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2 Weeks in Sussex, July/August 2018

artnbarb

1000+ Posts
I've gone back to the drawing board for our England visit next summer, and have decided on 2 weeks in Yorkshire followed by 2 weeks in Sussex. I had gone through a ton of websites and had narrowed down my choices, but now when I look at some of them I wonder why I even saved them.

Although we plan to do some walking, we're also tourists, and I want to see castles and gardens and cute villages, so finding the right location is important. We'll be near the coast during prime tourist season, competing not only with the English, but also with everyone else who hopes to find those 3 days of summer. For this reason I accept that prices might be way out of my comfort zone, but this is where I want to be, and I'm resigned to accepting the price without (much) whining. Of course I still want to be smart, and at least get a nice cottage in a good location.
  • My original choice was in Rottingdean, but now I think it might not be right. The cost for 2 weeks here is £1100. Here's the link: FIGGY COTTAGE IN ROTTINGDEAN
  • My 2nd choice was THIS COTTAGE IN ALFRISTON. I think the price would be about the same; all I have right now is a quote for the 11 days we'd planned to spend, not for 2 full weeks. I haven't written to them for an adjusted price because now the cottage looks too dark, too cluttered, and the kitchen looks tiny. This is the one I can't figure out why I saved it!
  • Now I'm considering WHEAT COTTAGE IN CHIDDINGLY. The only thing missing for this one is that it's not in a village, but I'm not sure that matters. It's also the furthest from the coast, but I don't think that's a big deal either. I don't have a price yet, but expect it to be about £1100 for 2 weeks. At the moment this is my first choice.
I don't want to be too far west - I want to drive to Rye, and Royal Tunbridge Wells, and I'm sure there are a zillion castles/gardens/villages and towns I've yet to discover. I don't need to go to Canterbury, or Winchester, or Stonehenge. but I would like to visit some parts of the coast, and do some walking.

So, any comments on any of the cottages/locations?
 
I've only been (near) to Chiddingly to play golf, so can't really remember it, but I don't believe it was at all built up. It has a pub which is pretty essential for meeting locals, plus a shop / cafe. Lots of farming in the area IIRC. They do have a cricket club, so if they have a game on a Saturday or Sunday, then rock up with a picnic and a bottle of wine and enjoy the very special slow paced joy of village cricket. Spectators outside of family are relatively rare, but you'll be made welcome to watch.

The advantage of being up there is to bring a greater possible area for your day trips, though there is often a greater density of stuff that appeals on the coast. It's also closer to your original aim (IIRC) of being embedded in a village away from the stresses & strains of more built up areas. Everywhere you could access from Rottingdean / Alfriston is still accessible, just a little further, so I'd expect the net result would be some places on the coast would miss out, in favour of some of the rural villages, plus Heathfield to the north. Despite being closer to Rye, probably not a lot of difference in journey time considering the roads for each route. Closer / faster to Tunbridge Wells.

For walking that could be done without the car, I'd expect Alfriston to be better, also closer to Lewes, Glyndebourne (English National Opera), Middle Farm / English cider centre at West Firle

For easy access to promenade walking / Devil's dyke (South Downs) walking, the latter a short car drive, then Rottingdean wins, but also if being within a short hop to Brighton appealed.
 
p.s. for 2 weeks, I'd definitely go for the accommodation that really appealed. You have time to travel around, but ideally returning each day to a cottage (and a location) that you felt was homely.
 
I like Figgy Cottage. You are close to the sea and to Brighton. You like cities and Brighton should be interesting. We haven't been there in years but I would like to visit. It is supposed to be very left-wing/vegetarian etc. (which would suit me). The walking on the downs is supposed to be very good and there is a coast path.

Plus the cottage is cute.
 
It looks like a good location on google maps, but close to the church. Ask about bells. You can probably get a bus into Brighton, which would be convenient.
 
I like Figgy Cottage. You are close to the sea and to Brighton. You like cities and Brighton should be interesting. We haven't been there in years but I would like to visit. It is supposed to be very left-wing/vegetarian etc. (which would suit me). The walking on the downs is supposed to be very good and there is a coast path.

Plus the cottage is cute.
Yes it is cute, and I'm still going back and forth. Here is my list of pros and cons:

Figgy Cottage: cute, but small. Great access to beach and walking. Not a centrally located as Wheat Cottage, but in a cute village

Wheat Cottage: seems a little larger than Figgy Cottage - has a sun room plus a living room. Bedroom is upstairs. BIG bed. Not in a village, but very centrally located. Driving to take a walk doesn't bother us.

BELLS! Yes, I'll ask!
 
I like Figgy Cottage. You are close to the sea and to Brighton. You like cities and Brighton should be interesting. We haven't been there in years but I would like to visit. It is supposed to be very left-wing/vegetarian etc. (which would suit me). The walking on the downs is supposed to be very good and there is a coast path.

Plus the cottage is cute.

I used to live in Brighton, at the end of the 1980s. Very much at the forefront of vegetarianism when the concept was still widely mocked. Food for Friends was (IIRC) the name of the place right by the station, though there were others and likely to be many more now.

Brighton is an odd place really, quite a busy bustling place, with history and grandeur, yet can get a bit grubby in places. Avant-garde but big & popular enough to be commercial in places. Living there could be surprisingly lonely, as the city has a long reputation for 'live and let live', but this often meant letting people do their own thing and not engaging that much - compared to Sheffield & York it was a bit of a culture shock.

Always stacks to do & see in Brighton, from tourist shopping in the fancy 'Lanes' or the locals equivalent in the 'North Laines' (note the subtle variant in spelling). A decent central museum, whose cafe I used to frequent. Quirky natural history museum on Dyke Road (the council inherited the stuffed victims of someone who used to shoot anything that moved in Africa, didn't like what he did, but on balance thought a little museum was the best solution). Brighton Pavillion in the style of an Indian palace. A huge promenade walk which includes the marina at one end, the world's first electric railway (Volk's railway, still in use), the single remaining pier, plus now boules /petanque courts, and no doubt other stuff, plus cutting edge music under the arches. Great walking up at Devil's dyke. Nearby Plumpton is the home of
winemaking tuition in the UK and they do sell the wines commercially.
 

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