12 More Walks around Rye Look Inside

David Clarke has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998 to be identified as the author of this work. Text, maps and photographs are Copyright © David Clarke 23 March 2018. rd All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted without the prior consent of the author. At the time of writing, all routes follow public rights of way or permitted paths. However, diversions can be made at any time and permissions withdrawn – for which I cannot be held responsible – and care should be taken to abide by any local restrictions after the writing of this walk. About public transport; changes to timetables can be made at any time and it is important to check the service and schedules before your walk. Similarly, landlords leave, pubs close and reopen and their character can change for better or worse for which I cannot take any responsibility. On these walks, you may need good walking shoes suitable for uneven, possibly muddy paths and sun protection and a hat for hot days and waterproofs for that hint of rain. These walks allow walkers to explore Rye and 1066 Country and to help preserve the walk for others, remember to: 1. Keep dogs under control 2. Protect wildlife, plants and trees 3. Take litter home or dispose of it appropriately 4. Take special care when walking by and crossing roads 5. Do not play music loudly or create excessive noise History Walks or David Clarke do not accept any responsibility for any injuries or losses which may occur on Walks around Rye. Walkers are advised to ensure that their personal insurance cover is adequate and are advised to carry their own basic first aid kit. Some helpful websites before you start: 1. Stagecoach www.stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journey 2. Traveline www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk 3. Weather Forecast www.news.bbc.co.uk/weather Information about the pubs, beers, contact details and opening hours are shown on the CAMRA WhatPub web site at: www.whatpub.com Cover: River Tillingham 2

History Walks No.12 More Walks Around Rye Page 6 Rye to Camber Sands (& Camber Sands to Rye) 3.75 miles Page 18 Rye, Camber Castle and Winchelsea Circular 5.90 miles Page 26 Pett Level Circular 2.00 miles Page 34 Rye to Playden Circular 2.90 miles These four walks are all bus friendly - walks that you can get to by bus leaving the car at home. The bus trip is part of the journey, sit back and enjoy the views and reward yourself with a pint at one of Rye’s many pubs. This guide contains all the step by step instructions necessary to complete the walk successfully although you should always take the correct OS Maps with you in case of difficulty. Additionally, this walk has also been added to the Ordnance Survey Walking Routes and for a complete mapping experience, download the OS Map App, scan the QR code and follow the route on your phone. 3

Reflections When Rye’s crowded cobbled streets and history become too much it is time to escape and discover the countryside, towns and villages that surround proud Rye. The marshes and levels and the valleys and hills provide the perfect backdrop to explore the rich history outside the town. Once an island kingdom, surrounded by sea (the Appledore Estuary), when the sea retreated it left the town marooned inland, opening up the countryside, and the coast and the views have little changed in 500 years. Stand at The Lookout, the Gun Terrace or at the end of Watchbell Street for a sense of Rye, sat on its hill. To the south east and west, there are big skies and solitude, look to the north and the land rises sharply to Playden, mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 when there was no entry for Rye. South lies Camber, hidden behind dunes and across the River Rother. It too was laid out when the sea retreated leaving flatlands perfect for the game of golf. Walk the route of the old Rye and Camber Tramway and the Golf Links Station stands as a monument to the 1920s and 1930s. The track has long gone but the line mostly remains and is excellent for a flat walk from Rye to Camber Sands and back. 4

Once, there was a shingle bank guarding the estuary where Old Winchelsea stood. Great storms changed the coastline and washed the town away. At the behest of King Edward I, a new Winchelsea was built aloof on its own hill, with walls and gates and lookout posts, emerging like a phoenix from the ashes, built to a grander and formulaic plan, a grid system that would form the basis for so many American cities and towns in the future. Between Rye and Winchelsea stands a marooned Camber Castle built to defend Rye’s harbour before the coastline changed again. It is on the route of the walk to Winchelsea, surrounded by the windswept levels and close to the folly that is the Royal Military Canal, created to defend against Napoleon’s armies but now remains to drain the marsh and provide a scenic route for many local walks. This coastline although much changed has its roots in time, non-more so than the submerged forest at Pett Level. Revealed at low tide it dates back 5200 years and lies at the western end of the Royal Military Canal, below the Fairlight Cliffs and often referred to as Cliff End. Black trees lying in the shingle, wet and slippery, treat us all to an archaeological experience at the end of the walk around Pett Level and the lookout post of Toots Hill where you can stand and imagine gazing out to sea for any signs of enemy ships or the first indication of imminent invasion. Playden sits aloof on its hill, pre-dating Rye and overlooking the Appledore Estuary that once stretched inland as far as Tenterden’s port at Smallhythe, Bodiam, Robertsbridge and Sedlescombe. Its church is a landmark across the marsh. When the Appledore Estuary drained into the sea many years ago, it left behind valleys and rivers set for agriculture and little has changed. The walk along the River Tillingham and up to the ridge to Playden has some of the most rewarding views in Sussex and there is even a pub half way to tempt you for a little reward for all your efforts. 5

Walk 1: To Camber Sands and Back It would not be until 1893 when the Monk Bretton Bridge over the Rother was completed, (it replaced the small ferry that had seen service since 1780) and the eastern bank of the river became accessible to Rye. Within six months, it was decided that 'a Golf Club should be formed, links to be situated over the Camber sandhills' (Rye Golf Club). The first competition on the new 18-hole golf course was played in February 1894 and it was to become one of the leading golf clubs in the south of England. For the first year, the only access was by carriage until the Rye and Camber Tramway opened in 1895, with a relatively unusual 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge, and the 1¾ mile ride from Rye to the Golf Links Halt took 8½ minutes and costing 6p return (first class). Bearing in mind that this was Rye, perhaps there was no second class. In 1908 the first extension to Camber Sands station was opened and the intermediate station renamed \"Golf Links\". At the end of summer 1938, a new Camber Sands station and a tea hut were opened closer to the village, but their use was limited by the start of the Second World War and the requisition of the track by the Ministry of Defence. By the end of the war the old railway was in such a poor condition that the trains never ran again - mores the pity – and cars and buses carried golfers and tourists in its place. There is mention of Rye Golf Club and the little train in EF Benson’s Mapp and Lucia, set in an ‘imaginary’ Tilling that is Rye in all but name. Elizabeth Mapp is more than a little taken with Major Benji Flint who played golf most mornings with his friend Captain Puffin, usually catching the steam tram to the links. Their rounds were always for a wager and invariably argumentative but whatever happens on the golf course was usually settled amicably with a whiskey in the club house before the return tram journey home back over the marsh to Rye. In keeping with ‘Mapp and Lucia’ this walk nominally starts at West Street, by Lamb House, but you can choose to start the walk wherever you wish – either from the station, the Heritage Centre or from the Town Salts car park that is closest to the start. 6

Information Distance each way: 3.75 miles – 1½ hours Map: OS Explorer 125 Bus: Stagecoach 100/101 Parking Rye - Pay and Display Camber Sands– Pay and Display Refreshments: Rye – many and varied Camber Sands – cafés by the beach Connecting Paths: History Walks No 10: A Walk around Rye OS App Map: Rye to Camber Camber to Rye Geography and Profile A walk across the Levels following the route of the Rye and Camber Tramway wherever possible, past the golf course and through the dunes to Camber Sands. The return to Rye is to retrace your steps but with views across the marsh towards Rye although, there is always the option of a bus ride back to town. The whole point of this walk is to follow the Rye and Camber Tramway as best we can and to visit Camber Sands for a coffee, food, a wine or a beer before either catching the bus back or completing the walk back to Rye. To do both walks took me around three hours, that included taking photographs, stopping for golfers, a coffee and the occasional chat with other walkers and their dogs. 7

It is a flat walk along hard paths until the dunes when, for a short climb, it does seem hard going in the soft sand as can the final approach to Camber Sands along the beach. It is not an arduous walk and the terrain is easy on the feet and it can be completed in trainers or good walking sandals depending on the weather, although boots are always my preference. The Walk from The Major’s House The Major and the Captain lived opposite each other in West Street, just a little way from where Elizabeth Mapp lived in Lamb House and she would watch from her Garden Room as they left to play, walking down West Street. Lamb House is now open to the public once again, under the auspices of the National Trust and would be a fitting place to start our walk. From Lamb House, follow West Street down to High Street and turn right and walk towards the Land Gate. As the road bends left and becomes Hilder’s Cliff, there is a lookout post on the right for the Major and the Captain to have a quick look out over the river to check that the little train is in the station and perhaps the need to march double time if time is of the essence. 8

For you, it is worth a few minutes to stop and look out over the marsh where the flood bank path can be seen and behind, the golden line of the tramway can just be made out but Camber Sands is hidden behind the dunes. The River Rother stretches out in front to the warehouses and docks of Rye Harbour. The Landgate stands at the bottom of the road and is the only one standing of Rye’s original four gates - the Strandgate, Baddings Gate and the Postern Gate have long gone. Built three years too late to guard against the devastating French attack of 1377, the Landgate guards the north entrance to Rye and the London road, at a time when the town was almost surrounded by the sea and the only access at high tide was by the ‘Landgate’. Built at the behest of Edward III, the massive round towers stand 40' high and were once topped with a projecting parapet (the supporting gables can still be seen) with openings through which stones or boiling water could be dropped on the attackers. The grooves for the portcullis are etched in the side walls, but the arrow slits are now home to pigeons. Walk down towards the Landgate and, just before the medieval gateway and at the end of the railings, turn sharp right down the path to cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and enter the Town Salts. The Walk from The Town Salts Car Park At the Town Salts Car Park, follow the path between the bowling green and the toilets and then walk diagonally left towards the far corner of the park to the main road (A259) and The Monk Bretton Road Bridge Bear right across the bridge and turn right again to walk down the ramp to the right and the concrete path stretches out in front. The finger post reads Camber 2½ miles and it is easy to believe that this was the little train’s route. Just past the gate was a little drab tin shed, next to a couple of engine sheds, that served as the Rye Tramway station with ‘Tram’ painted on the roof. From 1925, the little green petrol-engined locomotive would be linked to the two carriages and the slow journey to the Golf Club and beyond would begin. The complete Guidebook to the walk contains history notes, maps and step by step walking instructions to make your life easier to enjoy the rich history of this walk from…. 9

About the Author David lives in St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, and walks, talks and writes about walking, local history and all things 1066. He is a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild and considers that his membership of CAMRA, The Inn Sign Society, The Ramblers and the Long Distance Walkers Association to be a perfect match for walking. He is the author and creator of 1066 Harold’s Way, a 100mile long distance walk inspired by King Harold’s epic march to the Battle of Hastings, 1066. Long Distance Walks 1. 1066 Harold’s Way 2. Walking the High Weald - Three Castles and an Ironmaster’s House Books 1. The Saxon Times History Walks around 1066 Country 1. A Green St Leonards on Sea Walk 2. Walks around Battle (Battle Circular Walks) 3. 1066 Bodiam Castle to Battle Abbey 4. Hastings to Rye, Rye to Hastings 5. Secret St Leonards Walking Trail 6. Pub Walks in Hastings and St Leonards 7. 1066 William’s Way, Hastings to Battle 8. Rock a Nore to De La Warr 9. Pub Walks in 1066 Country 10. A Walk around Rye 11. A Walk around Winchelsea 12. More Walks Around Rye 10

History Walks No.12 . More Walks around Rye It would have been such fun to ride a little train from Rye to Camber Sands but now we must imagine the children and their parents with picnics and pop and the golfers for the Golf Links Halt. The rails can still be seen in places on the walk to Camber. And a walk to a Castle marooned on the Levels and another town, Winchelsea aloof on its hill built to a pattern, safe behind its medieval gates. And who can resist the climb up Toot Rock to the Lookout Post and imagine being a lookout in the dark days of war, searching the horizon for enemy ships. At low tide the beach reveals a wreck and a submerged ancient forest, branches, trunks, knots and roots soft with sea water. And finally, a short walk along the peaceful and serene River Tillingham before a short climb up to a village mentioned in the Domesday Book 1086. Explore and discover the best of Rye ‘More Walks Around Rye’ is published by History Walks, Marine Court, St Leonards on Sea www.1066haroldsway.co.uk and printed by Instant Print www.instantprint.co.uk February 2019 £3.95 11

For more information about this book and other walks in the series of ‘Short Walks in 1066 Country’, visit History Walks Books and Talks: www.1066haroldsway.co.uk History Walks books are available by mail order from History Walks and from the following stockists: Hastings • Hastings Tourist Information, Muriel Matters House • Old Hastings Preservation Society, History House, Courthouse Street • Hastings Fishermen's Museum, Rock-a-Nore, St Leonards on Sea • The Bookkeeper, 1A Kings Road • Studio 4 Frames, Marine Court Rye • Rye Heritage Centre • Adams of Rye, 8 High Street Battle • British Design British Made, High Street • AHA Stationers, Mount Street Bexhill • De La Warr Pavilion • Bexhill Museum 12