Set in a poetically quaint Sussex village, deep in the rolling hills and windswept woodlands of the High Weald, this higgledy-piggledy 16th-century hideaway in tiny Ticehurst lies 50 miles from central London and half an hour from Hastings.
Planes
Gatwick Airport is around an hour away by car. Road is the quickest way to get there, but a cab will set you back £80 to £100 one-way.
Trains
There are three regional stations within around five miles of the Bell. Both Wadhurst and Stonegate connect direct to Royal Tunbridge Wells (around 15 minutes), Hastings (around 30 minutes) and London Bridge station (around an hour).
Automobiles
You’ll want your own set of wheels if you plan to explore the mosaic of woodland, heaths and farmers’ fields that make up the High Weald’s wild landscape. Make like lords and ladies of the manor and pick up a classic Bentley or Aston Martin at the airport before cruising the B-road to Ticehurst via ye olde English villages of Blackham and Wadhurst, all bright-red pillar boxes, startled-looking pheasants and perfectly manicured country gardens. There’s free parking when you arrive at the Bell.
Worth getting out of bed for
Take a peep outside the creaking front door of this ancient fairy-tale inn and you’ll find a tiny but vibrant village where quaint red-brick cottages share narrow, flower-filled lanes with independent shops and cute cafés, all overlooked by a picture-perfect 14th-century church. Greenfinch is a diminutive art space that punches well above its weight, showcasing stacks of unique ceramics, artworks, clothing, accessories and more by artists native to Sussex and Kent. Here’s where to pick up trinkets, souvenirs and one-off pieces that often wouldn’t look a jot out of place in the Bell itself. Railway enthusiasts should chug straight along to the minute model train shop, while the collection of vintage homewares and textiles in the Old Haberdashery next door is guaranteed to set seamstress and tailor hearts aflutter. In summer, fill your wicker hand-basket with berries, cherries and plums at Maynards pick-your-own farm.
The High Weald’s patchwork of forests, farms, parks and ye olde English villages is manna for ramblers. Staff at the Bell can share their encyclopaedic knowledge of the local highways and byways, but the marked seven-mile circular woodland walk from Ticehurst’s village square, taking in views of the Bewl Water reservoir and returning via Ketley Wood, is as good a place to start as any. That pint of Harvey’s Best Sussex Bitter back at the Bell will be well-deserved.
A little further afield, there are excellent parks, gardens and heritage properties to discover. Pashley Manor’s English country garden is open through spring and summer, promising a frenzy of tulips, wisteria and climbing roses every bit as delicious as the homemade cakes and scones in its little café. Wander beneath giant redwoods and thousands more conifers at Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest, 2,600 acres of glorious Wealden woodland that’s paradise for little explorers (and hungry Gruffalos).
You might be unsurprised to spot a dragon gliding over mediaeval Bodiam Castle, so closely does this moated fortress resemble something from a depiction of St George battling his mythical foe. Around 15 minutes from The Bell, this fairytale castle has its original portcullis, plus a stone unicorn, ancient bread oven and extensive battlements to explore, as well as a 50-something carp that keen-eyed visitors can spot lurking in the moat’s murky depths. Join in regular activities including archery days, crafts and mediaeval garden games.
Local restaurants
This part of Sussex is very much about old-fashioned pubs with muddy boots stacked by the door and dogs worn out by country hikes snoozing by the fire. Ticehurst’s Cherry Tree Inn is no exception, with flagstone floors and a wooden bar serving local cask beers. There’s a belly-busting menu of English pub favourites including breaded whitebait, steak and ale pie and Eton mess, and a huge beer garden with fire pits that’s packed with lively locals late into the summer evenings.
Set in four acres of glorious Sussex countryside close to Bewl Water, the building that houses the Bull Inn dates back to somewhere around the turn of the 14th and 15th century. So atmospheric rooms with low ceilings, exposed beams, inglenook fireplaces and quarrystone floors are par for the course. Likewise the menu of classic dishes that’s heavy with burgers, steaks and sticky-toffee puddings, and the extensive selection of local cask and barrel ales.
Local cafés
Just around the corner from Ticehurst’s mediaeval church, the Greedy Goat Café (or the Greedy Goat Café ‘I Suppose’, to give it its somewhat unwieldy full birth name) is a typically quaint village eatery serving homemade cakes from beneath cute glass domes, and a range of hot drinks sipped from brightly coloured crockery. Brunch treats include pancakes laden with yoghurt and fresh fruit, full-English breakfasts and eggs any which way, and there’s a lunch menu featuring bagels, sandwiches and panini.
Just up the road in pretty Flimwell, the Weald Smokery is an award-winning smokehouse producing its own range of exceptional smoked fish, meats and cheeses. You can stock up on these to your heart’s content in the shop, or sample the goods in the café, which serves the likes of smoked-salmon bagels and smoked-stilton quiche alongside homemade cakes, still-warm pastries and freshly ground coffee.
