Best pubs and places for a drink in Camber Sands

pubs and places for a drink in CambeR

Best pubs and places for a drink in Camber Sands

There are few things better after a day on Camber Sands than getting the sand out of your shoes, finding a table and settling down with a cold drink.

Camber is a small village, so you will not find a high street packed with pubs and bars. What you do get is a handful of very different places to choose from.

There is a traditional pub tucked just behind the dunes, a straightforward local, relaxed places for food and drinks and a smarter option when you want to make an evening of it.

And if you are happy to travel a few miles, Rye and Rye Harbour add considerably more choice.

Here are the places we would consider when deciding where to go for a drink during a stay in Camber Sands.

The Owl

If somebody asks us for a proper pub in Camber, The Owl is probably the obvious place to start.

Sitting on Old Lydd Road just behind the dunes, it is an independent English pub with a traditional feel and a good selection of ales, lagers, wines and other drinks.

Local ales regularly appear at the bar and the pub also serves food made around seasonal and locally sourced produce.

That makes it particularly useful when you want more than just a quick drink.

Come off the beach, lose the sandy shoes and settle in for lunch or dinner.

There is also outdoor seating for better weather and the whole place feels suitably coastal without trying too hard to remind you that you are near the sea.

Good for

A proper pub atmosphere

Local and guest ales

Lunch or dinner

Couples and adults

Something close to the beach

Worth knowing

The Owl operates more as a relaxed adult environment than a traditional family pub.

Children aged five and over may be accommodated at designated family tables for early lunch or dinner, but children under five are not currently accommodated and children are not permitted in the bar.

If you are travelling as a family, particularly with younger children, check the current policy and book before heading over.

Opening and food service times can also vary seasonally.

Our take: one of the first places we would consider if you want a traditional pub without leaving Camber.

The Camber Castle

The Camber Castle on Lydd Road is another of Camber’s straightforward local pub options.

It is less about polished destination dining and more about having a local pub within the village where you can head for a drink without turning the evening into an expedition.

That has its advantages when you have spent the day on the beach and nobody really wants to get back into the car.

It is also worth remembering that Camber changes enormously between a packed August weekend and a quiet winter evening, so the atmosphere in local venues naturally changes with it.

If you are staying nearby, it is an easy option to have in your back pocket.

Good for

A casual drink

Staying local

A traditional village pub option

An uncomplicated evening after the beach

Our take: useful when the priority is simply finding a local pub and keeping the evening easy.

Harry’s at The Gallivant

Harry’s is where we would send you if the brief changes from “find us a pub” to “we fancy a really good meal and a drink”.

Based at The Gallivant opposite the beach, Harry’s is a French-influenced coastal bistro rather than a traditional pub.

There is a bar and sitting room alongside the main restaurant, making it possible to stop for drinks or combine them with lunch or dinner.

The menus focus on seasonal ingredients and classic bistro cooking, with seafood and local produce featuring prominently.

This is somewhere to make part of the evening rather than somewhere you necessarily stumble into wearing wet swimwear and carrying three buckets and spades.

Good for

Date night

A more grown-up drink

Wine and cocktails

Lunch or dinner

Celebrations

A smarter evening without leaving Camber

Going with children?

Harry’s currently welcomes children aged six and above at lunch and 12 and above during the evening.

There is no dedicated children’s menu, so this is better suited to older children who are happy sitting through a proper meal.

Bringing the dog?

Dogs are currently allowed in the Sitting Room and Bar during lunch service, but not in the main Harry’s dining room. Evening restrictions differ, so check when booking.

Our take: choose Harry’s when you want Camber to feel like more than a bucket-and-spade holiday.

Rye Bay Bar & Grill

Rye Bay Bar & Grill at Royal William Square gives you another casual Camber option when you are looking for food alongside a drink.

It sits within the village rather than over in Rye, which again means you can keep the evening local.

This sort of place works particularly well after a full day outside when the group cannot quite agree whether it wants dinner, drinks or both.

Rather than treating every evening as an occasion, sometimes you just need somewhere relaxed where everybody can sit down.

Good for

Casual food and drinks

Families and groups

Staying within Camber

An easy post-beach meal

So, which Camber pub should you choose?

It really depends what kind of evening you want.

For a traditional pub: start with The Owl.

For an easy local drink: The Camber Castle is worth considering.

For something smarter: book Harry’s at The Gallivant.

For relaxed food and drinks: Rye Bay Bar & Grill gives you another local option.

And that is about the right level of choice for Camber.

We could pretend there are twelve incredible pubs hidden behind the dunes for the sake of making a bigger list, but there aren’t.

The better news is that Rye is only a few miles away.

Worth the short trip to Rye Harbour

Before heading all the way into Rye town centre, Rye Harbour is worth knowing about.

It gives you a completely different atmosphere from both Camber and central Rye and works particularly well if you have spent the day walking around Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.

William the Conqueror, Rye Harbour

William the Conqueror sits in Rye Harbour and is the kind of place that works naturally after a walk around the reserve.

Rather than making the pub the entire purpose of the journey, pair the two.

Explore Rye Harbour, get some fresh air and finish with a drink or something to eat.

That makes for a very easy half-day away from Camber.

Good for

Drinks after Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

Lunch or dinner

A change from Camber

Walkers and groups

Our take: one to combine with a Rye Harbour day rather than simply driving there for one drink.

Pubs and bars in Rye

Rye is where your options really open up.

Its historic centre packs pubs, restaurants, bars and cafés into a relatively small area, so it is easy to head in without deciding exactly where the evening will end.

You can have one drink, wander somewhere else for dinner and finish in another pub without needing to keep jumping back into the car.

That is a very different evening to staying in Camber.

Rye Waterworks Micropub

If beer is the priority, Rye Waterworks deserves a mention.

It occupies a historic former waterworks on Tower Street and focuses heavily on local drinks.

The micropub serves a rotating selection of local ales and ciders alongside other drinks, with its own Waterworks brewery operating nearby in Playden.

Food is deliberately simple rather than being the main attraction, with traditional pub snacks such as pork pies and Scotch eggs.

This is the opposite of a giant chain pub.

It is small, characterful and built around sitting down, having a drink and probably talking to whoever happens to be sitting nearby.

Good for

Real ale

Local cider

Something different

Pub enthusiasts

A casual drink while exploring Rye

It also welcomes families and dogs, which can make it useful if you are exploring Rye as a group.

Our take: if someone in your group takes beer seriously, put this on the list.

The Globe Inn Marsh

The Globe sits slightly away from Rye’s most tourist-heavy streets on Military Road.

It is another useful choice when you want the feel of a proper pub while still being close to the centre of Rye.

For visitors staying in Camber, Rye pubs like this give you the chance to make an evening out of the short trip into town rather than simply heading over for sightseeing during the day.

Good for

Lunch or dinner

Drinks in Rye

Couples and groups

Combining a pub with an evening in town

Should you drink in Camber or head into Rye?

Should you drink in Camber or head into Rye?

This is probably the more useful question.

Stay in Camber when…

You have been on the beach all day and nobody wants to travel.

You want to walk back to your cottage afterwards.

You fancy The Owl.

You have booked Harry’s for dinner.

You want the evening to stay relaxed and uncomplicated.

Head into Rye when…

You want a wider choice.

You would like to move between a couple of venues.

You want to combine drinks with dinner.

You are already spending the afternoon exploring Rye.

You want more of an evening out.

Neither is better.

They are just different.

Family-friendly pubs near Camber Sands

This is one area where checking before you arrive matters.

The words “family-friendly” can mean anything from a pub with a children’s menu and high chairs to a venue that simply allows older children at certain times.

For example, The Owl currently has specific age restrictions for children and Harry’s operates different policies at lunch and dinner.

If you have babies or younger children, do not assume every Camber venue will be appropriate.

Check the current policy when booking.

For families who simply want somewhere informal to eat after a day on the beach, the wider range of casual restaurants and cafés around Camber may sometimes suit better than the pubs themselves.

Dog-friendly pubs around Camber Sands

Camber naturally attracts a lot of dog owners.

Our dog-friendly holiday cottages are particularly popular outside the summer period when the main seasonal restrictions on designated parts of Camber Sands have ended.

Some local venues accommodate dogs, although policies vary depending on whether you are drinking, eating, sitting inside or visiting in the evening.

Harry’s, for example, currently allows dogs in its bar and Sitting Room during lunch but applies different restrictions later in the day.

Always check before setting off rather than relying on an old review online.

For more information about visiting the area with your dog, read our Camber Sands with dogs guide.

Where can you get a drink near Camber Sands Beach?

If you are actually on the sand, remember that Camber is not a resort lined with bars directly overlooking the beach.

Most of the places to eat and drink sit behind the beach and dunes within the village.

That is part of Camber’s appeal.

The beach remains the beach rather than becoming a strip of restaurants and bars.

From the central beach area you can head back into Camber for local options including The Owl, while Harry’s sits towards the western end near The Gallivant.

See our complete Camber Sands Beach guide for parking, facilities, dogs, swimming and other practical information.

Can you walk to the pub from your Camber cottage?

Can you walk to the pub from your Camber cottage?

Depending on where you stay, yes.

And we think this is one of the underrated advantages of staying in Camber rather than treating it as a day-trip destination.

Finish the day on the beach.

Go back to the cottage.

Get the sand out of places you did not know sand could reach.

Then walk out for a drink without thinking about beach car parks, traffic or the drive home.

When choosing your cottage, it is worth thinking about what matters most.

Want the beach close by?

Browse our beachfront holiday cottages.

Bringing the dog?

Explore our dog-friendly cottages.

Want to turn a few drinks into a proper weekend away?

Take a look at our short breaks in Camber.

Or browse all our Camber holiday cottages and choose the location that works for you.

Our ideal Camber pub afternoon

If we were keeping things simple, we would do this.

Spend the morning on Camber Sands.

Head back to the cottage around lunchtime.

Get cleaned up and have something to eat.

Go back out for a walk later in the afternoon once the beach begins to change.

Then finish with a drink in Camber rather than trying to squeeze another attraction into the day.

If you have several nights here, save Rye for a separate evening.

That way you actually get to enjoy both rather than spending the entire holiday shuttling backwards and forwards.

Make Rye your second night out

After an easy Camber evening, spend another afternoon exploring Rye.

Walk the historic centre, have a look around Mermaid Street, browse the shops and then stay for drinks and dinner.

That is when places like Rye Waterworks and The Globe become useful.

You are not travelling into Rye purely for the pub.

The whole town becomes the evening.

You can find more ideas in our guide to things to do in Rye and wider Camber Sands guide.