Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

The Nature Reserve lies within a large triangle of land extending south from Rye, along the River Rother, past Rye Harbour to the sea, westward to Winchelsea Beach and northwards along the River Brede.

The Nature Reserve is largely designated as the Rye Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest because of the many unusual plants and animals that live there as well as the way the land has been built up by the sea over the last 500 years. Shingle wildlife is specialised because of the harsh conditions that prevail, so there are many rare and endangered plants and animals to be found there. Large gravel pits were created by shingle extraction and these have become a valuable habitat for wetland wildlife.