We spent nearly 6 weeks exploring Kent and East Sussex in Lizzie in the autumn. We’ve never been to this area of the UK and can definitely recommend it. With its historic cities, medieval towns, castles, cathedrals and estate houses, beautiful coastlines with shingle beaches, world war 2 secret tunnels, white capped oast houses, ancient woodlands full of sweet chestnut trees, vineyards and orchards of local apple and pears trees, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
We based ourselves at campsites (listed at the end of this post) for a few days then explored on foot and public transport rather than uplifting Lizzie everyday. It was easy to in most places although we did use Lizzie whilst near Battle and Rye as the public transport wasn’t particularly good in these areas. Then of course you have the issue of parking a 6metre van (Battle Abbey – Historic England and Battle train station and the car wash car park in Rye are all good).
So where did we visit?
Canterbury – an easy to explore on foot historic city, full of beautiful old buildings and of course the famous cathedral. It also has good bus and train links for exploring Whitstable (with tiny streets and famous oysters) , Herne Bay, Ramsgate ( fascinating tunnel tour here used to protect the townspeople during WW2), Sandwich – a lovely medieval town and Dover (the castle here is a must see – from Tudor history through to its role during the second World War with its underground hospital and secret tunnels from where the Dunkirk beaches evacuation was planned).
Deal and Walmer – we stayed close by and walked in to explore the castles here – both of similar design but Deal was still as it was in Tudor times and Walmer is more of a home as it was later developed and has stunning gardens to enjoy.
Bewl Water – the CL site here was lovely and we spent a beautifully sunny day enjoying an 8 mile circular walk from the site that took in Scotney Castle (National Trust) and Bewl Water reservoir. We also visited Batemans (National Trust) – the beautiful home of the Kipling family on route to our next stop.
Battle – a lovely town with independent shops and of course Battle Abbey and the 1066 Battle of Hastings battleground. This was well worth a visit and is a very poignant tour. We took a train trip from here to Hastings to wander the small streets of Old Town and promenade, taking in the historic Net shops and fishing port (no harbour here, just shingle beaches where the boats are pulled up on to). Of course fish and chips had to be tasted too!
Pevensey – the site was right on the beach and whilst there is little here there is a train station to Eastbourne and beyond. It is also easy to walk to the ruins of Pevensey Castle.
Rye – another historic town with tiny streets (definitely not one for a motorhome!) and views across the river. We also took a trip out to the stunning Bodiam Castle (National Trust) from our site near Rye and stumbled across the Kent and East Sussex steam railway – sadly missed a trip on the train but did see the Cavell Van (railway carriage) which carried Edith Cavell’s body (nurse in world war 1) back to England and also the body of the Unknown Soldier.
Chichester – We stayed here on our way back home. The cathedral was hosting the Moon exhibition which was an added bonus. Chichester is another old city with ancient walls to wander around and easy to explore on foot. We then spent a lovely sunny day walking around Prinsted Beach, part of the much larger Chichester harbour area.
Caravan sites – we joined the Caravan and Camping club to give us a headstart and stayed at the following Club Sites – Chertsey, Canterbury, Normans Bay (Pevensey), Crowborough and Chichester. We then stayed at certified sites – Solleys Ice cream farm (near Deal), Eagles Garth (near Rye), Cedar Gables (near Bewl Water) and finally an independent site near Battle – Senlac Wood Holiday Park.