Sussex trousers Down(s), bare in Barcombe
Sussex trousers Down(s), bare in Barcombe
The best curated guide to East (and West) Sussex. What's on in your county, news, food & drink, sport, miscellaneous, history, humour and recommendations
On the agenda:
A travel expert has called for a day-trippers’ tourist tax of £5 when visiting Brighton. Caroline Cartellieri, who holds non-exec roles at the likes of the Museum of London Trading Board, said: "As overtourism continues to challenge popular UK seaside destinations like Brighton, innovative solutions are crucial." She said a levy could be key in safeguarding the local community. “A £5 or more day-tripper tax could be added to parking charges or train fares, or paid via an app,” she added.
— The BBC will air a docu series looking to solve the disappearance of Lord Lucan following the murder of his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett, almost 50 years ago. Lucan's car was found abandoned and soaked in blood in Newhaven. Lucan is set to air on BBC2 this autumn.
— A helmet which Jeremy Clarkson signed "F*** off" - meant for an Irish Top Gear producer he hit - was set to fetch around £2,000 at Eastbourne Auctions this week.
Northern Lights in Sussex - BBC
Drone shots show River Cuckmere bursting banks
Housing developments: ‘Every local village in East Sussex has this serious problem’ - Readers’ letters
Proposals to redevelop a former commercial site in Newick
A brief interlude
Semi warning: nudity (from behind) in video
Tuesday was set to be like any other serene walk near Barcombe and the River Ouse for one Social Sussex reader this week. Except that she stumbled across a group of naturist ramblers and some fully-clothed. A semi Monty.
On further research, this outfit was actually on a self-billed Stark Trekkers’ walk, part of the NatRam group (warning: website has front on nudity), which ventures across the south east.
The group has plenty of modern day rules - question: do they all change in the car park? that would be some sight in itself - to go along with the view which left our reader stunned in, er, Barecombe. And rooted to the spot.
Said reader’s dog also has a penchant for lovingly going up to strangers, leaping up and wrapping their front paws around them… and licking them. On this occasion, they refrained.
“We live in such a quirky county,” our reader added of her Tuesday tickle, “so nothing suprises me.”
Do you have a local tip? Email us
Out and About (semi-clothed perhaps)
Two Sussex spas are listed in the Sunday Times’ best spas in the UK.
Ockenden Manor, Cuckfield: The hotel is as contradictory as its surroundings - think of it as an Elizabethan manor with traditional-style rooms and a restaurant. As one of three properties in the Historic Sussex Hotels group, its reputation rests on warm service, innovative treatments and being an important part of the community for residents. Details B&B doubles from £230, two courses from £59, 60-minute treatments from £122, day-pass from £225; hshotels.co.uk
South Lodge, near Horsham: This neo- Jacobean, wisteria-clad mansion has a £14 million spa celebrating the power of plants and the great outdoors. The retreat has flowerpowered facials to spin classes and (heated) wild swimming, plus Michelin-starred restaurant. Details B&B doubles from £415, mains from £18, 60-minute treatments from £140, spa day-pass from £255; exclusive.co.uk
Wild swimming and wellness in West Sussex | Standard
Pub watch
The Bell in Ticehurst is in the Evening Standard’s 20 cosiest pubs with rooms in the UK.
This eccentric, wonky wonder harks back to its 16th century life as a coaching inn with low-slung beams and a cosy, dimly lit pub warmed by an open fire. Here, the drinking hole rituals endure – where tales are told across candle sticks and local brews. But head upstairs to the rooms or outside to the new fantastical lodges and antiquity soon gives way to quirk – expect cuckoo clocks, birch tree four posters and chairs suspended from the ceiling as side tables – as if thrust into a bonkers Lewis Caroll chapter. Doubles from £134; thebellinticehurst.com
Meanwhile, Jodie Kidd’s West Sussex boozer is also in the media…
On the market
Uckfield Lane, Hever, above - A magnificent Victorian Residence with 4+ acres of Landscaped Grounds Near Hever Castle. Fine & Country £2.2m
Danehill - Detached period house dating from 1580, nestled in a wooded valley in glorious grounds. Savills - £1.5m
North Chailey - Holford Manor lies in beautiful rural location, at the end of a long shared private lane. Rightmove £3.6m
Bells Yew Green - On the edge of a small village, a handsome, unlisted Victorian house of grand proportions. On with Hamptons, £3m
Meanwhile…
What’s upcoming
Oct 19 - Nevill Bonfire Society, Lewes, | Ninfield and Hailsham parades
19 - Paul Weller, Brighton Centre
20 - Arts & Crafts Fair, Eastbourne
25 - Isfield and Little Horsted bonfire night
26 - Clocks go back at 2am
26/27 - Beachy Head Marathon
26 - Brighton v Wolves
26 - Lewes v Ashford
26 - Ewhurst and Staplecross bonfire night
26 - Nov 3 - Roller skating, Sheffield Park
26 - Brighton Dome Comedy Festival
27 - Lewes women v Cheltenham
30 - Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells 50th anniversary, Hastings