things to do

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​"We liked the proximity to Lewes, a lovely town with nice cafés, restaurants, easy access to supermarkets and welcoming pubs. The location is great for exploring the area and visiting the Seven Sisters Country Park and castles. Thank you so much for a lovely weekend."

Lewes & Downland Villages
Our county town of Lewes is ten minutes away, with its historic high street, independent shops, Norman castle and Bonfire celebrations. Excellent for antique hunting, flea markets and auction houses. There are many surrounding Downland villages worth exploring, notably;
• Alfriston
• Ditchling
• Firle        
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Art & Literature
Sussex has always been a haven for artists and writers, with many homes and festivals to visit; 

• Cutting edge art at the Towner Gallery
• Farley Farmhouse the home of Surrealist Roland Penrose & photographer Lee Miller
• Walk in the footsteps of artist Eric Ravilious
• Rudyard Kipling's home at Batemans
• Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft the award winning local museum and gallery

Music Festivals
The world famous Glyndebourne Opera House is three miles from Upper Lodge, with its summer Festival and touring performances in October. If jazz is your bag the newly popular Love Supreme Jazz Festival is also only a ten minute drive from here and is usually held every July in the grounds of Glynde Place

Bloomsbury in Sussex
The country homes and haunts of the Bloomsbury Group are all on our doorstep;

• Leonard & Virginia Woolf's country home,    Monk's House in Rodmell
• The home of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell at Charleston Farmhouse (above)
• Their paintings at Berwick Church
• Vita Sackville-West's Sissinghurst Castle is less than an hour away
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National Trust & History
There are many beautiful houses and places to visit, but our top picks would be;

• Batemans  Rudyard Kipling's house
• Bluebell Railway  Historic steam railway and famous film location
• Bodiam Castle  Moated c14th castle
• Michelham Priory  Medieval moated priory
• Nymans  Romantic ruin & garden
• Penshurst Place  Medieval house & garden
• Sheffield Park  Repton / Brown landscape
• Standen  Arts and Crafts house and garden

Food & Drink
While you are here we can give you pointers as to where you can stock up from wonderful food markets and farm shops. We champion our exceptional food producers too and,
as you may know, the many vineyards around us are producing internationally regarded award winning wines, notably at Breaky Bottom, Ridgeview and the new Rathfinny Estate, but we can introduce you to some small boutique producers too.

Walks
We are at the foot of the glorious South Downs National Park and the South Downs Way. Near us at its eastern end are the iconic Seven Sisters, Beachy Head and Cuckmere Haven. Alternatively you could opt to bring your wheels or hire bicycles nearby. 
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Gardens & Plants
We love gardening and if you do too you won't be disappointed with what the area offers;

• Kew Garden's country base and Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place
• Graham Gough's wonderful nursery, Marchants Hardy Plants
• Sarah Raven's beautiful garden at Perch Hill 
• The landscape gardens at Sheffield Park
• Plus the world famous gardens at Sissinghurst Castle and Great Dixter
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Sport and Leisure
For those that appreciate the benefits of sea swimming there are options all along the coast and other wild swimming spots nearby. The oldest freshwater public swimming pool in the country is in Lewes and you can hire a canoe or paddleboard at Cuckmere Haven, or from The Anchor Inn at Barcombe. 

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There is lots more about the area on the Sussex Modern website and the Slow Guide to Sussex page on the Sawday's website. 

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