Little and Local goes to Rye

Hello!  So sorry we didn't post last week but we were away having some fun.  We've been down to the rainy and grey south coast (oh why couldn't it have been today's BEAUTIFUL sunshine?) for some R&R and we've come back with a completely renewed passion for all things little and local.  We thought we'd share a little of what inspired us...

If you've never heard of it, the little town of Rye is in East Sussex, just a short way up the coast from Hastings and somewhere between Folkestone and Eastbourne.  And it is oh so very pretty.  Even by Beverley's high standards.  Only the very hardest of hearts could fail to be drawn in by its ancient buildings...

.... cobbled streets...

Image courtesy of Mermaid Cottage, Rye

... and quirky houses.

And although it wasn't really the weather for enjoying the seaside on this trip, Rye is just a few miles away from the stunningly beautiful Camber Sands.

Image from Too Busy To...

Rye is also packed with little and local businesses - restaurants, cafes, shops.  Some are so beautiful that I just wanted to move in, some are twee and touristy, some are London-on-sea personified, some are quirky, some are practical.  But the brilliant thing is that they're all there, pressed up against one another.  Collectively they fight off the scourge of sameness that you often experience when you go somewhere new.  The same high street shops, the same chain restaurants.  We saw a Boots in Rye but that was about it.

And all this got me thinking about independent businesses and what exactly it is that they add to any community.  I think it could be about 3 things - 

people - who have a real investment (personal and financial) in their community - after all it's their livelihood.  

place - making somewhere feel like its own special spot in the world.  So that when you're in Rye if feels like Rye not Newcastle or Penzance or any other place.

possibility - the possibility that you'll see or experience something new.  An alternative to the safe and familiar.

We experienced all of these things on this trip.  My favourite shop was the wonderful Merchant & Mills.

A truly unique shop that's about all things sewing - their strapline is Made for Makers.  Well sadly, I'm not much of a maker but it's the most wonderful shop to spend time in. The lovely guy we chatted to was so positive about the town that we left feeling very chirpy despite the rain.

We stopped for tea here at The Cobbles Tea Room...

and had the best brew I've had in ages.  Proper leaves.  And what we decided must be a local take on carrot cake - delicious but more like bread pudding in texture.  If anyone could have squeezed it in, we'd have been tempted to stop for a second afternoon tea here too...

Image from coolplaces.co.uk

What's not to love about a shop called Simon the Pieman?

We called in at Pale and Interesting where we bought some mugs which I hadn't seen before.  Designed by Pale & Interesting and made in the UK by our friends at the Big Tomato Company.  I'm so in love with them, I've hardly used another mug all week.

We had a mooch round Green & Present (great prints including some from the talented Mark and Hannah at Coulson Macleod)....

... and we finally bought ourselves some new scales from the brilliantly named Ironmongers Extraordinary.  

I really wanted the vintage shop scales I spotted in one of the Antiques Shops at Strand Quay...

... but sense (and finances) prevailed. 

By the way, that's Antony looking very interested in his phone.  Could it be that he wasn't as riveted by kitchen scales and vintage utensils as me?  Impossible!

What else can I tell you about the joys of this lovely town?  Well, we splashed out on a stay at the The George in Rye and lucked into a room upgrade.  A blissful night's sleep on a super comfy bed.  Even the twinge of guilt we felt that our friends arrived 5 minutes after us and didn't get the same upgrade wasn't enough to keep us awake ;-)

Each room is decorated with care and the public rooms are warm and inviting.  I wish I could have stayed all week.

Drinks in the bar and dinner in the restaurant were eventful.  I won't bore you with the tale of broken crockery and the lack of food - because it all turned out OK in the end.  When our food finally arrived it was excellent.  And I was left thinking that they really over-compensated us for the inconvenience by completely wiping out our not inconsiderable drinks bill.  True, the service should have been better in the first place but sometimes things just go wrong.  I wonder if a big hotel chain would have been so willing to make amends?  In the days of Trip Advisor, there must be huge pressure for small hotels to get it right or suffer the impact of bad reviews.  So, I give The George a thumbs up and we'll definitely go back.

If you fancy a holiday in a town where little and local reigns supreme, you could definitely do worse than Rye.  Brighton's only a couple of hours up the coast and you can get to London on the train in an hour and a quarter.  Just look at those happy faces.  

Hangover?  What hangover...?