Rural Retreats was founded in 1985 with the aim of making the countryside more accessible for holidaymakers and giving them the best possible choice of holiday homes across the UK. Rural Retreats’ continuing success is based on excellent local knowledge and painstaking research, together with a flair for finding delightful and unusual properties. All of this has enabled us to build a portfolio of over 450 exceptionally fine holiday homes in stunningly beautiful locations, all available for you to rent. When you are looking for your own perfect holiday home, our experienced and helpful staff can help to point you to the property of your dreams. Whatever you want to ask about any of our properties, there will be someone on our staff who knows the cottage or apartment at first hand.

Inkpen Cottage is a light and airy property situated on a working farm where you’ll see livestock like geese, pigs and chickens. The private garden has wonderful views and there’s a hot tub too!

Information correct at time of writing. Cobbled streets, half-timbered houses, historic buildings, Rye is a delightful place to visit at any time of year. You’ll find lots of independent shops and cafes nestled amongst the narrow medieval lanes and passageways like Mermaid Street. St. Mary’s church tower is normally open to the public, from where you can enjoy a magical view of the houses and streets below. Camber Sands has to be seen to be believed. The beach here is vast, with a backdrop of magnificent sand dunes. People say that the best end of the beach is towards the west, where the River Rother meets the sea. If you like your history good and ancient, a visit to the town of Battle will take you back to 1066. Re-enactments of the battle are held regularly and there are arts and music festivals throughout the year. The medieval abbey is worth a visit too. Bateman’s was the last home of Rudyard Kipling, whose widow left it to the National Trust. This 17th century Jacobean house has a moat and a beautiful romantic garden too. The house is laid out as it would have been in the Kipling family’s day. Bodiam Castle is another National Trust property, also complete with its own moat. This dates back a lot longer, to the 14th century, when it was built by a knight of Edward III. The interior is now a ruin, but the exterior looks just how you’d want a castle to be. Sissinghurst Castle is famous for the garden created by Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicholson. The couple created a series of separate garden rooms, including the Rose Garden and the White Garden, with its wonderful monochromatic colour scheme. If you’re an art lover, you’ll want to visit Hastings. The town is home to Hastings Contemporary, a vibrant centre of the contemporary arts that’s just a few steps from the beach, while White Rock Theatre hosts everything from rock concerts to panto. If opera is more your thing, don’t forget about Glyndebourne, where the Festival Opera is held...