Icklesham is home to Hog Hill Windmill, a listed building; the Old Way also begins here. This one-day pilgrimage route passes through Pett Level and Winchelsea before reaching Rye. The 1066 Country Walk has a different route profile, and a footpath leads to Camber Castle from a named car park.

Hog Hill Windmill in Icklesham

Hog Hill Windmill is a Grade II listed building in Icklesham. As a post mill, it has a clearly defined structural type; it also has an intact fantail. It is considered a prominent landmark on land and at sea. Its listed status, mill type and fantail represent different features of the building: its formal classification, its construction and a surviving component. Its landmark status extends the windmill’s significance beyond its architecture, making it a distinctive point of reference in the village.

Historic routes with different profiles

The 1066 Country Walk is 31 miles long and is a relatively easy, flat route through a landscape that witnessed the Norman Conquest. Its distance, terrain and historical context give the route a clearly defined profile. The route has been improved with new waymarkers, information boards, benches and sculptures; individual facilities may change.

The Old Way begins in Icklesham and passes through Pett Level and Winchelsea before reaching Rye. Its one-day timeframe as a pilgrimage route and the sequence of places provide different planning information from the length and terrain of the 1066 Country Walk. When choosing a route, you can take these differences into account without treating details of distance, route and timeframe as interchangeable.

Camber Castle: history and footpath

Camber Castle was built in 1538 as part of Henry VIII’s coastal defences. It is a rare example of a Henry VIII fort that has retained its original layout. The construction date and preserved layout provide two specific points of reference for understanding the fort: its origins as part of the coastal defences and the rarity of the surviving structure. The two buildings appeal to different historical interests: Hog Hill Windmill combines a specific mill type with listed status, while Camber Castle is associated with Henry VIII’s coastal defences and its preserved original layout.

A one-mile footpath leads from the first car park at Brede Lock through fields to Camber Castle. The footpath is accessed from a road. The one-mile distance refers to this specific route from the car park to the Castle and should not be confused with the 31-mile total length of the 1066 Country Walk. Car parks and routes may change; check conditions before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Earnley, Fairlight, Sedlescombe, Seaford, Halland, Iden, Forest Row, Maresfield.

For the wider travel overview: East Sussex.