God gives all men all earth to love,
But, since man's heart is small,
Ordains for each one spot shall prove
Beloved over all.
Each to his choice, and I rejoice
The lot has fallen to me
In a fair ground - in a fair ground -
Yea, Sussex by the sea!

Rudyard Kipling, Sussex

Sweet Sussex.  She's not as rugged as some counties in England.  She's not particularly wild.  But in Sussex you will find, in miniature, all the beloved landscapes of the country blended in one brief but beautiful corner of the realm.

East is East and West is West, as the county's famous poet, Kipling, said.  East Sussex has many delights, from the majestic coastline of mighty chalk and sandstone cliffs, to the fecund, womanly curves of naked downland; from the seething, life-rich flatlands of Pevensey Levels, to the sandy scrub acres of the Ashdown Forest; from the man-made delights of tiny, flint villages and elegant seaside squares, to the shyest places of the deep, wooded Weald.

Set out to walk from the East Sussex coast and you could be in central London within a day.  But here is a land as far removed from the City as you would wish to find.  There is no heavy industry, there is no motorway, the miles of dual carriageway you can almost count on two hands.  Rustic rail lines take sleepy commuters to the capital.

The county keeps her secrets in the folds of a landscape whose gentle loveliness can be discovered in the gardens, castles, houses and major attractions of East Sussex, all within easy reach of The Olde Forge Hotel and Restaurant. 

We have listed below a small selection of local attractions that may be of interest to visitors to our hotel.  
If you would like to find out more about what is going on in the areas of Eastbourne or Brighton, please
visit the website www.visitsussex.org

Great Dixter
Christopher Lloyds renowned garden

Sheffield Park
Spring and Autumn colours

Nymans
One of England's greatest gardens

Herstmonceux Castle, Gardens and Grounds
Built originally as a country home in the mid-15th century, Herstmonceux Castle 
embodies the history of medieval England and the romance of renaissance Europe

Charleston Farm House
Home of the Bloomsbury Group

Batemans
Rudyard Kipling's house and garden

Bodiam Castle
The most romantic Castle in England

Sissinghurst
Vita Sackville-West's stunning garden

Brighton
Home of the Royal Pavilion and the Theatre Royal

Hever Castle
Anne Boleyn's home

Glyndebourne Opera
Take a picnic and drink champagne on the lawn of this world famous Opera house

Michelham Priory
A stunning Tudor mansion, hidden away in the Sussex countryside where the 
Cuckmere River winds between the South Downs and the Pevensey Levels.

Lewes
Beautiful medieval county town with castle and full of art and antique shops

Eastbourne
Victorian seaside town with Devonshire Park tennis tournament

Drusillas Park

The Bluebell Railway

Wakehurst Place

Lewes
A famous historic county town

Penshurst Place
One of the loveliest and ancestral homes surrounded by wonderful garden

Pashley Manor Gardens
Romantic gardens

E-mail:  enquiries@theoldeforgehotel.co.uk