Rough Guide to Kent, Sussex & Surrey (Travel Guide eBook)

By Rough Guides

The Rough Guide to Kent, Sussex and Surrey

Make the most of your time on Earth with the ultimate travel guides.
World-renowned 'tell it like it is' travel guide.

Discover Kent, Sussex and Surrey with this comprehensive and entertaining travel guide, packed with practical information and honest recommendations by our independent experts. Whether you plan to shop in medieval Rye, laze on the dune-backed beach of West Wittering or marvel at the soaring interior of Canterbury Cathedral, The Rough Guide to Kent, Sussex and Surrey will help you discover the best places to explore, eat, drink, shop and sleep along the way.

Features of this travel guide to Kent, Sussex and Surrey:
- Detailed regional coverage: provides practical information for every kind of trip, from off-the-beaten-track adventures to chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas
- Honest and independent reviews: written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, our writers will help you make the most from your trip to Kent, Sussex and Surrey
- Meticulous mapping: practical full-colour maps, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys. Find your way around Hastings, Brighton and many more locations without needing to get online
- Fabulous full-colour photography: features inspirational colour photography, including the sweeping green hills and country lanes of the South Downs Way and the distinctive, unmissable conical 'hats' of typical Kent oast houses of Sissinghurst.
- Time-saving itineraries: carefully planned routes will help inspire and inform your on-the-road experiences
- Things not to miss: Rough Guides' rundown of Canterbury, Chichester, Broadstairs, and Alfriston's best sights and top experiences
- Travel tips and info: packed with essential pre-departure information including getting around, accommodation, food and drink, health, the media, festivals, sports and outdoor activities, culture and etiquette, shopping and more
- Background information: comprehensive 'Contexts' chapter provides fascinating insights Kent, Sussex and Surrey, with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary
- Covers: Canterbury and around; North Kent; East Kent; The Kent Weald; The Sussex High Weald; East Sussex Downs; Brighton; West Sussex; Surrey

You may also be interested in: The Rough Guide to Norfolk and Suffolk, The Rough Guide to The Cotswolds, The Rough Guide to Bath, Bristol and Somerset

About Rough Guides: Rough Guides have been inspiring travellers for over 35 years, with over 30 million copies sold globally. Synonymous with practical travel tips, quality writing and a trustworthy 'tell it like it is' ethos, the Rough Guides list includes more than 260 travel guides to 120+ destinations, gift-books and phrasebooks.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Jul 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839052576

Rough Guides

Rough Guides are written by expert authors who are passionate about both writing and travel. They have detailed knowledge of the areas they write about--having either traveled extensively or lived there--and their expertise shines through on every page. It's priceless information, delivered with wit and insight, providing the down-to-earth, honest read that is the hallmark of Rough Guides.

Book preview

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Contents

Introduction to Kent, Sussex & Surrey

Where to go

When to go

Author picks

things not to miss

Itineraries

Basics

Getting there

Getting around

Accommodation

Food and drink

Sports and outdoor activities

Festivals and events

Travel essentials

Canterbury and around

Canterbury

North of Canterbury

South of Canterbury

North Kent

The Medway towns

Faversham and around

Whitstable and around

Herne Bay and around

Isle of Thanet

East Kent

Sandwich and around

Deal

Dover and around

Folkestone

Hythe and around

Romney Marsh

The Kent Weald

Royal Tunbridge Wells

Around Royal Tunbridge Wells

Kent’s eastern High Weald

Sevenoaks and around

Maidstone and around

Ashford and around

The Sussex High Weald

Rye and around

Hastings and around

Battle

The eastern High Weald

Ashdown Forest

The western High Weald

East Sussex Downs

Eastbourne

Sussex Heritage Coast

Alfriston

From Alfriston to Lewes

Lewes and around

Ditchling and around

Brighton

Royal Pavilion and around

The seafront

Kemp Town

Hove

Out of the centre

West Sussex

Chichester and around

The Manhood Peninsula

Midhurst and around

Petworth

Arundel and around

Steyning and around

The coast: Bognor Regis to Shoreham-by-Sea

Surrey

Farnham and around

Guildford and around

Dorking and around

North Surrey

Contexts

History

Books

Small print

Map Symbols

Publishing information

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Introduction to Kent, Sussex & Surrey

Traditionally, the southeast corner of England was where London went on holiday. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, everyone from royalty to illicit couples enjoyed seaside fun at Brighton – a splash of saucy decadence in the bucolic county of Sussex – while trainloads of Eastenders were shuttled to the hop fields of Kent for a working break from the city, and boats ferried people down the Thames to the sands at Margate. Surrey has historically had a lower tourist profile, though its woodlands and hills have long attracted outdoors-lovers.

While many of its old seaside towns floundered in the late twentieth century – barring Brighton, which has always been in vogue – this stretch of England’s coast is in the throes of an exciting renaissance. It’s fashionable once more to enjoy the traditional resorts’ cheeky charms, and the more laidback appeal of the quieter seaside towns. The cliff-fringed coastline itself provides excellent walking, swimming and watersports, along with heaps of bucket-and-spade fun. Inland, ancient woodlands and sleepy villages preserve their picturesque appeal – there are even pockets of comparative wilderness, perhaps surprising in a relatively populous area so close to London. Sandwiched between the lofty chalk escarpments of the North and South Downs, a vast sweep is taken up by the largely rural Weald – the name comes from the Saxon wald, or forest, dating to the days when it was almost entirely covered by woodland.

This corner of the country is of huge historical significance, with the coast, just a hop away from the Continent, having served as a gateway for an array of invaders. Roman remains pepper the region – most spectacularly at Bignor and Fishbourne in Sussex and Lullingstone in Kent – and many roads, including the main A2 between London and Dover, follow the arrow-straight tracks laid by the legionaries. Christianity arrived in Britain on the Isle of Thanet (the northeast tip of Kent, long since rejoined to the mainland by silting and subsiding sea levels) and in 597 AD Augustine established a monastery at Canterbury, still the home of the Church of England. The last successful invasion of England, in 1066, took place in Sussex, when the Normans overran King Harold’s army at Battle near Hastings – and went on to leave their mark all over this corner of the kingdom, not least in a profusion of medieval castles. There are other important historic sights at every turn, from Tudor manor houses and sprawling Elizabethan and Jacobean estates to the old dockyards of Chatham, power base of the once invincible British navy.

You can also tackle some impressive long-distance walks, prime among them the glorious South Downs Way in Sussex and the gentler North Downs Way from Surrey to East Kent. Both Sussex and Kent – a county historically famed for its fruit and veg – are superb foodie destinations, with countless gastropubs, restaurants and farmers’ markets providing delicious local produce, from asparagus and wild cherries to fresh seafood and Romney Marsh lamb, as well as award-winning vineyards and breweries producing excellent wines and ales.

Where to go

On Kent’s north coast, the arty little fishing town of Whitstable, famed for its oysters, is a favourite getaway for weekending Londoners. Margate, gentrifying rapidly, and the charmingly retro Broadstairs make good bases on the Isle of Thanet, with its clean sandy bays, while the east coast has the low-key Georgian seaside town of Deal, the mighty Dover Castle, Folkestone – home to the art Triennial – and the strangely compelling shingle headland of Dungeness. Inland is the university city of Canterbury, where the venerable cathedral dominates a compact old centre crammed with medieval buildings, while Kent’s Weald boasts a wealth of historic houses, among them the mighty Knole estate and Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s childhood home, along with the glorious gardens at Sissinghurst, a stunning array planted by Vita Sackville-West. Exploring the many other historical attractions in the Weald – such as Winston Churchill’s estate at Chartwell or Charles Darwin’s family home at Down House – could fill a long and happy weekend; the Georgian town of Royal Tunbridge Wells makes an appealing base, as do countless peaceful villages.

The jewel of Sussex is the South Downs National Park, a glorious sweep of rolling downland that stretches from Hampshire into Sussex, meeting the sea at the iconic chalk cliffs of Beachy Head and Seven Sisters. There’s wonderful walking along the Downs, not least along the South Downs Way, but equally rewarding are the less-tramped pockets of countryside, from the gorse-peppered heathland of Ashdown Forest on the edge of the sleepy High Weald to the sandstone cliffs of the Hastings County Park on the coast.

Art along the coast

One of the defining features of the Kent and Sussex coastline is its crop of exciting art galleries, which with their cutting-edge architecture and top-notch collections have brought fresh energy and glamour to the faded seaside towns of the Southeast. Regenerating ailing coastal communities with high-profile buildings is no new thing, of course – the De La Warr Pavilion (1935), Bexhill’s Modernist icon, was built partly for that very reason, although it was originally an entertainment hall and not a gallery. Within a couple of decades it had fallen into decline, but a gorgeous restoration in 2005 saw it brought back to life. Nearby, in Hastings, the Jerwood (relaunched as the Hastings Contemporary in 2019), whose shimmering black-tiled exterior echoes the look of the local fishing huts, opened in 2012 to display a modern British collection, and has played an important part in the upwards trajectory of that town. Even Eastbourne, more associated with OAPs than YBAs, has the Towner, open since the 1920s but moved in 2009 to a sleek new location. In Kent, the Turner Contemporary was instrumental in returning a smile to the face of once-merry Margate, and Folkestone’s highly rated Triennial – a major public show that has featured artists from Tracey Emin to Cornelia Parker, first staged in 2008 – has become a major event.

In East Sussex, buzzy Brighton, a university town with a blowsy good-time atmosphere, makes an irresistible weekend destination, as does handsome Lewes, in the heart of the South Downs; Hastings, east along the coast, is an up-and-coming seaside town with lots to recommend it, including a pretty Old Town and the scruffy but hip St Leonards neighbourhood to explore. On the edge of lonely Romney Marsh, picturesque Rye, with its cobbled streets and medieval buildings, lies within minutes of the family-friendly beach of Camber Sands. In West Sussex, the attractive hilltop town of Arundel, surrounded by unspoilt countryside, boasts a magnificent castle; Midhurst – headquarters of the South Downs National Park– is surrounded by gorgeous scenery and plenty of foodie pubs; while the lovely old cathedral town of Chichester, set between the sea and the South Downs, makes a perfect base for exploring the creeks and mudflats of Chichester Harbour and dune-backed West Wittering beach. Like Kent, Sussex abounds in great landscaped estates and gardens, among them seventeenth-century Petworth House, with its vast parkland roamed by deer, the Capability Brown-designed Sheffield Park, sprawling Wakehurst Place and the informal, imaginative garden at Great Dixter.

While Surrey boasts some attractive market towns, the chief appeal is in the Surrey Hills, in the North Downs, where ramblers and cyclists enjoy bluebell woods, mellow chalk grasslands and unspoiled hamlets such as Shere or Peaslake. The wild heathlands of the Devil’s Punchbowl feel very different, but are equally good for walking. The county’s main sights include the Denbies vineyard, where you can tour the winery and enjoy tastings; the stunning Arts and Crafts Watts Gallery Artists’ Village; and the great gardens of RHS Wisley, dating back to Victorian times.

Bluebell woods, Surrey

AWL Images

When to go

Kent, Sussex and Surrey often feel slightly warmer than the rest of the country, and the Sussex coast in particular sees a lot of sunshine – Eastbourne is regularly cited as the sunniest place on the UK mainland. Weather-wise, the summer is the best time to head for the coast, though it can get crowded – and more expensive – at this time, as well as at weekends and during the school holidays. Travel during the week, if you can, or book well in advance. Spring can be a lovely season, especially for ramblers and cyclists, with the wildflowers in bloom; given the profusion of woodlands, autumn is frequently glorious, with great banks of fiery foliage set off by bright skies and crisp air. Winter tends to be quiet, and is an ideal time to snuggle up with a pint of real ale in a country pub, or to enjoy the strange allure of an off-season English seaside town.

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Author picks

Our author recommendations don’t end here. We’ve flagged up our favourite places – a perfectly sited hotel, an atmospheric café, a special restaurant – throughout the Guide, highlighted with the ê symbol.

Our authors have explored every corner of Kent, Sussex and Surrey, and here they share some of their favourite experiences.

Unique accommodation B&Bs are all very well, but for the utmost in unusual stays, try Margate’s Walpole Bay Hotel (see page 96), the quirky experiences at Port Lympne (see page 121) and Knepp Castle estate (see page 239), the Belle Tout lighthouse at Beachy Head (see page 181) or the Old Railway Station, Petworth (see page 233).

Quirky churches There are some real gems in this region. Track down the Marc Chagall windows in Tudeley Church (see page 134), St Thomas à Becket, stranded in Romney Marsh (see page 122), and the beautiful Berwick Church with its Bloomsbury Group murals (see page 187).

Seaside fun Enjoy simple, old-fashioned pleasures at our favourite retro gelaterias – Morelli’s in Broadstairs (see page 100) and Fusciardi's in Eastbourne (see page 180) – and while away a day crabbing at Whitstable (see page 85), East Head (see page 227) or Bosham (see page 226).

Vintage finds You can grab fabulous retro gladrags and funky vintage furnishings in Margate’s Old Town (see page 92), along Harbour Street in Whitstable (see page 85) and in North Laine in Brighton (see page 200).

Jack in the Green festival, Hastings

Shutterstock

Festivals and events The Rochester Sweeps (see page 79), Jack-in-the-Green, Hastings (see page 162), Lewes Bonfire Night (see page 192) and the Bognor Birdman (see page 240): all fabulous fun and just a tiny bit bonkers.

Watts Chapel ceiling detail

Alamy

Art off the beaten track The region has its fair share of big-hitting arty attractions (the Turner, Pallant Gallery and Charleston Farmhouse, to name but a few), but just as rewarding are the lesser-known gems of Ditching Museum of Art + Craft (see page 194), Farleys House and Gallery (see page 168), Derek Jarman’s garden in Dungeness (see page 123) and the Watts Gallery Chapel in Surrey (see page 248).

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20

things not to miss

It’s not possible to see everything that Kent, Sussex and Surrey have to offer in one trip – and we don’t suggest you try. What follows, in no particular order, is a selective taste of the region’s highlights, including gorgeous beaches, outstanding beauty spots, historic big-hitters and compelling cultural experiences. All highlights are colour-coded by chapter and have a page reference to take you straight into the Guide, where you can find out more.

Shutterstock

1 The seven sisters and beachy head

See page 181

The iconic, soaring Seven Sisters cliffs are the scenic highlight of the South Downs National Park.

Visit Kent

2 CHARTWELL

See page 141

Winston Churchill’s country estate offers fascinating insights into the man, along with lovely grounds and local woodlands to explore.

Chris Christoforou/Rough Guides

3 THE TURNER CONTEMPORARY

See page 93

The high-profile modern gallery that kick-started Margate’s rebirth hosts excellent temporary exhibitions, and all for free.

Alamy

4 THE DEVIL’S Punch Bowl

See page 247

Wild, raw and a little eerie – this Surrey heath is one of the county’s more dramatic beauty spots.

Shutterstock

5 RYE

See page 151

Beautifully preserved medieval town packed with good hotels, restaurants and independent shops, with Camber Sands’ beachy fun just minutes away.

Alamy

6 WEST WITTERING

See page 227

A splendidly uncommercialized dune-backed beach offering miles of sand and excellent watersports.

Alamy

7 THE GOODS SHED

See page 67

In a region packed with fabulous farmers’ markets, Canterbury’s foodhall and restaurant tops them all.

Peter Durant/arcblue.com

8 PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY

See page 221

Chichester’s modern art gallery offers a stupendous British collection in an elegant Georgian building with an airy, modern extension.

Getty Images

9 Vineyards

See page 136

English wine is going from strength to strength, and some of the very best is produced right here in the Southeast.

Chris Christoforou/Rough Guides

10 CHARLESTON FARMHOUSE

See page 186

The country base for the bohemian Bloomsbury Group, Charleston is a riot of ebullient decoration.

Chris Christoforou/Rough Guides

11 PROSPECT COTTAGE

See page 123

Derek Jarman’s shingle beach garden typifies the strange, unsettling allure of Dungeness.

Chris Christoforou/Rough Guides

12 HASTINGS

See page 156

From its charming Old Town and still-working fishing quarter to its modern art gallery, independent shops and reimagined pier, there’s a lot to love about this seaside town.

Visit Kent

13 BROADSTAIRS FOLK WEEK

See page 99

A packed schedule of gigs brings a spirit of folksy anarchy to this pretty coastal resort.

Chris Christoforou/Rough Guides

14 CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL

See page 59

Mother Church of the Church of England, Canterbury Cathedral has an extraordinarily rich history.

Chris Christoforou/Rough Guides

15 BOTANY BAY

See page 95

With its towering chalk stacks, this is the most dramatic of Thanet’s superb sandy beaches.

Shutterstock

16 BRIGHTON

See page 196

The Southeast’s favourite seaside city offers year-round fun beyond its famous beach, with great food and nightlife and an irresistible bohemian vibe.

Alamy

17 PETWORTH HOUSE

See page 232

This magnificent stately home boasts an astonishing hoard of art treasures and a deer park designed by Capability Brown.

Chris Christoforou/Rough Guides

18 DOVER CASTLE

See page 112

You could spend a long, busy day in this vast fortress, exploring medieval tunnels, an Anglo-Saxon church, royal apartments and an underground World War II hospital.

Alamy

19 SISSINGHURST

See page 137

Vita Sackville-West’s ebullient, romantic garden is a blaze of colour, contrasts and surprising plantings.

Chris Christoforou/Rough Guides

20 ALFRISTON

See page 184

With a beautiful setting, this is the picturesque village to end them all, with a village green, cosy smuggling inns and good local walks.

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Itineraries

Create your own itinerary with Rough Guides. Whether you’re after adventure or a family-friendly holiday, we have a trip for you, with all the activities you enjoy doing and the sights you want to see. All our trips are devised by local experts who get the most out of the destination. Visit www.roughguides.com/trips to chat with one of our travel agents.

Kent, Sussex and Surrey are wonderfully diverse, and these itineraries take in a variety of different pleasures – from lively seaside fun in Brighton to a wealth of amazing historical sights and some of England’s finest gardens. Mixing the big names with secret gems, they should help you discover some of the richness and diversity of this lovely region.

A Weekend in Brighton

FRIDAY NIGHT

Dinner Start off the weekend in style with seafood and a sea view at the Salt Room restaurant. See page 208

Komedia Head to the hip Komedia theatre to catch some comedy or live music. See page 213

SATURDAY

Royal Pavilion Set aside a full morning to take in the splendours of George IV’s pleasure palace by the sea. See page 199

The Lanes and North Laine Spend the afternoon exploring the independent shops of the Lanes and North Laine, and grab a roll from the Flour Pot Bakery for lunch. See pages 200 and 209

Dinner Book a seat at the counter at 64 Degrees to enjoy some memorably inventive cooking. See page 208

Nightlife Head out on the town – Brighton is positively bursting at the seams with über-cool bars and clubs, as well as a great collection of traditional boozers. A top spot to start the night is The Plotting Parlour cocktail bar. See page 212

SUNDAY

Brunch Try the Compass Point Eatery or Redroaster for a lazy brunch. See pages 208 and 210

The seafront Amble to the end of the kitsch Brighton Pier, swoop up the i360 tower or burn off the breakfast calories with a game of beach volleyball. See page 202

Duke of York’s cinema If it’s raining, hunker down at Brighton’s independent cinema, or take in the exhibits at the Brighton Museum. See pages 213 and 200

The South Downs If you fancy a complete change of scene, hop on a bus to Devil’s Dyke or Ditchling Beacon (20min) for splendid walks and some of the finest views in the South Downs National Park. See pages 195 and 194

The History Tour

There are enough historical attractions in Kent, Sussex and Surrey to fill a trip of three weeks or more. Here we cover the biggest hitters on a tour that could easily last a fortnight.

1 Chatham Historic Dockyard Explore historic ships, art and a working Victorian ropery in the colossal dockyard from England’s Great Age of Sail. See page 80

2 Canterbury With three sights – including the mighty cathedral and the ancient abbey – comprising a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this venerable city is full of historic splendour. You’ll need a couple of days to do it justice. See page 57

3 Dover Castle The mighty cliffside fortress packs in millennia of history, from its Roman lighthouse to its claustrophobic World War II bunkers. See page 112

4 Battle Abbey Site of the most famous battle ever fought on English soil, the 1066 Battle of Hastings, which saw the end of Anglo-Saxon England. See page 165

5 Royal Pavilion, Brighton Opulent, quirky and marvellously OTT, George IV’s Regency pavilion is quite unlike any other palace in the country. See page 199

6 Fishbourne Roman Palace Head west to Chichester to visit the largest and best-preserved Roman dwelling north of the Alps. See page 224

7 Petworth House Seventeenth-century Baroque mansion, with sweeping parkland landscaped by Capability Brown – and immortalized by J.M.W. Turner. See page 232

8 Polesden Lacey Elegant and utterly Edwardian, with wonderful grounds just perfect for picnicking. See page 250

9 Knole The fifteenth-century childhood home of Vita Sackville-West, eulogized in literature and film, is an immense treasure-trove with an irresistible, faded beauty. See page 137

The Garden of England

All three counties are heaven for garden fans, with a wide variety, from formal to natural, to inspire even the most tentative of gardeners. The following are the must-sees, visitable in a busy week; there are many more.

1 Sissinghurst Abundant, romantic, nostalgic, witty – the bohemian cottage garden to top them all, designed by Vita Sackville-West and her husband. See page 137

2 Prospect Cottage, Dungeness The late Derek Jarman’s windswept shingle patch is a poignant, artistic memorial to an extraordinary filmmaker. See page 123

3 Great Dixter The innovative, experimental garden of the late, great Christopher Lloyd features informal garden rooms set around a Wealden hall house, and is still very much living and evolving. See page 166

4 Sheffield Park Beautiful at any time of year but especially famed for its autumn colours, when banks of flaming foliage are reflected in the mirror-like surfaces of the landscaped garden’s lakes. See page 170

5 Wakehurst Place A short hop from Sheffield Park, the country estate of Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens is a glorious 465-acre site taking in formal gardens, meadows, woodland, lakes and wetlands. See page 172

6 Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden An offbeat hideaway, with modern sculptures dotted around wild, lush woodland. See page 251

7 RHS Wisley The Horticultural Society's flagship offers a huge amount, including a giant glasshouse and all manner of experimental gardens, plus an excellent shop. See page 251

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Basics

Getting there

With London on their doorstep, the Eurotunnel at their eastern end, and Gatwick – Britain’s second-largest international airport – to the west, Kent, Sussex and Surrey are easily accessible by air, road or rail, with excellent transport connections that include the country’s first high-speed rail line, in Kent.

Walkers on the South Downs Way, Sussex

Chris Christoforou/Rough Guides

By car

From the M25 London Orbital, several major roads strike off south: the A2/M2 to Canterbury and the North Kent coast; the M20 to Folkestone; and the M23/A23 to Brighton. The A27 runs west–east roughly parallel to the coast, giving access to coastal towns including Chichester, Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings, though it can be slow going – the sixty-odd miles between Chichester and Hastings can take up to three hours to drive.

By train

Kent and the easternmost part of Sussex are served by Southeastern trains. By far the quickest way to travel into Kent is on Southeastern’s regular high-speed services: one line zips from London St Pancras to Ashford International, taking under forty minutes; the other runs along the North Kent coast via Rochester, Faversham, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, before heading inland to Canterbury and Ashford and across to Folkestone. There are also regular, slower services into Kent from London Bridge, Charing Cross, Waterloo and Victoria.

Sussex destinations served by Southeastern include Hastings (from Charing Cross or St Pancras via Ashford), Rye (St Pancras via Ashford) and Battle (Charing Cross). Hastings is also, along with the rest of Sussex, and parts of Surrey, served by Southern Railways. Southern’s fast service to Brighton from London Victoria takes just fifty minutes; the company also runs trains from Southampton along the coast to Brighton, and from London Victoria to Eastbourne, Lewes, Arundel, Littlehampton and Chichester. You can also reach Brighton from London Victoria on the Gatwick Express, and from London Bridge and St Pancras International on Thameslink.

Southern also offers a service from London Victoria to Dorking in Surrey; elsewhere, the county is served by South Western Railway, with services from London Waterloo to Farnham, Guildford and Dorking.

By bus

National Express (http://nationalexpress.com) runs coaches from London’s Victoria Coach Station to Kent (including Ashford, Canterbury, Deal, Dover, Folkestone, Hythe, Maidstone, Margate, Ramsgate, Rochester and Tunbridge Wells), Sussex (Battle, Bexhill, Bognor Regis, Brighton, Chichester, Eastbourne, Hastings, Littlehampton, Shoreham and Worthing) and Guildford in Surrey.

By plane

Gatwick Airport, just north of Crawley in Sussex, is Britain’s second-largest international airport, and has good rail connections on to Brighton and other destinations within Sussex.

By ferry, Eurotunnel and Eurostar

Ferries run from France to Dover (http://doverport.co.uk) and Newhaven (just east of Brighton; http://newhavenferryport.co.uk). P&O Ferries (http://poferries.com) and DFDS (http://dfdsseaways.co.uk) operate the Calais-to-Dover route (hourly; 1hr 30min), and DFDS also runs services from Dunkirk to Dover (hourly; 2hr) and Dieppe to Newhaven (3–4 daily; 4hr). Consult http://directferries.com, http://ferrybooker.com or http://seaview.co.uk for up-to-date information, bookings and offers.

Often quicker and more convenient are the drive-on/drive-off shuttle trains operated by Eurotunnel (http://eurotunnel.com) through the Channel Tunnel from Calais to Folkestone (35min). Book well ahead for the lowest prices, which start at less than €80 for a car with all passengers.

The Eurostar train service (http://eurostar.co.uk) runs through the Channel Tunnel from Brussels, Amsterdam, Lille and Paris – plus, less frequently, from the south of France – to London St Pancras, with some trains stopping at Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International in Kent.

Getting around

Getting from A to B by public transport is generally pretty straightforward in Kent, Sussex and Surrey, at least when it comes to towns; the problem comes in getting to off-the-beaten-track attractions or villages deep in the countryside, which might only be served by one solitary bus, or involve a long hike from the nearest train station, making travel in anything but a car distinctly challenging.

Fortunately, some of the region’s loveliest countryside – including Devil’s Dyke, Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters in the South Downs National Park – has good public transport connections, and there is a huge range of wonderful long-distance walking and cycling routes too (see page 46).

Throughout the Guide we give public transport information for sights and attractions that are served by regular buses or trains.

By train

There are good connections around Kent, Sussex and Surrey with Southeastern, which covers Kent and the easternmost part of Sussex around Hastings, and runs the country’s only high-speed rail services; Southern Railways, which serves the rest of Sussex and some of Surrey; and South Western Railway, which covers Surrey. The essential first call for information on routes, timetables, fares and special offers is National Rail Enquiries.

The key to getting the best fares is to book early and buy an advance ticket, which is only valid on the date and time specified; the most expensive tickets are anytime tickets bought on the day, which permit flexible travel on any train. You can buy tickets in person at train stations, or by phone or online from any train operator or simply by using a quick and easy online booking site like http://thetrainline.com; the National Rail Enquiries website also offers direct links from its journey planner for purchasing specific fares. Bear in mind that some journeys (for example Hastings to London) are covered by more than one train operator, and an advance ticket bought from one operator will not be valid on the route run by the other. It’s worth noting, too, that if you are travelling on one of the high-speed services operated by Southeastern you’ll need a high-speed ticket, or else will be required to pay a supplement.

If you’re spending time in Kent it may pay to buy the Kent Rover travel pass, which gives you three consecutive days of unlimited train travel on Southeastern for £45 per adult (with up to four kids at £5 each).

Finally, it’s worth bearing in mind that the region’s heritage railways can be a useful means of getting to attractions otherwise not easily accessible, as well as being fun trips in their own right; the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (see page 122) is a good way of getting to and from Dungeness; the Kent & East Sussex Railway (see page 139) connects Tenterden in Kent to the picture-perfect Bodiam Castle just over the border; and the Bluebell Railway (see page 171) links East Grinstead mainline station in Sussex with Sheffield Park.

By bus

The bus network in Kent is split into two: Stagecoach covers the east and south of the county, including Ashford, the Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable triangle, Dover, Deal, Faversham, Folkestone and Hythe; and Arriva covers the west and north, including Gravesend, the Isle of Sheppey, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and the Medway towns.

In Sussex and Surrey, buses are run by a variety of operators including Arriva, Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company (which cover the surrounding area as well as the city itself), Compass Bus, Metrobus, Southdown Buses and Stagecoach, as well as smaller community operators. East Sussex County Council’s website has links to bus timetables and a useful interactive bus map (http://eastsussex.gov.uk; search for bus timetables and maps); West Sussex County Council (http://westsussex.gov.uk) lists local bus operators; and Surrey County Council’s site (http://surreycc.org.uk) has an extensive section on local buses, including links to timetables.

In most cases, timetables and routes are well integrated. Buses between towns tend to be frequent and regular, but services can be sketchy once you get into the countryside, and on Sundays they sometimes dry up altogether.

Tickets are bought on board the bus, and it’s generally cheaper to buy a return ticket than two single fares – check with the driver. Children under 5 travel free, and older children will generally pay half or two-thirds of the fare. For any but the shortest hops it’s worth considering a Discovery ticket, which is accepted by all of the main bus operators in Kent, Sussex and Surrey; day tickets cost £9 per adult, £7.20 per child, or you can buy a family day ticket for £17.50.

The impartial official service Traveline has full details and timetable information for every bus route in Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

By car

Once you get away from the main towns and the coast, driving is, inevitably, the easiest way to get around the region – and in the case of many off-the-beaten-track attractions, it’s the only practical means of transport.

If you are driving, keep plenty of change handy; some towns do still offer free parking but they’re few and far between, and parking machines and meters never offer change (though increasingly, cards are also accepted). Pay-and-display car parks are generally cheaper than on-street meters. Both Brighton and Canterbury offer park-and-ride schemes, which can be a useful way to bypass the stress of parking, especially in Brighton where parking charges have risen through the roof in recent years.

The main car rental companies have branches all over the region; expect to pay around £60 for a weekend or from £120 per week. The price comparison website http://carrentals.co.uk is a good first port of call.

The AA (http://theaa.com), RAC (http://rac.co.uk) and Green Flag (http://greenflag.co.uk) all operate 24-hour emergency breakdown services and offer useful online route planners. You can make use of these emergency services if you are not a member of the organization, but you will need to become a member at the roadside and will also incur a hefty surcharge.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONTACTS

Arriva 0344 800 4411, http://arrivabus.co.uk

Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company 01273 886200, http://buses.co.uk

Compass Travel 01903 690025, www.compass-travel.co.uk

Metrobus 01293 449191, http://metrobus.co.uk

National Express 0871 781 8181, http://nationalexpress.com

National Rail Enquiries 0845 748 4950, http://nationalrail.co.uk

Southdown Buses 01342 719619, http://southdown.net

Southeastern 0345 322 7021, http://southeasternrailway.co.uk

Southern Railway 0345 127 2920, http://southernrailway.co.uk

South Western Railway 0345 600 0650, http://southwesternrailway.com

Stagecoach 0345 600 2299, http://stagecoachbus.com

Traveline 0871 200 2233, http://travelinesoutheast.org.uk

Accommodation

Kent, Sussex and Surrey offer a good range of attractive accommodation, from simple guesthouses to cosy village pubs, luxurious country retreats and cool boutique hotels. Camping is a good option, with glampers particularly well catered for in Sussex.

It is usually best to book in advance, especially in summer, and at certain times it’s essential. Accommodation in Brighton, and all the seaside towns, is at a premium on summer weekends while festivals such as the Whitstable Oyster Festival, Broadstairs Folk Week and the Goodwood events near Chichester fill up their towns very fast. Some places impose a minimum stay of two nights at the weekend and/or in high season – this is practically universal in Brighton and the bigger seaside destinations, but can also be true of some of the more remote guesthouses or glampsites, too – though these conditions can often be waived at the last minute if an establishment has not filled its rooms. Most accommodation options offer free wi-fi as standard; we’ve stated in the Guide where this is not the case.

ACCOMMODATION PRICES

For all accommodation reviewed in this guide we provide high season (July–Sept) weekend prices, quoting the lowest price for one night’s stay in a double or twin room in a hotel or B&B, the price of a dorm bed (and a double room, where available) in a hostel, and, unless otherwise stated, the cost of a pitch in a campsite. For self-catering, we quote the lowest rate you might pay per night in high season for the whole property – and we’ve made it clear where there is a minimum stay. Rates in hotels and B&Bs may well drop between Sunday and Thursday, or if you stay more than one night.

Hotels, inns and B&Bs

Hotels run the gamut from opulent country piles to (quite) cheap and (mostly) cheerful seaside guesthouses. The absolute minimum you can expect to pay is around £70 for a reasonable double room in a simple B&B, rising up to at least £200 for something more luxurious, be it a country manor set in its own grounds or a sleek sea-view affair in Brighton. For a good level of comfort, service and atmosphere you’re looking at paying about £80–100, though of course there are exceptions.

Though we have quoted prices in our reviews (see page 42), it is increasingly the case that rates are calculated according to demand, with online booking engines such as http://lastminute.com and http://booking.com often offering discounts on last-minute reservations, and establishments raising or lowering their prices according to how busy they predict they might be.

Staying in a B&B will generally, but by no means always, be cheaper than a hotel, and will certainly be more personal. While often little more than a couple of rooms in someone’s house, many B&Bs aim to offer something special, and the houses themselves may well be part of the appeal – a converted oast house in Kent, for example, or a Sussex lighthouse. In Surrey, certainly, staying in a rural B&B is by far the best accommodation option, allowing you to see the best of the county. Tea- and coffee-making facilities, en-suite or private bathrooms and a hearty breakfast are generally standard – at least in the places featured in the Guide – and many will offer luxurious extras such as fluffy robes and posh bath products. Another good option, especially for foodies, is to stay in a restaurant (or gastropub) with rooms. Here the focus is mainly on the meal, which will invariably be good, with the added luxury of an extremely short and easy trip up to bed after dinner. Restaurants with rooms often offer meal-plus-bed deals, and a delicious breakfast to boot, which can prove good value.

Hostels

Even for those who can’t face the idea of bunking up with snoring strangers, hostel accommodation is well worth considering. Most hostels nowadays, whether owned by the Youth Hostels Association (YHA) or independently run, have shaken off their institutional boy scouts/backpackers-only image, and offer a mix of dorms – with anything from four to twelve beds – as well as simple double, triple or family rooms.

There are nine YHA (http://yha.org.uk) hostels in Kent, Sussex and Surrey: two in Kent – in Canterbury and out in the countryside near Gillingham; five in Sussex – Brighton, Eastbourne, Littlehampton, Southease (near Lewes) and Shoreham; and two in the Surrey Hills near Dorking. YHA hostels can offer very good value, especially for families. Many are in glorious rural locations, making great bases for walking or cycling holidays, and the costs (rates vary according to season and demand) are very competitive, with double rooms from as little as £30. Facilities, and atmosphere, vary; most have self-catering kitchens and some also have cafés, but all are reliable, clean and safe. Wi-fi provision, though free, also varies – where it does exist, it might only be available in communal areas. The YHA is a member organization, part of the global HI (Hostelling International) group, and members receive a 10 percent discount on bookings, which includes anyone travelling with you. Annual membership costs £20 for an individual.

There are also a handful of independent hostels and camping barns (http://independenthostels.co.uk) in the region. Of these, the Kipps hostels, in Brighton and Canterbury, are both highly recommended.

Camping

Camping is an excellent option in Kent and Sussex, whether you want a simple, wild camping experience, pitching your own tent in a car-free field, or a more luxurious all-in glamping holiday, snuggling up in a tipi, a compact shepherd’s hut or a vintage Airstream caravan. Smaller, quieter sites dominate the scene, with a number of beautifully situated camps in bucolic countryside – in the North and South Downs, say, or on the clifftops along the east coast – though there are larger caravan sites clustered around the more popular seaside destinations such as Camber and the Thanet resorts. Sussex in particular has taken up the glamping trend with relish, with some of the best-equipped and most enjoyable sites in the country.

Most campsites close in the winter, though exact dates vary according to the weather during any one year; we’ve included the closing months in our reviews. Prices for pitches start at as little as £7 per person for the most basic site, but you could pay as much as £280 for a couple of nights in your own two-yurt hideaway, warmed by a wood-burner with kitchen and shower.

Several small outfits offer VW campers, or glampervans, which typically cost from £90 per night; check out http://beachwoodcamperhire.co.uk (Kent), http://activekampers.co.uk (East Sussex) or http://retrocampervan.com (Surrey). For an offbeat night, you could try champing in Kent or Surrey – setting up camp in an ancient church, with breakfast provided (April–Sept only; http://champing.co.uk).

TOP FIVE CAMPSITES

Blackberry Wood Sussex. See page 195

Palace Farm Kent. See page 85

The Warren Kent. See page 120

Welsummer Kent. See page 145

WOWO Sussex. See page 173

Self-catering

Self-catering, whether in a rural cottage for two, a city-centre apartment or a family house by the sea, invariably proves cheaper than staying in a hotel and offers far more flexibility. Where once a week-long stay was standard, many places nowadays offer breaks of as little as one night, though there will usually be at least a two-night minimum stay at weekends and in the summer. Depending on the season, you can expect to pay around £375 a week for a small, out-of-the-way cottage or maybe three or four times that for a larger property in a popular spot. Note that properties owned by the National Trust and Landmark Trust, which are in historically significant and beautiful buildings, tend to be pricier than other options and are often booked up long in advance.

SELF-CATERING AGENCIES

Bramley & Teal http://bramleyandteal.co.uk. Stylish cottages in East Sussex and Kent, with good searches including ecofriendly and dog-friendly.

Cottages.com http://cottages.com. Wide range of properties in the region, including some in Surrey.

Farm Stay UK http://farmstay.co.uk. Self-catering – plus B&B, bunkhouses and camping – on working farms throughout the region.

Kent & Sussex Holiday Cottages www.kentandsussexcottages.co.uk. More than three hundred pretty apartments, cottages and houses, on a user-friendly website with handy filters and searches for luxury, seaside and family-friendly properties.

Landmark Trust http://landmarktrust.org.uk. A preservation charity that has converted historically important properties into characterful accommodation – from tiny Tudor cottages to Arts and Crafts mansions.

Mulberry Cottages http://mulberrycottages.com. Upmarket self-catering focused on the south of England; there’s a particularly good selection in Kent.

National Trust http://nationaltrustcottages.co.uk. The NT owns many cottages, houses and farmhouses, most of which are set in the gardens or grounds of their own properties – the eight or so in Kent, Sussex and Surrey include an Arts and Crafts style apartment in Standen House.

Stilwell’s Cottages Direct http://cottagesdirect.co.uk. A good choice of properties in Kent and Sussex, with direct booking.

Food and drink

You’re never far from somewhere really good to eat in Kent and Sussex, whether you want a simple Ploughman’s lunch in a pub garden or exquisite Michelin-starred destination dining; Surrey, too, has its fair share of classy gastropubs and restaurants. Kent and Sussex, in particular, have embraced the local food movement with gusto, with countless gastropubs and restaurants sourcing food locally, naming their suppliers, and even growing their own.

Kent, which is traditionally famed for its fruit growing, still produces delicious veg, soft fruits and juices, along with fish and seafood – Whitstable’s oysters are famed – tasty lamb fed on the nutrient-rich Romney Marsh and lots of good cheeses. Sussex, too, offers fresh juices, artisan cheeses and Romney lamb, with fresh fish from the Hastings fleet and scallops from Rye Bay. Surrey has yet to attach itself to slow food principles with such vigour, but most of its best restaurants will list ingredients that have made the quick hop across the border from Kent and Sussex.

This part of the country is also excellent for real ale and wine – along with a couple of major historic breweries there are scores of local microbreweries and award-winning vineyards producing delicious tipples, and no shortage of traditional country pubs or good restaurants where you can enjoy them. For more on local food see http://producedinkent.co.uk, www.sussexfoodawards.biz and http://southdownsfood.org.

LOCAL SPECIALITIES

Cobnuts This tasty Kentish hazelnut, harvested between mid-August and October, can be bought at local farmers’ markets and found as an ingredient on menus throughout the county.

Fruit Kent’s mild climate and rich soil provide excellent conditions for growing fruit. Wild cherries have been eaten here since prehistoric times, and cherry and apple trees were planted by the Romans and the Normans, but it was Henry VIII who really developed a taste for fruit and veg varieties as we recognize them today. In 1533 he employed the first royal fruiterer to plant orchards in Teynham, a few miles west of Faversham, and the county, the fruitbowl of England, never looked back.

Hops Though the industry has declined drastically in the last sixty-odd years, Kent in particular still has a strong emotional attachment to the hop, which was such a crucial part of the economy in the nineteenth century (see page 130). Local breweries, including the venerable Shepherd Neame in Kent and Harvey’s in Sussex, still use local hops in their beers, and you can also buy live plants to grow, or dried garlands of bines for decoration – as seen in countless pubs and hotels in the Weald. Some artisan food producers also add hops to crackers or biscuits to add a unique, slightly bitter flavour.

Huffkins An old-fashioned Kentish speciality – a soft, flat, small oval loaf with a deep dimple in the centre, occasionally filled like a bap, and often served warm.

Lamb Though many of the famed Romney Marsh lambs are now farmed elsewhere (see page 122), the appearance on menus of their prized, tender meat is the sure sign of a good restaurant; the sweet, succulent meat of Sussex’s Southdown lamb is equally prized.

Oysters The old fishing town of Whitstable, on the north coast of Kent, is the place to eat these briny delicacies (see page 85); there’s even an annual festival to give thanks for them.

Rye Bay scallops The season for Rye Bay’s prized bivalves – some of the best in the country – lasts from November to the end of April, and reaches its peak in February, when more than fifteen thousand are consumed during Rye’s week-long Scallop Festival.

Restaurants and gastropubs

One of the great pleasures of a trip to this region is to head out to a country gastropub, filling up on delicious, locally sourced food before or after a bracing walk. The distinction between restaurant and gastropub is becoming fuzzier every day, with the gastropubs tending to lead the way when it comes to innovation and high cuisine principles: the Michelin-starred Sportsman (see page 89), in Seasalter near Whitstable, for example, which is one of the best places to eat in the country, belying its humble pub exterior.

Beware, though – most places have caught on to the gastro buzzword, and not everywhere that calls itself a gastropub is going to be good. We’ve reviewed the very best places in the Guide, but as a rule of thumb it’s worth checking to see if an establishment names its suppliers, has a regularly changing menu, and doesn’t try to cover too many bases on the menu.

As for restaurants, most towns of any size that are geared up for tourists will have some very good options, from veggie cafés to classy bistros and seafood joints. The most popular seaside towns, including Whitstable, Broadstairs, Margate, Hastings and Brighton, as well as the countryside surrounding Chichester and Midhurst, and the area around Faversham in North Kent, are foodie hotspots, with creative restaurants and gastropubs garnering national attention.

Markets and farm shops

Kent, Sussex and Surrey offer rich pickings when it comes to farmers’ markets, with an array of delicious seasonal produce and artisan bread, cheese, chutneys, fruit juices, beers and wines from local producers. These are lively, well-attended affairs, and always worth a visit, even if just to browse. We’ve reviewed the best of them in the Guide; you can find a comprehensive list of farmers’ markets in Kent on http://kfma.org.uk; in West Sussex on http://westsussex.info/farmers-markets.shtml; and in Surrey on http://visitsurrey.com/whats-on/markets. Farm shops are also good places to pick up picnic supplies or deli treats to take home – many have diversified to sell posh food and produce from other farms as well as from their own. We’ve picked out a few to review in the Guide, but it’s always worth stopping off to nose around any you may come across on your travels.

BEST FARMERS’ MARKETS AND FARM SHOPS

Aylesford Farmers’ Market Kent. See page 144

Cliftonville Farmers’ Market Kent. See page 95

Cowdray Farm Shop Sussex. See page 231

The Goods Shed Kent. See page 67

Lewes Farmers’ Market Sussex. See page 192

Macknade Fine Foods Kent. See page 85

Middle Farm Shop Sussex. See page 187

Penshurst Farmers’ Market Kent. See page 133

Quex Barn Farm Shop Kent. See page 96

Rochester Farmers’ Market Kent. See page 77

Sharnfold Farm Shop Sussex. See page 181

Shipbourne Farmers’ Market Kent. See page 141

Shoreham Farmers’ Market Sussex. See page 241

Tonbridge Farmers’ Market Kent. See page 133

Drink

Kent, Sussex and Surrey excel in traditional country pubs, often picture-postcard places with wonky oak beams, head-bumpingly low ceilings and roaring open fires. The vast majority have local ales on offer, and the best will also list wines from the local vineyards, and fruit juices and ciders from local suppliers. Most serve food, and though many have been gussied up to within an inch of their lives, even the fanciest will have a room set aside for drinkers who simply want a quiet pint.

For cutting-edge bars and cool cocktails you’ll do best in Brighton; even Kent’s most popular tourist destinations, including Canterbury, Whitstable and the Thanet towns, have quite low-key drinking scenes, preferring quiet pubs over sleek see-and-be-seen joints. One trend that is making quite a stir in Kent is the arrival of the micropub – minuscule, independently run and very simple places, often set up in old shops and open for limited hours, where a small crowd of real-ale fans can hunker down to enjoy beer, conversation and – well, nothing much else, really; that’s the whole point.

Top five gastropubs

The Compasses Inn Crundale. See page 72

Fordwich Arms Fordwich, near Canterbury. See page 70

Griffin Inn Fletching. See page 173

Richmond Arms West Ashling, near Chichester. See page 222

The Sportsman Seasalter. See page 89

Real ale

Both Kent, the heartland of the old hopping industry, and Sussex, which was also scattered with hop farms, are known for their real ales. The biggest local names are Shepherd Neame (http://shepherdneame.co.uk), the nation’s oldest brewery, which operates from Faversham in Kent as it has for centuries, producing its characteristically earthy ales – Spitfire and Bishop’s Finger among them – and running a huge number of local pubs; Harvey’s in Lewes, Sussex (http://harveys.org.uk), which dates back to 1792 and is known for its traditional cask ales, including the flagship Sussex Best bitter; and the Dark Star Brewing Co (http://darkstarbrewing.co.uk), which started out in 1994 in the basement of a Brighton pub and has grown to become Sussex’s second largest brewery after Harvey’s.

There is also an ever-growing number of microbreweries, some of them very small indeed, producing interesting, top-quality ales and porters. These outfits often apply traditional methods and creative innovations, selling their seasonally changing selections in local pubs, restaurants and farm shops, and occasionally online. In Kent look out for beers from Ripple Steam Brewery (http://ripplesteambrewery.co.uk), which uses no mechanization in