Where to go for health & wellness

With a beach fringed with a lush sand dune system, a wild swim with a view and a healthy dose of glorious vitamin sea at Camber Sands could be just what the doctor ordered. For more health & wellness and refreshing open-water swims surrounded by nature there’s also two excellent freshwater lakes in nearby Rye and Lydd.

Getting out in the bucolic countryside is also a must in East Sussex, either walking or cycling, with several bike companies in the area. You can hire pedal bikes, e-bikes or tandems to get out on the open road. In fact, there’s miles of excellent cycle paths winding round lakes, castles, and coastline to explore. Plus, there’s some great guided tours to the renowned vineyards to sip and cycle. 

If deep levels of relaxation are on the agenda, East Sussex is spoilt for choice with excellent spas, treatments and natural products and oils to unwind in. The area is also abundant with fantastic yoga classes, both in studios and out on the beach. You will go home restored.

Cycling 

With bikes allowed on bridleways and byways, and a network of some spectacular routes, East Sussex is a breeze for cyclists. The National Cycle Network has some great options in the area and easy to use downloadable route plans. To enjoy the High Weald Area of Outstanding Beauty the loop around the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and Romney Marshes is a must -do. 

To cover greater distances with ease, family-run Rye Bay E-bikes has a full range of bikes, including a two-seater e-bike. They run excellent guided tours, and have a variety of self-guided interactive routes, which cover, amongst others, Lydd and Romney Marsh, Pett Level and Winchelsea Beach. If you fancy an inland adventure, there’s Appledore, Isle of Oxney, Peasemarch, Iden and Playden to discover. 

A spectacular summer’s day calls for one of Rye E-bikes wine tours, they run them to local vineyards, so you can cycle and sample some of East Sussex’ finest wine.

If you want to cycle around Rye Nature Reserve, then try Rye Harbour Cycles (they’re located just opposite the Rye Harbour Lifeboat Station). They have interactive routes and self-check-in and a great range of bike options including tandems, baby seats, dog and baby trailers and the Trekidoo, a tricycle which carries two children on the back, with seatbelts.

In Camber, there’s E-Bike Hire with their electric Fat Bikes to spend the day on (they’re very comfortable bikes with wide tyres). They do also have plenty of pedal bikes and tandems, plus some great suggested cycle routes on their website.

Walking

Lace up your hiking boots and get out in East Sussex’ spectacular nature on foot. Take the enjoyable well-trodden walk between Camber and Rye (it’s roughly three miles), or spend the day exploring Rye Nature Reserve, the terrain is easy with flat hard-surfaces and shingle-packed paths. Pick between the five-mile route or the two-mile shortcut. The Camber Castle Walk is another great option, and a four-and-a-half-mile circular route crossing through Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.

Covering 345 hectares of leafy wilds, the Hastings Country Park covers ancient woodland and is located within the High Weald Area National Landscape with some rather spectacular coastal scenery. Download one of these four self-guided walks (there’s no WiFi in the park), to set you on your way.

Swimming 

Of course, one of Camber’s biggest draws is swimming in the glorious sea. After all there’s nothing that restores the soul quite so much as an invigorating wild sea swim. At the far end of Camber you’ll find Broomhill Car Park, it’s free to park and has easy access to the beach via the boardwalk. Go there at high tide, when it’s deep and lovely to swim. It is at the pebbly end of the beach so wear swim shoes.

If you love wild swimming but don’t fancy the open sea, then Rye Watersports Lake is an inland lake that has an easy to follow 750-meter-long course with easy to access entry and exit points and water quality that’s been graded as excellent. Another great lake for swimming is Action Watersports in Lydd. Open every Tuesday and Thursday evening, the freshwater lake is great for triathlon training or just a refreshing open swim.

And if the Great British weather forecast isn’t on your side, but you still fancy a dip, then head to Rye Leisure Centre. There’s a 25-meter pool for family swimming, lane swimming and aquafit and a sauna located poolside.

Yoga

Get your om on at The Gallivant, as well as having a beautiful studio to practice in, they also run ‘wild yoga’ over the dunes on Camber’s soft sands. After the yoga class they offer a complimentary healthy tonic, usually freshly squeezed orange juice, ginger and turmeric that’s made daily. You can go for a post-yoga chill-out stroll on the beach or sit at the Gallivant and relax with a coffee. The hour-long classes run every morning, seven days a week and every Monday and Thursday evening. Pick from flow, restorative, dynamic or Yin.

The wonderful India Williams from Mystical Yoga teaches regularly at The Gallivant and also offers one-to-one private classes at your Camber Holiday Cottage or in her studio. Another studio to look out for is Yoga Creative, run by JoJo Hancock, who offers classes like Anusara flow, yin yoga, a beginner series and yoga sessions on the beach.

 Another lovely East Sussex based yoga teacher is Joanna from the Humble Warrior, who as well as running a range of classes from mindful flow, mat-based Pilates, aerial flow and breathwork for emotional release (with various teachers) at the Humble Hub studio in St. Leonard’s, also puts on some brilliant events. Jo runs new moon and full moon sound baths and once a month guides a moon ceremony with meditation and the ancient ritual of a fire ceremony.

Sally from Sally’s Yoga for All is a well-established yoga teacher, who also offers lots of energising and uplifting yoga classes on both Camber Sands and Winchelsea Beach. Her classes are a unique blend of elements of many yoga styles including Vinyasa, Iyengar, Ashtanga and Hatha. She also uses breathing and meditation techniques to help with sleep and relaxation.

Personal training          

If you’re looking to ramp your fitness up a notch, then PT Joe Maylam can whip you into shape. Book a session with him at the welcoming Premier Personal Training Gym at Pottery Court in Rye, or at the Flackley Ash Hotel gym in Peasmarsh.

For gym bunnies that like daily workouts there’s the brilliant Rye Bay Fitness on Harbour Road. Owner and personal trainer Gavin opened RBF to be inclusive and open to anyone at any time due to their unique 24/7 access. A range of equipment means they cater for different types of training, there’s personal trainers and staff on-site every day for help and advice, free parking, and they run classes like SPIN. Non-members can book drop-in sessions from £10 for a day or £22 for a full week (business hours only).

Spa and treatments

Lucky Camber is home to The Bamford Cabin at The Gallivant in its coastal garden. Partnering with the eponymous Bamford Wellness Spa (brainchild of Carole Bamford, owner of Daylesford Organic), has brought exclusive products and treatments to East Sussex. Each of the therapists is trained by the Bamford Spa team and you can pick from a heavenly de-stress massage, full body massage, or luxurious facial. There’s also a 90-minute B silent treatment involving a therapeutic back massage with Thai stretching to encourage deep sleep.

If you don’t fancy moving from your gorgeous Camber Holiday Cottage, then travelling masseuse Sophie from Rye Reflexology and Massage will come to any of the houses, so you can have a heavenly massage and drift off to sleep without going anywhere. 

Sustainability is at the forefront at the peaceful and cosy Herbarium Hut which stands alone in the middle of the Romney Marsh (it’s a 10-minute drive from New Romney and a 20-minute drive from Rye). Founded and run by Annabelle, she grows all her own herbs at the Herbarium Hut to make her own oils infusions for the treatments. From soothing calendula comfrey and mallow root facials to detoxifying thyme, nettle, and seaweed facials to nourishing superfood sea buckthorn, pomegranate, and rosehip facials. She also does a range of massages, manicures, pedicures, and natural waxing.  

The Rye Retreat on Cinque Ports Street is a haven in the heart of Rye. Using Aveda products there’s a variety of treatments on offer from radiance boosting plant peels to the LED light therapy CACI facial toning to polishes, bronzing, massages, and reflexology. If you want the full top-to-toe makeover, there’s a brilliant hair salon and luxury manicures and pedicures.

For more fantastic facials The Rye Sanctuary Skin Clinic, run by the brilliant Sharon, is a few minutes’ walk away in the Landgate. Using non-surgical cosmetic skin treatments, there’s a range of super specialist options from frown treatment to focusing on eye wrinkles with electro-sonic technology. There’s also cool peels, microdermabrasion, Botox, and deep body massages from aromatherapy body salt glow to full body treatments with essential oils for insomnia, relaxation, and stress. 

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