Camber Castle, Rye

Set back from Lydd Road by a large car park is the Camber Castle with an exterior that looks more like a community centre than a pub. Visitors for the beach which is a short stroll away can pay £4 to park their cars which is much cheaper than the £7 for four hours at the council car parks. The public bar to the right that houses two pool tables and a fruit machine was empty when I visited late on a recent Tuesday afternoon. The left hand bar is fairly bland with rows of tables and some DJ equipment set up in the corner which I imagine is used for the advertised karaoke on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I didn’t spot any televisions in either bar and there was no background music playing. The bar is stocked with generic draught products and there is a pub grub menu where all mains cost £6.90 and three courses are available for £11 a head. The kitchen is open during lunch and early evening periods six days a week and from midday until 17:00 on Sundays when roasts are available. On the Tuesday afternoon that I visited there were fifteen or so other customers, most of which had decided to escape the adjacent Pontins holiday camp for a few hours. There is a Fortnightly quiz on Thursday evenings and the pool tables are free all day on Tuesdays. This pub doesn’t open until noon, but there is a late license until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. I found the service here to be very friendly, but I thought that the surroundings were very depressing. There are some picnic tables outside the front of the pub for sunny afternoons, but they face the car park which gets very busy when there is even a hint of sunshine. Despite the friendly welcome, this place was my least favourite out of the three pubs in Camber.