24 hours in 1066 Country
1066 Country covers the area of coast between Pevensey through to Rye. It’s a region steeped in history, beautiful beaches, dramatic landscapes and seaside towns. With another heatwave forecast in the middle of the school holidays, and the children having had far too much screen time, I decided to book a spontaneous night away at a campsite near Sedlescombe. The weather was predicted to be blue skies and sunshine for the next two days, so we packed up the car and headed straight to Bexhill.
Bexhill on Sea is a bustling seaside town with a vibrant arts and music culture. It has a feel similar to Eastbourne, but is smaller and more compact. We parked next to the De La Warr Pavilion which looked utterly stunning in the bright sunlight. This Grade 1 listed, Art Deco building has become an iconic symbol for the arts across Sussex with an ongoing impressive line-up of music, comedy and exhibitions on offer. Right in front of the De La Warr you’ll find the King George V Colonnade with more striking architecture. Dating back to 1911 the colonnade now provides a hub for local craft shops and cafes. Right in front of this backdrop of historical building work lies the beach. Miles of pebbly shore line buzzing with paddlers, swimmers, sailing boats and fishing folk.
We booked a glamping pod very last minute via Pitchup.com — I often find Pitchup offer better value deals and the flexibility of one-night stays compared to similar booking sites. Our little cabin cost just £90 for a night with plenty of room for all three of us. We spent the evening cooking up a feed, playing cards and chatting around the fire. Bliss.
Day 2 was set to be a scorcher from the offset. We packed up early and headed towards Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve to explore the coastal paths. We parked at the visitor centre near Fairlights, home to the Bale Building (visitor centre and café) built entirely from sustainable and locally sourced materials. We planned to walk to Covehurst Bay, a stunning, secluded bay and nudist beach. We’ve visited before and were keen to revisit the waterfall filled valleys en route. However, even with the shaded sanctuary of Warren Glen today was too hot for my two youngsters. We had to cut the walk short opting for coastal views and a picnic under a cool oak tree for a full blown beach adventure. The walk is challenging in parts with eroded pathways and a short abseil down to the beach.. adding heat exhaustion to the list of risk factors we decided to play it safe. We had an ice cream in the café instead, so all was well.
Each time I visit this stretch of coast I see more I want to explore. As we headed home we passed Pett Level.. perfect for rock pooling and fossil hunting and now firmly added to my ‘next time’ list. Is there anywhere else I should add? Let me know, I’m always keen to hear about new, exciting or unusual places to explore!
