Shingle, saline lagoons and old gravel pits at the mouth of the Rother, and one of the best bird reserves on the south coast
Access unclearno public right of way confirmed — check locally before setting out
Flat shingle, flooded gravel pits and sea-facing scrub look like waste ground at first glance, but it’s exactly what certain birds want, and almost nowhere else provides it. Sussex Wildlife Trust manages the reserve for terns and avocets, which nest on the shingle and islands through spring and summer, and for the gulls that treat the place as a colony. Winter brings wildfowl to the flooded pits instead. The scenery here isn’t dramatic in the conventional sense: the birds don’t want drama, they want to be left alone, and a working shingle spit left alone is what this is.
Camber Castle, a short walk from the reserve, is a Tudor artillery fort that the retreating coastline has left well inland.
The village of Rye Harbour lost its entire lifeboat crew — all 17 of them — in a single rescue attempt in 1928, and the churchyard remembers them; it’s a sobering note in an otherwise easygoing walk.
Flat paths and a discovery centre to start from make this an easy reserve to visit without much planning, and Rye Station is a walkable couple of miles away. Winchelsea and Camber are both a short way along the coast if there’s time for more.
