Pocket-sized Rye

From Tower at Sissinghurst
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Practical Information:  Driving from Dover to Rye, was a straightforward trip along the A20 and A259.  Approximate travel time is 1.5 hours.  Driving on the left wasn't as scary as I had anticipated.  The roundabouts turned out to be very easy...yield (give way) to the right and circle to the left.  The hardest part (my navigator only swore at me once) was judging the distance to your left.  Several times I evidently came quite close to cars parked on the left side of the road.

White Garden in May 2006
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Jeake's House is a lovely B&B,  old-world ambiance and excellent service.  The only downside was due to the exchange rates.  Cost of a twin, ensuite room was £48 per person or $88.80 per person.  Full English breakfast is included in the room rate.

Very picturesque

There is a modern grocery store, Budgens, near the train station as well as a launderette.  The launderette is at the far end of the train car park.

Sissinghurst - Herb Garden
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Impressions:  Rye was a harbor town until the river silted up in the 1600s leaving it nearly untouched.  Narrow, cobblestoned streets wind around the town and up the hill (slope) to High Street.  The buildings are half-timbered or stone.  Very picturesque and walkable.

Sissinghurst - Sissinghurst is in Cranbrook approximately a 45-minute drive from Rye.  The gardens are lovely even in the wind and rain. We climbed to the top of the tower which gave us an an excellent view of the garden layout and the surrounding countryside.  This lovely garden is both large and intimate. There is a small museum in one of the Oast Houses, detailing the history of Oast Houses and their usage.  We were at Sissinghurst for 3 hours which includes time for lunch.  The National Trust restaurant, the Granary, has a good selection of reasonably priced food and local wine. I've wanted to visit Sissinghurst for a long time and I wasn't disappointed.

Sissinghusrt - Oast Houses
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Leeds Castle - Leeds Castle is near Maidstone which is a 1.5 hour drive from Rye.  It may not take quite that long, but the day we went through Maidstone there was a civic parade for the new mayor and that slowed us down quite a bit.

The castle is in a remarkable location; it was constructed on two small islands in the middle of a lake and is now partially encircled by a golf course.  The swans add the perfect touch to a beautiful location.  As I walked through the castle I found it hard to believe that people actually lived in these rooms.  The maze was tricky and I don't know if we would have made it to the middle without help, but fortunately we were rescued by maze keeper.  The way out of the maze is down and through a grotto.  The main part of the grotto is designed as a large face with water pouring through the top and into a pool.  As you leave the main room the tunnel is decorated with all manner of sea creatures.

Sissinghurst - Stormy Day, time to go home.
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Great Dixter - Gardeners will know Great Dixter as the garden created by the late Christopher Lloyd.  I found the house as fascinating, if not more so, than the gardens.  The house was built in the 15th century and added onto by Christopher Lloyd's father or may be grandfather.  The architect for the additions was Edward Luytens, another name familiar to gardeners.  Evidently, not many houses of this style are still in existence due to fires; candles being the only light.  The garden is a bit quirky in places; not what you would expect.  The tour of the house takes 30 minutes to an hour depending on your guide; ours was quite good at spinning a tale.  The gardens are reasonably sized and can be covered in an hour or two (depending on your interest in gardens).  Great Dixter is about 15-20 minutes from Rye.

Sissinghurst
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Arundel Castle - Arundel Castle sits on a hillside facing the valley.  It's quite a sight as it comes into view.  You can never visit too many castle!  The castle tour takes an little over an hour and the Great Hall is well, great!  Walking up to the castle was one of those strange moments when you realize people lived in it, real arrow were shot throw the arrow slits.....Dorothy we're not in Disneyland, any more!