Coastguards Lookout
Holiday Cottage in Camber Sands
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Cottage summary
Coastguards Lookout Holiday Cottage, Jury's Gap
Wake in comfort to the sound of the sea, explore the misty brooding Romney Marsh, then warm up in the many atmospheric pubs with intriguing histories, resident ghouls, roaring fireplaces, cracking ales and tasty pub grub, walk along our pebbled beach, look out across the shimmering blue sea and you’ll feel like you’ve discovered another world.
Stay at Coastguard’s Lookout and discover a landscape full of myth’s and legends, surrounded by the haunting loneliness of Romney Marsh. A flat, open landscape of wide skies and fields crisscrossed by a lattice of drainage ditches, where yellow waterlilies float in early summer, it offers the opportunity to wander quiet lanes and paths and to visit some of its famous medieval churches and the vast stretch of historic invasion coast.
Built in this secluded spot, to help guard against smuggling and invasion, this beautiful renovated coastguard cottage is the perfect location for a holiday away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Just 80 meters from the beach
Coastguards Lookout Holiday Cottage
Find your next cosy bolt-hole at Coastguards, set in a splendid semi-wilderness you wouldn’t expect to discover just under two hours from London. Barely a moment’s walk to the beach, Coastguards’ Lookout is the end-unit of the three-unit Coastguard Cottages, built 1875.
With miles of often-empty beach, a towering sky overhead and wind fresh with Atlantic salt, ‘Coastguards Lookout’ is all about relaxation. Kick off your shoes, shake the city dust from your hair and wander back to that bit of yourself that gets lost in the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Quite wild, yet intensely peaceful, with dramatic views in every direction, Coastguards Lookout has been fully and carefully renovated. It retains all of traditional features and is enhanced with modern furnishings and finishes, such as fibre broadband, and decorated in a playful seaside style.
Dining & Lounging
The open plan kitchen/dining room features a breakfast bar made from rustic, locally sourced wood, complemented by a coffee machine, induction hob, dishwasher, washing machine, microwave and music player.
If you’re seeking fresh ingredients for dinner, The Cottage is only few minutes’ drive from the medieval Cinque Port town of Rye, where you will find local farm shops with Salt Marsh Lamb, fishmongers selling straight from the boats, and a wide variety of welcoming pubs and restaurants for dining out.
Step through the kitchen to the snug lounge. When the evening chill settles in, this is the perfect place to relax on cosy furnishings in front of the log-burning stove, watch TV, or read that book you keep putting off.
Bed & Bath
Head upstairs to the spacious master bedroom, with its super king-size bed and expansive views over the marsh where local smugglers plied their trade. From this room, climb further to the attic room and enjoy an exceptional bath under the stars, with the sea’s waves as your soundtrack.
Across the landing from the master bedroom is the family bathroom with a luxurious walk-in shower and views across the bay and sea.
The second bedroom has two zip link 3-foot beds—perfect for children, or push them together for a couple. Sea views and a small flat screen TV compete for your attention (we think the sea and sunsets will win most of the time!).
Outdoors
Outside, the wood decked south facing rear garden is decorated with buoys and features an extraordinary fence made entirely from reclaimed sea-groynes. With another dining table and benches outside the back door, it is the ideal place to relax and enjoy a glass of wine (or two, or three) after a day of exploring.
Coastguards Lookout also benefits from access to an extended garden; a large area of grass beside the cottage that is perfect for ball games or just lazing around in the sun—and definitely a place to sip a sundowner as the sun slips away.
Other things to note
Coastguards are old properties in a very exposed location and in the winter months the wind can really howl off the sea – some guests love watching the weather go wild or the sea mist rolling creating an eerie atmosphere, while some have found it a little unsettling.
So if you are not a fan of older houses that have history and character then this would not be for you – we do have modern properties down the road that are in a more sheltered environment.
The cottages are next to the Lydd Ranges, a military firing range (its also a nature reserve).
It has been used for military training for over 150 years and is part of the Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay Site of Special Scientific Interest (it is home to incredibly rare plants and animals)
Because the range is used for live firing access is sometimes restricted – red flags are flown during these times, access is prohibited along the foreshore.
When firing is not carried out, it may be possible to walk along a designated path along the shore.
Throughout 2021 and 2023 the Environment Agency (EA) will be working on improving the existing coastal defences between Jury’s Gap and Dungeness and so will be utilising the compound to the right of the cottages (the area with the green containers on the photo) this will mean that the construction vehicles will be using the promenade to access the ranges on the MOD land. More info can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lydd-ranges-sea-defence-scheme/lydd-ranges-sea-defence-scheme
Dog friendly Coastguards Cottages
Dogs love to have a good sniff around a beach – space to run, water to splash in, interesting smells to discover and plenty of other dogs to play with. So when you bring your four-legged friend to Coastguards, it’s good to know that the dog friendly beach is right on your doorstep. They will be in hound heaven!
This dog friendly holiday cottage is the perfect place to bring your faithful furry companion. A beautiful beach at the back door, lots of great places to go for walks, and even dog friendly pubs so that you can both enjoy a relaxing drink after a day of sniffing about the atmospheric Romney Marsh!
Eat & Drink
Good food is an important part of a great holiday, so rest assured of eating well during your stay. From the simple pleasure of fresh fish and chips to local produce menus that the many character-filled taverns and restaurants serve. Whether you prefer cosy inns with roaring fires to luxurious beach restaurants, you will be spoilt for choice.
Being close to the sea and surrounded by farmland it’s little surprise that the food served in some of these fabulous buildings comes from only a few miles away. The famous Romney Marsh Lamb, Rye bay Scallops and Dover sole all feature on the menus as well as traditional English pub dishes using locally sourced ingredients such as Rye Bay fish, fruit, veg and meat from the local farms along with our award winning sparkling wines to give you a taste sensation.
Fancy yourself as a chef then colourful farmers markets, and delis are where you will be able to source all you need to produce your own gourmet meals in the kitchen of this coastguard holiday cottage.
What to see and do at Coastguards Cottages
Nestled on the border of 1066 Country and The Garden of England with their stunning coast and countryside, ancient towns and historic sites, a holiday at Coastguards Cottages can be exactly what you want it to be.
Seasonal Activities
Spring and summer evenings are best spent gathered around the BBQ after a day of exploring the coast and countryside. Autumn, the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ (to quote Keats) is a time for fantastic seaside sunsets bursting into turquoise and pink, and the countryside sprinkled with gold and auburn. It’s also a time of food and drink festivals, and a time to scare yourself silly on a ghost walk in Rye!
A winter break at Coastguards Cottages is an unsurpassed experience. Revive your senses with an invigorating walk, then warm your toes in front of the log burner with a good book and a glass of wine.
Walks & Hikes
Keen walkers will be in hiking heaven with the diverse natural landscapes to explore on your doorstep, such as Romney Marsh with its colourful history of invasions, threatened attacks and smuggling. As one of the most important nature conservation sites in Europe, this patch of pristine wetland covers a whopping 100 square miles and is packed with wildlife, including birds, plants and insects.
From the back of Coastguards, follow the beach to Dungeness, a shingle foreland on the tip of Kent. Home to a nuclear power station and two lighthouses, and designated a National Nature Reserve, Dungeness is often described as ‘the end of the earth’. Be sure to check out Prospect Cottage, where filmmaker Derek Jarman once lived – its prettiness presents a jarring and fascinating contrast to its hauntingly desolate surroundings.
The Royal Military Canal Path runs for 28 miles along the entire length of the Royal Military Canal from Seabrook, Kent to Cliff End in East Sussex. The route treads a path between the vast openness of the Romney Marsh and the old cliff line with its wooded hills and quiet villages.
Kitesurfing
If that sounds too tame, we also have the kitesurf centre just five minutes’ walk away. When you think about it, strapping yourself to a small plank of wood while a huge kite pulls you through the water is probably bonkers. But then again, they said similar things about snowboarding too – and look how much fun that is!
Day Trips
Ideally situated for day trips into or out of London, the region’s beautiful gardens and vineyards, historic castles and picturesque medieval towns and villages offer so many attractions that you will no doubt be tempted to stay on longer.
Coastguard's Lookout Guest Book
Our Guide On Camber Sands & Surrounding Areas
Book with us Directly, Richard & Sophie
We’re not a faceless agency, nor an owner who lives miles away. Camber Sands is our home too, we live and work here. When you book one of our cottages you will be dealing with us directly. Plus we’ll be right here whenever you need us during your stay.
