Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

An important wildlife site home to over 4,355 species of plants and animals — including 300 that are rare or endangered.

When

Reserve open all hours, year-round

Where

Rye Harbour Discovery Centre, Harbour Road, Rye Harbour, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7TX (reserve extends along the coast either side)

Info

Visit the official website or follow on Facebook for more details

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve runs for nearly three miles along the coast either side of the Rother's mouth — 1,100 hectares of shingle, saltmarsh, reedbed and flooded gravel pits managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust. Over 4,355 species have been recorded here, around 300 of them rare or endangered. In summer the Ternery Pool fills with breeding common, Sandwich and little terns; in winter the scrapes hold thousands of waders and wildfowl. The Discovery Centre at the village end has a café, a viewing deck, hides scattered along the trails and an excellent exhibition for first-time visitors.

The reserve is a five-minute drive from The River Haven, or a forty-minute walk along the river path if you fancy the approach by foot. Stay riverside at the hotel, pair the reserve with the free Wednesday morning guided walk, and round the day off back at the river.