The Owl, Rye

The Owl was another East Sussex pub that we had tried to visit on the last bank holiday weekend. We had been turned away shortly before 7pm, with staff saying that they were closed. We had previously tried to check their opening times, only to be told that they were fully booked throughout the weekend. This time around, I made a booking to be certain of a table. Just one other table was occupied when I arrived shortly before 1pm. A few others did arrive later, but there were still plenty of spare tables. 4 ales were on - Young's Special & Long Man Best Bitter are regular ales. Guests were Long Man Blonde & Cellar Head Spring Pale Ale. I went for the last of these and it was easily the worst beer I've had this year. The reason became apparent when I passed back through the bar to the toilets, with a new beer being pulled through. Nevertheless, their burger was absolutely delicious and other food on the menu sounded and looked good. This will always be a popular pub given its location, but it has much greater potential.

Official site of The Owl - theowlcamber.co.uk

Official site of The Owl - theowlcamber.co.uk

The Green Owl is a pub across the road from the foot of the high dunes where access is gained to Camber’s sandy beach. My first visit here was with the family on Thursday afternoon so that I could grab a quick pint. We sat in the conservatory that feels more like a porch where my two young children could be as loud as they liked as we were shut off from the bar. The woman on duty who I took to be the landlady was extremely friendly. In fact her welcome was the reason that we all visited the following afternoon for some dinner. The menu is standard pub fare and the portions are large giving good value for money. The bloke working in the kitchen came out to set our table and unbelievably he was just as friendly as the landlady. The lunch mains are priced around the £8 mark and the evening mains start at £10 which seems to be par for the area. The bar is stocked with standard draught and support four hand pumps. Two of these were of off so the ale options were Young’s Ordinary and Caledonian’s Golden XPA which was well served. The interior was very clean and it felt like it had recently had a makeover. I quiet liked it and immediately felt at home as I walked through the door. It is U shaped with a small seating area at the right rear in the ‘Owl’s Nest’, but the majority of seating is to the left of the bar where there is a log burner. At the front left of the pub is another small seating area named the Owl’s Retreat with views onto Old Lydd road and the dunes. Above the log burner is a plasma screen which was switched off, but Sky Sports is advertised in the window. There was some background music playing at an unobtrusive level. Children are welcome until 21:00 and this pub shuts at 22:00 on Mondays, but it is open until midnight every other night except Fridays and Saturdays when it closes at 1am. At the rear there is a small car park and there are a couple of picnic tables either side of the pub. I thought that this was by far the best pub in Camber and I would have no hesitation revisiting with or without the family.

A large pub just behind the sea wall, the Green Owl is a typical Kent Coast lapboarded house which has had a few unsympathetic modifications, including a functional if unsightly conservatory. There is a single U-shaped bar, carpeted, with a 1970s feel to it although not as twee as it may sound, and a covered patio to the front. There is a gaming machine in the bar but it is unobtrusive. The pub is dog-friendly, the clientele are pleasant (if a little distant), the landlady chatty and welcoming and the ambience very homely. Home-cooked food is available, representing good VFM. There were 4 ales on - I had a pint of Bushy's Silvered Ace, somethign of an acquired taste but well kept and enjoyable. By far the best of Camber's 3 remaining pubs, This is a comfortable place to eat, drink and relax and is evidence that seaside pubs don't have to be awful.