The Rother Wine Triangle links a cluster of vineyards between Rye, Hastings and Flimwell, and it’s becoming one of the more interesting wine destinations in the UK. Tillingham has helped put the area on the map: a former hop farm turned winery, restaurant and rooms, drawing a weekend crowd down from London for wine, good food and a few days in the countryside.

Tillingham may be why you come, but the wider triangle offers plenty of reasons to stay. It brings together independent producers with different approaches to growing and making wine, with cellar-door tastings, vineyard stays and long lunches along the way.

The oast houses dotted across the valley tell an earlier story. Once used to dry hops for brewing, they remind us of a landscape with a long history of growing something to fill your glass. Hops are still grown locally at Tibbs Farm, but wine is giving people a new reason to visit.

Base yourself in Rye, spend the morning browsing its shops, then head out to meet the vineyards shaping the area’s next chapter.