The Hidden Hillside

If you fancy getting lost in glorious countryside, Combe Valley Countryside Park (10 minutes’ walk), is adjacent to the farm, so you can hook up directly to numerous hiking and cycling paths through woodland valleys – plus you have the chance to spot buzzards and kestrels soaring overhead. The coast isn’t far away either. The expanses of Camber Sands (55 minutes’ drive) are backed by rolling dunes, great for walking off a fish-and-chip lunch in a seafront café. For a traditional seaside day out, head for Bexhill-on-Sea’s sandy beach (20 minutes), pop into the amusement arcades, and potter around the exhibitions or have a bite to eat at the Modernist-era De La Warr Pavilion. This area is called 1066 Country for good reason, so you might like to up your history credentials with a visit to Hastings Battlefield and Battle Abbey (both 15 minutes), or have a peek at the ruins of Hastings Castle (20 minutes), as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.