12 minute read
Part 7 – Rye to Wye
Rye to Wye
PART SEVEN
Part 7:
Wye to Rye
60m 40m 20m 0m 0km
Distance: 44.3km Ascent: 290m
10km 20km 30km 40km
Highlights
• An optional short ride south to Winchelsea and Rye Harbour
• Fantastic cobbled streets and old medieval buildings in the historic and trendy, arty town of Rye • Excellent choice of independent cafés, pubs and restaurants in Rye • Sleeping inside the windmill (B&B) at Rye • Spotting oast houses and windmills in the rolling Kent countryside • Beautiful dappled light on trails through woodlands • The feeling of accomplishment as you arrive back in Wye at the end of your journey
Advice
• Rye is generally busy with pedestrians and vehicles, so it’s best to do your sightseeing on foot. You can then explore the cobbled streets, narrow alleys, historical sights and independent shops and cafés at your leisure • Beware of cars travelling quickly along the straight military road out of Rye • There are a number of off-road paths that may look tempting on the map, but be aware that a lot of these trails are rough, grassy field edges which aren’t easy or particularly enjoyable to cycle • In Ashford, watch out for pedestrians along the shared paths, and vehicles at the road crossings
Navigation
The one-way system out of Rye helps your initial departure, and then long, straight military roads take you a good third of the way to Ashford. From here you follow quiet, winding country roads, which allow for a relatively straightforward passage to Woodchurch. Some easy off-road riding delivers you to Shadoxhurst, where you then follow a signed cycle route to Ashford. More well-signposted, shared cycle and pedestrian paths guide you through and out of the town, to continue on more signed cycle trails along quiet country roads, following National Cycle Network (NCN) 18.
Nature
With the route now heading back inland, leaving behind the many species of birds attracted to the coast, your attention is drawn back to the butterflies and wild deer and – should you be out after dark – a number of different species of bat. You may spot some resident reptiles, such as the common lizard, slow worm, grass snake, smooth snake or even an adder, our only venomous snake in the UK. They are shy, but cyclists can often surprise and spot them basking in the sunshine in woodlands and heathlands, so keep an eye out and don’t run them over.
Rye
Area introduction and route summary
Rye’s name is believed to have come from the West Saxon word for ‘island’, and in medieval times it stood surrounded by sea, a fortified hilltop town on a huge embayment of the English Channel, called the Rye Camber. It provided a safe anchorage and harbour, probably as early as Roman times, and played an important role in the defence of the south coast.
Nowadays, warships have been replaced with fishing boats and leisure craft. In Tudor times, kings of England developed a standing navy, with the Cinque Ports providing men and ships to meet the military and transportation needs of their royal masters. The name comes from the Old French, meaning "five harbours”, which included Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich. However, after New Romney was damaged by a severe storm in 1287, its harbour silted up and the River Rother shifted course closer to Rye. As a result, New Romney rapidly lost importance and Rye, New Romney’s subsidiary, was raised to full Cinque status in the fifteenth century.
Rye to Woodchurch
You follow the one-way system through the pretty and bustling high street of Rye, but beware when turning into Church Square, as this is the start of the cobbled streets. They are challenging to ride, and although you could keep straight ahead and stay on the smooth road through the town, you would miss some of the beauty and attractions of Rye. Alternatively, if you are staying in the town, park your bike up and enjoy exploring the cobbled streets, alleyways, and shops by foot. The route passes around three cobbled sides of St Mary’s Church square. Built in the twelfth century, it includes a visitor centre and bell tower which you can climb to enjoy fine views across the town, although claustrophobes beware, it is tight in places. Just off the square sits Rye Castle Museum, also known as Ypres Tower, a venerable fourteenth century tower which offers views of the harbour, as well as exhibits and artefacts depicting medieval life inside, and the Gun Garden outside. Dating from 1249, this impressive Grade I medieval building was originally constructed as a defensive outpost, but has also been used as a garrison, prison, morgue and now as a museum. You continue to navigate along the cobbled streets between ancient buildings once the haunt of smugglers and highwaymen, and home to secret passages, passing the most popular and beautifully well-preserved street in Rye, Mermaid Street. Steeped in history and with many interesting stories, a visit to Rye shouldn’t be without a visit here. However, be warned, it is steep and cobbled, so best explored by foot. You can then visit the wonderful Mermaid Inn, with its smugglers’ roots, and experience a drink in the Giant’s Fireplace Bar, imagining how the local Hawkhurst Gang of smugglers from the 1730s and 1740s caroused in the bar.
The main building was rebuilt in 1420, after Rye was burnt to the ground by French raiders 43 years earlier, but the cellars date back to 1156. Can you spot the secret passageway entrance?
Ypres Tower
Lamb House
Lamb House, home to the American novelist Henry James and now managed by the National Trust, is on the route, in Rye town centre.
After descending to the quay, where the Rye Heritage Centre can be found with its 3D model of the town, experience a stroll along a Victorian pier and enjoy historic seaside penny arcade attractions. From here you have the option of a wonderful additional loop to the south, visiting Rye Harbour and Winchelsea (turn to the end of this section for more details).
Mermaid Street, Rye
Otherwise, continue to the right, following the one-way system leading you back around where you exit to the north end of town. After crossing the railway bridge, bear right to join the quieter, long straight military road, although the wonderful Globe Inn Marsh may delay the last leg of your journey no sooner than you’ve started it. Back on the move, the road runs parallel to the Royal Military Canal once more, where sadly the path off the road is a footpath, so you have no choice but to stay with the road. When the River Rother and Royal Military Canal split, a bridleway emerges alongside the Rother, but it’s a grassy track which gets progressively bumpier, so not great for cycling. However, on a dry, warm day, for those with bigger, comfier tyres, it could provide a quiet detour. Continue on the military road and into the village of Appledore, with options for refreshments if required. Carry on northwards along lovely country roads and passing through woods which cast a dappled light along your passage, into Woodchurch.
Woodchurch to Ashford
If you require refreshments, keep to the left where there is a shop, café and a pub, before a gentle climb delivers you to an off-road trail. The beautiful woodland byway has a firm gravel surface but might have some large puddles which are quite fun to negotiate. If you don’t fancy the risk of splashing your toes, you can stick to following NCN 18 along the road. After the village of Shadoxhurst we’re back onto the roads and following NCN 18. Past Chilmington, the cycle route turns left, but we turn right and visit the Singleton Environment Centre, with its inviting café with outdoor seating. The gravel track out of the back is a shared cycle/foot path through the houses which rejoins the road, before diving right into a park, along the edge of Singleton Lake and the Great Stour and a delightful traffic-free and leafy corridor through the town. The cycle path then continues through Victoria Park, following the peaceful Great Stour, away from the busy roads, right back to within metres of the Ashford International railway station. Less than an hour from London and with more than 70 trains per day to and from the capital, including nearly 30 Eurostar trains, it is certainly well connected. You continue along the traffic-free cycle paths, wending through green, leafy parks and past fashionable new houses and flats being built beside the river.
The River Stour
Also known as the Kentish Stour, this is the second longest river in Kent, rising from springs at the foot of the Greensand ridge in Lenham and flowing around 92km all the way to the North Sea at Pegwell Bay, near Sandwich.
Ashford to Wye
Following the East Stour river along a cycling and pedestrian walkway, separated by a faded white line (cyclists on the right, by the way) you immediately leave the busy streets of the town centre and flyovers above as you follow the right-hand side of the slow meandering river, heading north. The route follows this pleasant green corridor through the urban landscape, almost oblivious to the industrial and housing estates it passes, before ducking under the M20 and slowly leaving suburbia behind. As buildings start to thin out, and space opens up once more, you pass by some sports pitches, then stadiums, before country parks and fisheries lead you back into the countryside. The route now joins the tarmac of quiet country roads which wind their way along the valley bottom, parallel to the Great Stour, where you are guided by the NCN 18 signs. It’s an easy ride along the quiet country lanes, twisting and turning as you glide back to the village of Wye, where it all started a few days earlier. The quiet village may not have changed much, but no doubt you will feel quite different after your adventure, with a new understanding and appreciation for this unique and interesting corner of our country.
Agricultural Museum
If you are interested in farming and history, you may like to make a short detour before Wye, to the agricultural museum at Brook. Located in a Grade I listed barn and Grade II listed oast house, it is home to an impressive collection of Kent-related agricultural objects. Now owned and run by the Wye Rural Museum Trust, which was formed in 1996 to take over ownership of the museum buildings, you can explore and learn about the history, buildings and collections. You’ll be left in awe and admiration of those who produced our food many years ago.
Winchelsea Strand Gate
Winchelsea loop (16km)
If there isn’t much wind, this loop is great to ride in a clockwise direction, but if it is windy, riding anti-clockwise will give you the wind on your back along the coastal section. Heading south out of Rye, past Cockles and Dreams offering some tasty seafood treats, turn left and join the Harbour Road, opposite a hidden Martello tower. After passing an industrial estate, continue to Rye Harbour, which has a busy yachting centre, fishing fleet and some commercial shipping. The village has a lifeboat station with a long and noble history, and places for refreshments should you need them. The route turns off again by another Martello tower, and you enter the Rye Nature Reserve, onto the traffic-free NCN 2 trail. Shortly along here, you arrive at the stunning Rye Harbour Discovery Centre, which is worth a visit for further information and its pleasant café.
Here you’ll also find Camber Castle, which is open for guided tours but can only be reached by foot. Originally built by Henry VIII, additions were made later in 1542 to leave a large, concentric artillery fort, with a central keep, surrounded by four circular bastions and a circular entrance bastion, built from stone and brick. Within the nature reserve, which is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with its long shingle shoreline and marshland, there are a few bird hides where you can spend some time observing the wildlife, if you wish. Back on the bike, heading south, be sure to look out for the iconic Red Roofed Hut as you follow the line of the river to the coast, before turning to follow a long shingle beach. You pass an abandoned lifeboat house along the way, which now serves as a monument to the crew who lost their lives in a disaster in 1928, before arriving at Winchelsea Beach. You can cut the corner, heading inland along Dogs Hill Road, by the public toilets, or keep ahead for refreshments at Winchelsea Beach Café, a lovely place to stop for coffee and cake and with a good outside seating area. The ride now heads inland, following the road to Winchelsea. After the delightful old Suttons Fish Shop, you meet the A259, but quickly turn left, up a steep climb to Winchelsea village. Arriving at the village through the stunning medieval stone Strand Gate, take your time to stop and look, and get your breath back. The village was founded in 1288 as a port town to replace Old Winchelsea, which was overwhelmed by the sea during the thirteenth century. As one of the 'Ancient Towns' which joined the Cinque Port Confederation during the Hundred Years War in the twelfth century, the town was attacked by the French and Spanish, but its demise came with the gradual silting of its harbour. It’s a pleasant little village with a pub, motel and the medieval Church of St Thomas, plus a small museum which is open in the summer months. In the churchyard, you’ll find the grave of one of the village’s most famous former residents, the much-loved comedian Spike Milligan, with his famous epitaph: “I told you I was ill.” Leaving the village through another wonderful stone archway, take care joining the A259 and dropping down a steep hill. Don’t worry about making the super-sharp right-hand corner: you’re keeping straight ahead, passing Winchelsea train station. The 1066 Country Walk and NCN 2 merge here and take you parallel to the trainline, along the foot of Cadborough Cliff. This would have had you in the sea years ago, but now the flat cycle path delivers you with ease back into Rye to complete this interesting loop ride.
Camber Castle
