Tail End Cottage, Rye

About this property

Stay in this pretty cottage for three, hidden away in the heart of medieval Rye

An inviting cottage with a pretty garden, at the end of a cobbled twitten, close to the famous ‘Mermaid Inn’ in the quaint streets of Rye, East Sussex, the perfect bolt hole for exploring the town and surrounding areas.

You will find the cottage, warm and welcoming and winter evenings, with the open fire lit, will be hard to drag yourselves away from. The owners will leave a basket with coal or logs to get you started and extra logs can be purchased locally. You enter the cottage straight into the lounge, with a lovely large window, overlooking the garden. A dining table is provided here, and will accommodate four guests. The well equipped kitchen, has a small table for two, for a quiet, morning cup of tea before the rest of the house wakes. A coffee machine and all the usual equipment is supplied, making this a home from home.

Stairs lead from the kitchen to the bedrooms and shower room and are a little steep, as expected with a property of this age, so a hand rail is provided for your safety. The master bedroom to the front of the property overlooks the garden and the famous Mermaid Inn can be glimpsed from the window too. There is a separate wash basin in this room in addition to the main shower room. The modern shower room is bijou and is perfect for holiday use. The second bedroom is small but the Laura Ashley wallpaper and pretty floral bed throw, provide a comfy bedtime retreat. The bed in this bedroom is 4' wide, and make a very generous single bed.

From the kitchen, you have a door leading to the small courtyard, with table and chairs for enjoying balmy summer evenings. The property is dog friendly and the garden is safe and secure. You could also leave bicycles in the courtyard at the back of the cottage if you wished.

The cottage is only available for children from the age of six upwards but babies not yet mobile are allowed and a travel cot is available.

Although the cottage does not have parking facilities, local car parks are a five minute walk away and are inexpensive, details will be provided on booking.

Rye and beyond

Step out of your front door and you have a pretty tea room at the end of the row of terraces, handy if you don’t fancy cooking breakfast or for sampling their cake offerings after a day out exploring. You are perfectly situated for the local deli, banks, greengrocers, restaurants, pubs and everything else you would expect from a bustling high street.

A gentle stroll and you can visit the Heritage Centre where you can watch the town model's 'Sound and Light' show, which goes into detail about the history and the colourful past of Rye and its inhabitants. Or amble around the many antique shops in the Strand Quay and hunt out a bargain!

Just ten minutes drive away is the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, where you can walk along the sea wall and out on to the marshes to enjoy flora and fauna. You can choose to walk out to Camber Castle, originally located on a shingle spit, and where once it protected the towns of Rye and Winchelsea before the sea receded. Although no longer open to visitors, it is still a striking landmark worth a visit. The award winning beach of Camber Sands is just a short drive away and has miles of sandy beach and dunes to explore. Or visit the rockpools at low tide on the pebbly beach at Pett Level, just a 10 minute drive from Rye.

The towns of Hastings and Ashford are around a thirty minute drive away and here you can get mainline trains to London if you wish to explore the capital for a day. The towns of Tenterden and Canterbury are all within easy reach by car and are well worth a visit. If you would like to take a day trip to the continent, the Eurostar can be picked up from Ashford International station and trains to Paris, Lille and Brugge are available. Alternatively, the ferries run from Dover, just 45 minutes away, or the Channel Tunnel from Folkestone, a 45 minute drive.

Places to visit

Rye Heritage Centre

Great Dixter House and Gardens

Kent and East Sussex Railway

What’s on

Scallop Festival — Rye — February

Rye Arts Festival — September

Rye Bonfire — November

Local shop — 0.25 mile

Nearest Supermarket — 0.25 mile

Nearest Restaurant — 0.25 mile

Local Pub — within yards

Local bus service to Ashford, Tenterden and Hastings

Mainline rail service — Rye for services to Hastings, Brighton, Ashford, London

Gatwick airport — 50 miles