Camber Castle - additional autumn openings

The good news is, there's a regular summer season of openings of Camber Castle. In recent times the opening of Camber Castle has been limited as a direct impact of many things, not least Covid and the wear, tear and weathering of the castle itself.

Thanks to the support of our volunteers, we've managed to create a couple of extra openings before the end of the 2022 season (open season usually runs from the first weekend of August to the first weekend of October).

• Monday 26th September 2pm, with guided tours at 2pm & 3pm
• Wednesday 28th September 2pm, with guided tours at 2pm & 3pm
• Saturday 1st October 2pm, with guided tours at 2pm & 3pm

But why are there extra openings this season?

Working alongside English Heritage, it’s always been our aim to increase Camber Castle openings. The fact we’re now able to increase openings this year is thanks to:

• The National Lottery Heritage Fund, as part of our Discover Rye Harbour project, which has enabled us to focus on activities which help our visitors to engage with all aspects of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve - including hidden gems like Camber Castle.

• A big thank you is also due to our Rye Harbour History Group and Camber Castle Volunteers. This group of dedicated volunteers have been working to build up their knowledge of the castle and how to run the guided tours safely and smoothly. They’ve also taken part in conservation activities, such as our Courtyard Reveal, which means visitors can now see part of the castle’s courtyard and its original well / drainage design.

• We also need to thank the visitors who have already been this season, for inspiring our group with their comments, like this one: “Fabulous tour of inside the castle, very interesting story of how times have changed.”

So it’s all about the history?

Well, there is a lot of history packed into each guided tour, but it also offers so much more! There’s a bit of geography too of course as, from up on the accessible higher aspects of the castle, it’s possible to see the lay of the land locally and observe how the coastline has evolved and how the land has been reclaimed over time.

And with tours currently led by Reserve Manager Barry Yates, there’s also plenty of information about the natural history and changing habitats of the area. For example, there's lots to learn about the plants and species using the very specific location of the castle as a safe haven for growing and nesting.

The plan for 2023

The annual open season usually runs from the first weekend of August to the first weekend of October. This year we’ve been able to open on the first Saturday of each of these months but, with the help of our volunteers, hope to include extra openings next year. These will be limited to the opening season, as the weather conditions in the early part of each year, plus nesting birds which make good use of the privacy of the castle from spring onwards, all place natural limits on opening times. However, our aim is to include more openings across the weekends of the summer months in 2023, plus additional openings during the week if this is possible.

Do I need to book?

No, there's no booking required, although due to the remote location of the castle, it’s always advisable to check that the castle opening is going ahead before setting out. We do have to bear in mind that this is a very ancient structure, and all openings rely on stringent safety and weather checks in advance of each opening, to make it possible.

So, if you’re thinking of walking out to the castle for the final week of openings in 2022 or the advertised openings in 2023, it's always worth a quick check on our website, in case the opening has had to be cancelled.  

But in the meantime, we have our fingers crossed for fair weather and look forward to welcoming more visitors to discover Rye Harbour Nature Reserve with us this autumn, by coming along to our Camber Castle guided tours.