Steps lead up to The Beach Hive through a terraced front garden to the side passage and the front door. The side passage is enclosed and leads through to the back garden and onto the terrace. A row of pegs for coats, trugs to store your wellies, flip flops, buckets & spades – with a separate box in the sea garden as well. The corridor is an ideal way of getting from the beach to the house at the end of the day.

The main front door leads into the hall with the bedrooms, bathrooms and open plan living area all lead off it.

French doors lead out from the open plan living area to the terrace where there is a large wooden table & chairs and a charcoal BBQ. Night lights are built in to both sides of the terrace walls so al fresco dining is a joy at all times of the day or evening.

Steps lead down to a shingle garden with ornamental plants. A built-in fire pit in the garden is sheltered by a boarded fence running down both sides, keeping the sea breezes at bay whilst you enjoy sitting around an open fire. This sheltered area is also a great place to lie out on one of the beach beds to read a book, chat and relax.

The Beach Hive’s garden trails up to a gate that leads directly onto the shingle beach where you can swim, fish, walk your dogs or stroll to the beach pub, build sandcastles as the tide goes out, picnic or just sit and relax knowing The Beach Hive is seconds away to return to for that cup of tea or something stronger!

Bring your fishing rods and enjoy some beach angling for mackerel directly in front of the house; cook your fresh catch on the BBQ and enjoy with a chilled glass of local wine or beer sitting out on the terrace or by the warm embers of the fire pit – what could be more satisfying?

There is much to do and see locally with National Trust properties and gardens to visit and an array of local restaurants and pubs including a rather lovely pub – The Lamb at Wartling – not far away. Sussex produces a large variety of local wines and beers for you to discover during your stay at The Beach Hive.

If diving and boat trips are your thing, you can organise excursions from Eastbourne (just 5 minutes away) with Channel Diving or bring your kite surf to launch in front of the house (if you would like to try kite surfing, lessons can be had locally).

From the beach look right and you can see Eastbourne (just 5 minutes away in the car); to the left is Cooden, Bexhill and Hastings (all reached by car within 20 mins).

Hastings offers the Jerwood Gallery, Bexhill the De La Warr Pavilion and Eastbourne is packed with places to go and things to do, including Sovereign Harbour marina complex.

Pevensey Bay Beach is a shingle beach with wooden groynes dotted along the beach; when the tide goes out the sandy beach is exposed.

Cooden Beach is reached by walking to the end of Pevensey Bay beach. Also shingle with wooden groynes, and like Pevensey the sandy beach is exposed when the tide goes out.

Holywell Beach is located towards the west end of Eastbourne’s promenade, a quiet and peaceful throwback to 1940s Britain. The beach has steep banks of shingle with wooden groynes.

Holywell beach backs onto The Italian Gardens, formerly known as Holywell Retreat, and nestled amongst the greenery you’ll find the Holywell Tea Chalet. There is also a group of traditional of blue and white beach huts, one of which was used by King George V and Queen Mary during their visit to Eastbourne.

To the other side of the beach are the white chalk cliffs which lead to Beachy Head and these can be reached via the South Downs Way coastal trail.

The Lamb Inn, Wartling
www.lambinnwartling.co.uk
A traditional pub with delicious food and good local beers.

The Royal Oak and Castle Inn, Pevensey Bay
www.royaloakandcastleinn.co.uk
Dog and family friendly, with a large garden, right next door to Pevensey Castle.

The Lamb Inn, Eastbourne
www.thelambeastbourne.co.uk
A good pub with a daily changing menu.