coast editor-in-chief Alex Fisher seeks the perfect sunrise in an eco-house overlooking Winchelsea Beach, Sussex
WHAT’S THE BUZZ?
People travel around the world to see the Northern Lights, but I’ve always wondered whether, if a sunset or a sunrise was an uncommon thing, we might hold these everyday natural phenomena in the same high esteem and realise that there is beauty right on our doorstep.
It’s a privilege to have the time to watch a sunrise, and for me, there is little more beautiful than observing it rise over a sea-level horizon. Eyes fixed
on the offing – the part of the sea that meets the sky – I love to watch the golden crescent of the sun make its first appearance of the day and gild bright pink and purple clouds.
WHERE TO STAY
For this reason, a trip to the town of Winchelsea in East Sussex to spend a few nights in an eco-house called Cloudbreak held much promise for me. With panoramic views of the beach and sea, and floor-to-ceiling windows that run the gamut of the third floor of this wooden-clad lookout, there would be an opportunity to do just that – if only the weather held and the skies remained clear. Failing that, a storm perhaps, that I would equally enjoy watching, from this warm and protected eyrie.
HOW’S THE LOCATION?
In addition, Winchelsea offers a lot for the weekend visitor. As well as a long stretch of pebble-and-sand beach that is rarely crowded, just a few miles east there’s pretty Rye, where you’ll find myriad coffee shops, gastropubs, galleries and vintage shops to explore. These include The Fig, a foodie independent café which offers a lunch or supper of harissa aubergine or spicy prawn tacos starting from around £15 a head (thefigrye.com). And if you walk west, along the beach, you arrive at gorgeous Pett Level, a tucked-away bay with one little café and a beach decorated with the hulls of wooden fishing boats resting between trips. For those like myself who are old enough to remember 1980, this was also the beach where David Bowie’s famous Ashes to Ashes video was filmed. The café is closed during the winter months, but you can get a cup of tea any time of the year at St Nicholas Church, a little building that used to house the rocket launcher for the coastguard, but was transformed into a place of worship in the 1930s after being purchased for the grand sum of £100 by the Diocese.
BEST THINGS TO DO
A 20-minute drive will take you to Oxney Organic Estate, one of the largest single-estate producers of organic wine in England. Its Soil Association-certified 35-acre site offers tours with lunch most Saturdays from 11am, which are worth booking in advance. During the warmer months, lunch is taken as a picnic outside and in winter, it’s soup with bread and charcuterie indoors. Of course, this is combined with a wine tasting whatever the season. The dedication to organic farming is inspirational and the methods are fascinating (01797 260137, oxneyestate.com).
On Sunday, book a roast at The New Inn, just down the road in historic Winchelsea. Once a bustling, walled medieval town with a population of 6,000 – when London was home to just 40,000 people – this is one of those rare communities that is smaller, rather than larger, than it was centuries ago. Explore what remains of this unusual location and discover how the sea governed its expansion, and its collapse. The family-run pub serves traditional food in a welcoming, dog- and child-friendly environment: £15 for your choice of roast (newinnpubwinchelsea.co.uk).
BEST PART OF THE TRIP?
To catch the sunrise, you have to be up early, so check the times and plan in advance to ensure you see the best of the colourful display. At 15 minutes ahead of sunrise, I was sat wrapped in a blanket, cup of tea in hand, on the balcony with a clear view to the beach and out to sea. It had rained the day before, but today it was dry and the candyfloss clouds were high in the sky, just beginning to turn pink. For the next half-an-hour we oohed and aahed as the sky turned fuchsia, purple and orange and the sea shimmered gold beneath it.
WHAT WILL IT COST?
Cloudbreak has three double bedrooms, plus a snug where an additional double bed can be made, suitable for teenagers. There’s also an outdoor barbecue area, although this does not have sea views, plus an indoor games room with table tennis. Prices start from £1,180 for a three-night break in the low season, rising to £1,530 for a short break in May.
HOW DO I BOOK?
Call 07946 532130 or visit camberholidaycottages.co.uk/property/cloudbreak.
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