Let me take you to 1961. It’s easy to find – just beyond the beautiful and historic Cinque Port of Rye on a grey February afternoon is Camber and when you reach it you are instantly transported in time. There is a bucket and spade shop, it is open, but there are no customers, because it’s a pretty miserable and cold day and the kids aren’t that keen on building sand castles. The same goes for Space City amusements. That’s empty, too, though there’s a jolly blare coming from the arcade machines. On the other side of the road are the ranks of caravans that make up Camber Sands Holiday Park. There’s no one there.
This is the world as it was before the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles first LP. If you’ve experienced it, you’ll recognise it all right. If you haven’t and want to see the world that shaped your mum and dad ..
Well, that’s probably a hard sell. In fact, you might want to go to Camber because on a winter’s day its very bleakness is compelling. The Sands are one of the finest stretches of dunes in England, with safe bathing (though that’s better experienced in the summer). Five miles along the coast is the complete isolation of Dungeness, where the nuclear power station dominates a lonely flat headland of shingle. I have to admit that we didn’t make it on our February outing, though we set out along the dyke in its direction. It was rather cold, as I may have mentioned.
The Dunes Bar was indeed a welcome sight. It has been impressively converted from an old tearoom, and offers a good and reasonably priced menu. This isn’t the only new addition to Camber. The fashionable boutique hotel, The Place opened a few years ago on New Lydd Road. It has 18 rooms and its brasserie has been well-reviewed. Specialities include wild rabbit stew and bouillabaisse, apparently.
Nearby is the famous Rye Golf course, one of the finest and most challenging in the country, they say. But it is very private and one commentator says that if you’re not a member it’s easier to get a game at the Old Course at St Andrews. I’m not a golfer, so I'm in no position to judge whether the effort to do so would be worth it.