Cottages in Winchelsea

Winchelsea is a lesser-known coastal town just 15-minutes down the road from Rye. With both a beach and a rural town centre, Winchelsea is where the Sussex coast and country meet. Our cottages in Winchelsea are ideal for smaller groups, couples and families, sleeping between four and six people. They all have enclosed gardens and are just a stone’s-throw away from Winchelsea’s shingle beach, which has amazing views of Camber Sands and Dungeness headland. There are some dog restrictions on Winchelsea beach, mainly from May to October, but these are clearly signposted on the promenade. If you want to bring a canine pal on your holiday to Winchelsea, then check out our dog-friendly properties in the area. 

Why Winchelsea? Winchelsea is much quieter than some of Sussex’s other seaside resorts, meaning that those who enjoy a slower pace of life can take comfort in Winchelsea beach. The beach itself is mostly shingle, although low tide reveals miles of sand as it takes the sea out, which makes for quite the sight to behold. Great for swimming, shell collecting and rockpool hunting, Winchelsea beach is a lovely place to relax, unwind and make some great memories. 

Winchelsea town centre is just a five-minute walk from the beach and has a fascinating history for you to discover. Winchelsea as it stands today is actually the second version of the town after the first Winchelsea was flooded and swept below the sea in the twelfth century. In its original carnation, Winchelsea was considered a major town, with a population of 6,000 compared with London’s 40,000. After the town moved inland, the population decreased, but there remains a strong sense of medieval history about the place. The vaults underneath the town are still open to the public today and contain one of the UK’s largest pieces of medieval graffiti, a wall-long montage of ships believed to be dated back to the 15th century. Other nearby historical attractions include Camber Castle and the Mary Stanford Lifeboat House, which sits in the middle of the Rye nature reserve. 

Speaking of which, the Rye Nature Reserve is what connects Winchelsea and Rye and is a great place to discover the nature of Sussex. As well as being a great dog-walking spot and photo opportunity, the Rye Nature Reserve is home to over 90 species of birds, making it a bird watcher's paradise! To find out more about historic Rye and the nature reserve, read about our holiday cottages in Rye here.