Camber, England: travel guide to Camber Sands, East Sussex's great sandy beach

Camber is a village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, in the far south-east of England, about 3 miles (5 kilometres) south-east of the historic Cinque Port town of Rye and close to the Kent border. Though the village itself is small, with around 1,200 residents, it is famous across the country for Camber Sands, one of the finest sandy beaches in the south of England.

For travellers searching for Camber Sands, beaches near Rye, sand dunes in East Sussex or sandy beaches near London, the village offers miles of golden sand and a rare dune landscape.

Camber Sands

Unusually for a Sussex coast dominated by shingle, Camber boasts a broad beach of soft golden sand backed by the only significant sand dune system in East Sussex. The dunes stretch for around 3 miles along Rye Bay, from the estuary of the River Rother towards the Kent border, and much of the area is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest within the wider Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay conservation area, rich in plants and birdlife.

History and the screen

The village takes its name from "the Camber," a large former inlet of the English Channel that gradually silted up over the centuries. Camber grew as a seaside resort after the founding of Rye Golf Club on the dunes in 1894, which brought visitors from London and beyond. Its cinematic, windswept dunes have stood in for the Sahara and the Normandy beaches in films, and the beach remains a popular holiday destination with its parks, cafés and watersports.

Practical information

Camber lies about 3 miles (5 kilometres) from Rye and roughly 90 kilometres (56 miles) south-east of London, making it one of the closest sandy beaches to the capital. The medieval town of Rye, with its cobbled Mermaid Street and Ypres Tower, is well worth combining with a visit to the beach.