch at 3pm [if we remember right]).

Conclusion

Although the water is usually cold, wind too strong, clouds too many and beaches generally lack sand, south coast of England has a lot to offer:

• For gay party lovers - Brighton,
• for white cliff enthusiasts - Dover,
• for maritime history fanatics - Portsmouth (?),
• for climbers - Portland,
• for surfers - Newquay,
• for beach goers - West Wittering…

The list could go on forever. Would Hastings find its place in it? ‘For Battle of Hastings fans - Hastings’ perhaps? Well, the battle actually took place a few miles from Hastings, near a town called… Battle. How about Rye? ‘For charming little towns enthusiasts’? That could pass. Well, ‘best of’ lists aside, one thing we can tell you is that if you enjoy hiking/backpacking, got tired of all the Cornwalls, Seven Sisters, Jurassic Parks etc., and the sun is shining, head to Hastings (or Rye) - you’ll have fun!