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  • 2019 Trip Blog
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Rye

Rye is, in a word, enchanting. A medieval town in East Sussex, which is on the southern coast of England, Rye used to be a busy, important port—one of the largest and most important harbors in the country—until the sea went out and never came back in. Literally. It’s kind of hard to be a busy, important harbor when the sea is two miles out. This is a true story. One day Rye was a seaside town. Now it isn’t. One day there was a sea right there outside their door. Now there is farmland. 
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​Mermaid Street 

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Mermaid Street was Rye's main thoroughfare in the 16th Century. It is stupendously and incredibly picturesque. 

Cobbled street. Ancient buildings from the 15th-17th centuries with strange names such as 'The House Opposite', 'The House with the Seat', 'The House with Two Front Doors', ‘Christmas Cottage’, ‘The First House’, ‘The Other House’, etc. It’s all part of the word “enchanting” I’ve already mentioned. Twice, now.
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The Mermaid Inn

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The Mermaid Inn is one of the oldest inns in all of England. It’s located on Mermaid Street. Hence the name. It's a really ancient building with a really fascinating story.

The cellar and foundations are Norman, probably dating from around 1156. The walls are built of wattle, daub, lath and plaster. In case you missed the Wattle and Daub lesson on another part of this site, here it is again.

In 1377 the French paid yet another uninvited and unwelcome visit to Rye, and pretty much burned down anything not made of stone. This included the Mermaid Inn. Only the cellar survived. It is cut from rock. Rock does not burn. Keep that in mind if you want to construct a historic building in a town with a country that hates you just over the sea and keeps rowing over with lit torches.

By 1420 or so, the building was rebuilt, and it’s pretty much been an inn since the 1600s.

People in the know claim that Rye is the most haunted place in the United Kingdom and the Mermaid Inn certainly has its own tales. Read them below. 
Hauntings and strange doings at the Mermaid Inn


The Hawkhurst Gang

In the 1700s the Mermaid Inn was a favorite hangout for the infamous Hawkhurst Gang of smugglers, a posse of 600 men who found creative ways to beat the new Customs and Excise Duties introduced in the 17th century. Watch the video to learn more about this gang. ​

A poem about smuggling: 

The gist of which is this: mind your own business and no one will get hurt.
If you wake at midnight, and hear a horse’s feet,
Don’t go drawing back the blind, or looking in the street,
Them that asks no questions isn’t told a lie
Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!

Five-and-twenty ponies,
Trotting through the dark -
Brandy for the Parson
‘Baccy’ for the Clerk;
Laces for a lady; letters for a spy

And watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by.

—Rudyard Kipling      

Saturday 9/21

Land at Heathrow, train to paddington, train to Exeter, train to barnstaple, walk to The Old Vicarage—where we are staying until Thursday.
Have to remember how to read these boards.
Our room.
Love the bath!
First, tea in the garden.
After our tea we walk to the bus station to pick up bus schedules. Hop the 21 to Fremington, which is where we left off last time.
On the path.
Ha! Bob wants “he was a character” on his tombstone.
Fairly uninteresting walk, mostly along marshes.
Security idea for PP@L
We’re on an old railroad line, cute tunnels and all. This looks like a tunnel from the Thomas videos.
Our first pub. This is Instow.
My new favorite drink. It’s cucumber and elderberry and so good I have two. Which means we are finished for the day! We’ll complete this stretch of the walk tomorrow.
We order fish& chips takeaway rather than eating it in the pub because (a) it’s about half the price, and (b) fish & chips taste best outside! Check out the newspaper wrapping!
Not so healthy but it’s the first night and we’re on the coast where the fish is fresh, so.

Sunday, 9/22 Morning

Ate a marvelous breakfast, then walked straight out of Barnstaple to pick up the path heading northwest.
We fill out a little form the night before, choosing our breakfast time and meal items. Plus, there’s a sideboard of granolas, yogurt, fruit, etc.
View from our table.
Walking through Barnstable before hike.
The path. Heading first to Braunton.
The path is flat and fairly unremarkable. Sky is threatening.
We reach Braunton, almost pass right by this, then decide to stop for a short break.
Lovely inside, nicest people.

Sunday, 9/22 Afternoon

We walk Braunton to Saunton, intending to catch bus at Saunton, except I read Saturday’s bus schedule instead of Sunday’s because it’s so easy to do that and we soon find out there is no Sunday bus service in Saunton.
This Is looking back to Braunton. Path leads along this estuary. I think it’s an estuary.
Blackberry bushes are everywhere!
We’re right next to military training grounds.
Lunch break. Sandwiches. Forgot to pack dessert.
Ha! We see this sign as we close the gate after walking across the field.
It’s here that we realize that no bus will be coming. Luckily there’s a golf course right next to the path and we bum a ride to Braunton, which we know for sure has Sunday buses.

Saturday, 9/22 Evening

Our main goal on Sunday every time we come to England is it to make it to a Sunday Roast Dinner. Usually we miss it. Today though we are lucky: we find a good place in Braunton and end the walk on a full-belly note. Total miles today: 11.5.
Roast beef, potato, assorted fresh veggies, gravy, and Yorkshire pudding. Yum.
Waiting in the rain for the bus back to Barnstaple.
The Vicarage at last! We are both exhausted.
This waits for us every afternoon. That’s fresh cream on top.
Washed our clothes though not very thoroughly.
Choose breakfast and go to bed!
  • 2019 Trip Blog
  • Our Hikes
  • 2016 Trip Blog
  • Town