The only place you will find sand dunes in East Sussex is along the south coast in Camber Sands .. known for it's miles of sandy beaches and used for countless photo shoots and filming. I have done my share of fashion shoots down there but not for a few years so when there was an invitation to a beach party I was happy to have a different reason to revisit! Our friends own a property right on the beach and it is available for rent year round so even they have to book well in advance to use it! They were lucky they got a good week of warmth and sunshine, but on the day of the party torrential rain was forecast so in between the sunshine and clouds, we were treated to a good old thunder and lightning storm to go with the spit roast pig and birthday cake!
Camber is just 3 miles east of the medieval town of Rye. "Rye was once surrounded on three sides by the sea and its maritime
heritage dates back to Norman times. To defend it against frequent
attacks from the French, Rye became an ‘antient town’ of the powerful Cinque Ports Confederation." We stayed at The George in Rye hotel .. located right in the centre of town. It's a relatively small hotel and boasts that it is the most luxurious in Rye. It was really lovely but the downside was being woken by squawking seagulls at 3am! Rye is full of quaint little shops and there's plenty to see and do in the area. It's under 2 hours drive away from London making it very doable even for a day trip!
It's always nice to get away for a weekend but if you fancy a longer stay down there you could always check the availability of the beach house .. it would be a gorgeous winter break too if you like to be by the sea no matter what the weather.
