Sandhurst

Sandhurst sits right on the border between Kent and East Sussex, in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, its scattered houses strung along the A268 between Hawkhurst and Rye. Unusually for an English village, the parish church of St. Nicholas stands a mile south of the main settlement at Sandhurst Cross, a separation historians put down to the Black Death of 1348-49 or to trade shifting towards Rye as Hawkhurst grew in importance.

What remains today is a small, unhurried community of around 1,500 people, its centre marked by a red-brick clock tower raised in 1889 in memory of Arthur Oakes and a war memorial designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. There is a primary school, a post office, a village shop, a social club and The New Swan pub, but little else in the way of tourist infrastructure — which is exactly the appeal for visitors wanting a genuine slice of the High Weald rather than a manufactured one. The surrounding countryside, all sunken lanes, oast houses and orchards, sits within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the village is twinned with Heuringhem in northern France.

Top things to do near Sandhurst

• Bodiam Castle — the iconic moated fourteenth-century castle just across the Sussex border, one of the most photographed ruins in the south of England and a short drive or a scenic stretch of the Kent and East Sussex Railway away.
• Sissinghurst Castle Garden — Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson's celebrated garden near Cranbrook, famous for its White Garden and Elizabethan tower.
• Great Dixter — the exuberant garden and timber-framed house at Northiam, right next door to Sandhurst, renowned for its long borders and topiary.
• Cranbrook — the historic weald town a few miles north, built around the working Union Mill, one of the tallest smock windmills in the country, with independent shops and tearooms.
• Rye — the cobbled, timber-framed Cinque Port town in East Sussex, with its hilltop church, ancient inns and views across Romney Marsh.
• Bewl Water — the largest area of inland water in the South East, offering sailing, fishing and a circular walking and cycling trail.

Getting to Sandhurst

Sandhurst lies on the A268, roughly midway between Hawkhurst and Rye, and is easily reached by car from Tunbridge Wells or the M20 via Cranbrook. The nearest mainline stations are at Robertsbridge and Etchingham on the Hastings line, both around six miles away, with connecting bus services covering the rest of the journey. An Arriva Southern Counties bus route also links the village directly with Maidstone on weekdays.

Best time to visit Sandhurst

Late spring and early summer bring the Weald's gardens, including Sissinghurst and Great Dixter, to their peak, while September and October dress the surrounding orchards and hop gardens in autumn colour. Summer weekends suit Bewl Water and the coast at Rye, and the quieter winter months still offer good walking along the footpaths that criss-cross the High Weald.

Where to stay near Sandhurst

Accommodation directly in the village is limited, but nearby Hawkhurst, Cranbrook and Rye offer a range of country inns, bed and breakfasts and boutique hotels, alongside farm cottages and glamping sites scattered through the surrounding Wealden countryside.

Food and drink near Sandhurst

The New Swan is the village's own pub, while Hawkhurst and Cranbrook, both a short drive away, offer a wider choice of country pubs, cafes and restaurants making use of Kentish produce, orchards and vineyards.