East Sussex is a large county, mostly situated inland (Weald villages) but many famed seaside resorts like Hastings, Bexhill-on-Sea and Brighton. It is one of the sunniest places in England, and known for the cliffs at Beachy Head and the South Downs National Park.
East Sussex has diverse habitats, so obviously diverse wildlife. From the coastal dunes of Camber Sands to a long coastline to inland weald meadows and heathlands to the South Downs National Park, the area is home to many birds and butterflies, with Ashdown Forest one of the largest areas of lowland heath, and natural marshes and river valleys providing more habitats. Find more ways to help your local wildlife rescue and animal shelter.
To the east of the county likes the hilly town of Rye (Nigel Wade) which is home to one of England’s best nature reserves. This Cinque Port town near Hastings is just 2 miles from a site the size of 600 football pitches, whose wetlands and coast is home to 300 rare endangered species, due to the unique shingle beaches and saline lagoons, with saltmarshes and countless flowers and birds. Slightly inland is Battle, a small town that was the site of the Battle of Hastings (so-named because it would sound silly calling it the Battle of Battle!) Not far away is Bodiam Castle, a beautiful building built in 1385 to defend the area against a French invasion during the Hundred Years’ War.
Also inland is the pretty village of Burwash, which was the home of writer Rudyard Kipling. You can visit his house, but like most places, you have to pay a small fortune to get in, as it’s now owned by the National Trust. Rudyard’s son John died during World War I and is named on the village war memorial. His own father (also called John) was the illustrator for his book The Jungle Book. Rudyard and his wife had a tragic life, as the second of their three children also died, aged just 6 from pneumonia. Subscribe to Disney Channel and have your child watch The Jungle Book, surely one of the best children’s films ever made?
