How to Reach Rye by Road and by Rail

Rye is 63 miles south of London, and can be reached by train or automobile. On weekdays British Rail runs several trains from London’s Charing Cross Station, which connect with the Rye train at Ashford.

Service is less frequent on weekends. The trip takes between 1 1/2 and 2 hours, depending on the waiting time at Ashford Station. By automobile, take the A21 from London via the Sevenoaks bypass to the A268 for Hawkhurst and Rye.

Jeakes House (Mermaid Street, Rye, East Sussex 7N31 7E7) was once two separate buildings--a wool storehouse built by Samuel Jeakes II in 1689 and a Quaker meeting house constructed somewhat later.

It was the home of American author and poet Conrad Aiken between 1924 and 1947, who, during a brief stint writing for the New Yorker, took Samuel Jeakes Jr. as his nom de plume.

Today it is Rye’s premier bed and breakfast inn, run by Rye natives Jenny and Francis Hadfield. It has nine rooms, seven with private baths or showers, including Aiken’s former bedroom with a fine view of Mermaid Street, and his study, its bay windows commanding a full view of Romney Marsh.

Double rooms are $56 to $66 U.S. including full breakfast, except for Aiken’s study, which sleeps up to four people and runs between $77 and $105.

The Old Vicarage Guest House (66 Church Square, Rye, East Sussex TN31 7HF), originally Elizabethan but now largely Georgian in design, is 400 years old.

It has five rooms, three with private showers. Some of the rooms look out over the churchyard of St. Mary’s Church and the valley of the River Tillingham. Double rooms include full breakfast and rates are between $56 and $70.

Don’t be fooled if your waitress at the Landgate Bistro (5/6 Landgate, Rye) is wearing jeans and the decor is almost nonexistent. The exquisite fare served by Nick Parkin and Toni Ferguson-Lees is as good as you will find anywhere for the money.

Delicious homemade bread, local squid braised with white wine, tomatoes and garlic, noisettes of English lamb with sauce soibise . . . it is hard to go wrong here. Dinner for two, without wine, is an amazing $35 to $50. Note: It would be wise to make reservations for a Saturday night several days in advance.

The Monastery (6 High St., Rye) takes its name from the vintage 1378 Augustinian friary behind the restaurant. A beautiful veranda, open only on weekends during winter, looks out onto the old friary, which is now a pottery.

The restaurant serves a wide variety of French-style dishes, from scampi Provencale to escalopes de veau dauphinoise , in a basic but very creditable manner. Dinner for two ranges from $33 to $62, not including wine; lunch, served starting a week before Easter to the end of October and during December, is $21 to $23.

The Runcible Spoon (62 Cinque Ports St., Rye), featuring homemade soups and pates, is particularly good for lunch. Be sure to ask if they have the “ginger alcoholic surprise” for dessert.

Also recommended is the Peacock Wine Bar (Lion Street, Rye) a good place to sample a basic English pub meal. The best way to experience the historic Mermaid Inn (Mermaid Street, Rye) is to have a drink at the bar, an ancient room framed with blackened wood beams and featuring a 12-foot-wide medieval fireplace.

What to see: The bottom floor and garden of Lamb House (West Street, Rye) are open Wednesdays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. from Easter to the end of October. Admission is $1.75. Private appointments can sometimes be arranged during the off-season for a higher fee.

Visitors can explore Romney Marsh and the seaside with the aid of the “Country Walks Around Rye” series, prepared by the Rye Ramblers. Particularly recommended is the walk to Winchelsea, which follows the footsteps of Henry James, and the walk in Rye Harbor Nature Reserve, which follows the shore and is excellent for bird watching.

Find the maps at the Martello Bookshop (26 High St.), which also sells guides and books on Rye and the surrounding area.

For more information, contact the Rye Tourist Center, 48 Cinque Ports St., Rye, East Sussex TN31 7JP.

For more information on travel to England, contact the British Tourist Authority, 350 S. Figueroa St., Suite 450, Los Angeles 90071, (213) 628-3525.