trails and nature reserves

Benchwood House is in a great location for keen walkers to explore the open countryside, straight from the front door.

You can drive to woodland locations and nature reserves to see flora and fauna in their glory as you walk along self-guided trails. 

Embrace ancient trees as you stare through their canopy to the sky.

Rest near streams and rivers as you hear the wonderful orchestra of chirping native birds, and amuse yourself when you see squirrels dart around digging up the soil trying to remember where they had buried their chestnuts and acorns.

Experience the awe of seeing breathtaking views of the English Channel as you reach the summit of cliffs from Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve 12 minutes away, with Exmoor ponies and Belted Galloway cattle roaming within a wide area of the country park.

The Bale House Visitor Centre in Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve, is the first straw bale public building in Hastings, and is a great place to start your walks. 

Discover more about the country park’s fascinating history and ecology in the café, with stunning views over the landscape.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve 15 minutes away, is one of the largest and most important wildlife sites in England.

It is the size of 600 football pitches, set in an exceptional coastal and wetland landscape, and home to more than 4,355 species of plants and animals including 300 that are rare or endangered.

There are five bird watching hides, and The Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve charity provides ‘guide in a hide’ tours for you to see birds from the hides, with binoculars, telescopes and spotter sheets on site.

They also offer walks, with a suggested donation of £3 for non-members.

Rye Harbour Discovery Centre is located at the nature reserve and you will see wildlife habitats with on-site binoculars, from windows with views across the Saltmarsh.

There is free parking and you will have to walk for about 6 minutes (450m) to get to the to the discovery centre.

Lime Kiln Café serves meals and refreshments in the centre for your comfort and enjoyment.

From Rye Harbour Nature Reserve you can walk for one mile to visit the ruins of Henry VIII’s Camber Castle a 16th century example of a largely unmodified Henrician artillery fort.

Known formerly as Winchelsea Castle, it was built near Rye to protect the coast from foreign invasion after Henry’s decision to break from the Roman Catholic Church.

By the end of the 16th century the silting of the Camber made the castle obsolete because cannons could not reach the harbour location.

There is a bird hide just east of the castle on Castle Water lake where you can look out for a variety of water loving wildlife.  

A day out at Alexandra Park 13 minutes away, is a delightful experience and a wonderful combination of natural beauty, recreational facilities, and historical significance.

It is a Grade II listed Victorian park with one of the best collections of trees in Britain, and was named after Princess Alexandra, Princess of Wales.

It is a 109 acre woodland wonder, with formal gardens, a waterfall, boating lake, fishing and wildlife ponds, a bandstand for concerts in the park, and it stretches for 2.5 miles through Hastings town.

You can plan a picnic or enjoy locally sourced home-cooked meals at eat@thepark a pavilion style café, situated near a stream.

 Pump House deli and café serves delicious breakfast and lunch from their every changing menu.

You can enjoy their homemade Parmigiana with a glass of wine or feta and avocado on toast with their freshly roasted coffee.

  Their coffee is supplied by Redemption Roasters, who pay and train prisoners to roast coffee from their barista academy behind bars. Their mission is to reduce their risk of reoffending by helping them with career and confidence skills. 

You can support our-greenhouse.org a charitable group chaired by Linda, which is restoring the former derelict Alexandra Park Greenhouse to its former teak and cast-iron glory.

The greenhouse was designed as a prestigious hothouse to provide Hastings with the floral displays that a popular seaside town required in the 1930s.

There are community donated plants and seeds on sale to support their mission, to create a vibrant space for horticultural and educational activities, for the whole community to use and enjoy.