8 Best Sights in Rye, The Southeast

Immortalized in paintings, photographs, and films, Bodiam Castle (pronounced Boe-dee-um) rises out of the distance like a piece of medieval legend. From the outside, it's one of Britain's most impressive castles, with turrets, battlements, a glassy moat (one of the very few still in use), and two-foot-thick walls. However, once you cross the drawbridge to the interior there's little to see but ruins, albeit on an impressive scale. Built in 1385 to withstand a threatened French invasion, it was partly demolished during the English Civil War of 1642–46 and has been uninhabited ever since. Still, you can climb the intact towers to take in sweeping views of the surrounding vineyards and countryside, and kids love running around the keep. The castle, 12 miles northwest of Rye, schedules organized activities for kids during school holidays.

For a unique way to approach Bodiam Castle, take a 45-minute river cruise through the pretty Sussex countryside. Boats leave from the riverbank in Newenden; find more information and sailing times at  www.bodiamboatingstation.co.uk.

This small town, a few miles south of Rye, perches prettily atop its own small hill amid rolling farmland, and has a number of interesting attractions. There's the splendid (though damaged) church at its heart, built in the 14th century with stone from Normandy. The stained-glass windows are particularly captivating, with renowned Scottish artist Douglas Strachan (1875–1950) creating an almost three-dimensional effect with his bold illustrations.

Outside the church lies a grave with one of most quoted epitaphs in the English language. When English-Irish comedian Spike Milligan (of The Goon Show fame) was buried here in 2002, he requested to have the words "I told you I was ill" added to his gravestone. The diocese refused, but agreed to a compromise in which it was written in Irish instead. Take a walk around the graveyard and see if you can spot the headstone with the words: "Dúirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite."

Under the town's narrow streets are at least 56 medieval cellars, with some accessible by an interesting—if rather long—guided tour (£10) on various dates from April to October. A short walk from the town center is Winchelsea Beach, a pretty stretch of shingle coastline.

After decades—centuries, even—as the butt of jokes, the English wine industry is at last being taken more seriously; in recent years, English wines have even been winning some prestigious international awards. Drop in at Chapel Down Winery, one of Britain's leading wine producers, to decide for yourself. You can visit the wine shop and explore the herb gardens for free, or pay for a two-hour-long guided tour of the rest of the grounds with tasting—advanced booking is advisable in summer. The winery is eight miles north of Rye.

At the top of the hill at the center of Rye, this classic English village church is more than 900 years old and encompasses a number of architectural styles. The turret clock dates to 1561 and still keeps excellent time; its huge pendulum swings inside the church nave. Climb the tower for amazing views of the surrounding area.

Combining a large timber-frame hall with a cottage garden on a grand scale, this place will get your green thumbs twitching. The house dates to 1464 (you can tour a few rooms) and was restored in 1910 by architect Edwin Lutyens, who also designed the garden. From these beginnings, the horticulturist and writer Christopher Lloyd (1921–2006), whose home this was, developed a series of creative, colorful "garden rooms" and a dazzling herbaceous Long Border. The house is 8½ miles northwest of Rye.

Something about Lamb House, an early-18th-century dwelling, attracts writers. The novelist Henry James lived here from 1898 to 1916, while E. F. Benson, one-time mayor of Rye and author of the witty Mapp and Lucia novels (written in the 1920s and 1930s), was a later resident. The ground-floor rooms contain some of James's furniture and personal belongings.

One of the town's original cobbled streets, and perhaps its most quintessential view, heads steeply from the top of the hill to the former harbor. Its name supposedly came from the night a drunken sailor swore he heard a mermaid call him down to the sea (back when Rye was still a seaside town). The houses here date from between the medieval and Georgian periods; a much-photographed pair have the delightfully fanciful names "The House with Two Front Doors" and "The House Opposite." Be careful on your feet—the cobbles are very uneven.

Down the hill past Church Square, Ypres Tower—pronounced "Wipers" by locals—was originally built as part of the town's fortifications (now all but disappeared) in 1249; it later served as a prison. A row of defensive cannons is fixed to the rampart overlooking the (disappointingly industrial) edge of Rye and several miles of flatland beyond. When they were installed, however, the canons pointed directly out to sea. Inside the tower is the Rye Castle Museum, which has displays on the city's history, from medieval floor tiles to 15th-century suits of armor, as well an interesting exhibition on 1830s life as a female prisoner in the "women's tower."

A second (free to enter) outpost of the RCM on nearby East Street has even more exhibits, including examples of Rye pottery for which the town was famous and a fire engine that was built in 1745 and served the town for 120 years.