For locals, Rye is home but for visitors our town is equally special. Thousands and thousands come every year, with many making return visits again and again.
The cobbled streets, the most famous of which is Mermaid Street, lined with half-timbered houses and a historic inn; the 12th-century church of St Mary dominating the skyline, complete with its clock and ancient bells; the many fine-dining restaurants, antique sellers, quirky pubs, unusual shops and the people who are so welcoming: all these make it a special place to visit.
For one couple, a visit to Rye is an annual event after falling in love with the town. Jaz and Jonny Davey-Manning from Woburn Sands came for their honeymoon eight years ago and have been visiting every year since.
So what makes Rye so special for them?
Jaz explains: “We got married on July 20, 2018 and for a lovely wedding present our in-laws booked us a couple of nights with dinner at the Mermaid to start our honeymoon off. They have also been visiting Rye for years and love that we now carry on their tradition. We instantly fell in love with the place!
"We spent a day at Camber Sands, which is now definitely one of the favourite beaches I’ve been to in this country, and also spent a day in Hastings. I was so sad to leave Rye that my husband promised to bring me back every year for our anniversary, and we haven’t missed one yet. This will be our eighth year of returning; we even made it for a weekend during the pandemic and stayed for the day and night when I was seven months pregnant in 2023. It was on this stay that we finally experienced some ghostly goings on at the Mermaid!
“Our first full day every year is always a mini pub crawl and walk around Rye which finishes with dinner at the Mermaid. Every year we always start off at the Cinque Ports pub: we love the warm feel to the place. The staff are so lovely that we can’t wait to pop our heads in to see them since the last year. We also like to spend a day whilst in the area to explore somewhere local we’ve not been before. We did a lovely walk to the reserve and harbour one year; Dungeness was another great experience one year and also Winchelsea. This year we may be going to one of the local vineyards.
“We love mooching in the antique shops (which sadly seem to be decreasing). We always go to get fresh shellfish from the fish shop by the river and walk around St Mary’s. I love to take new photographs every year. We also always have a look at the Rye market.
“Some years, if we haven’t been able to stay at the Mermaid for extra nights we go to the Hope Anchor which has lovely rooms. Ypres Castle is our go-to beer garden and we love to walk over to the Globe Inn - we love its quirkiness and again the seafood!
"Our main attraction however is our stay and dinner at the Mermaid, most definitely!
We can’t wait for our little one to become old enough to experience it herself and, we hope, carry on our tradition.”
Are you a return visitor like Jaz and Jonny? What brings you back to Rye year after year? Leave a comment below or email info@ryenews.org.uk.
