S.A.R.A.H.     Venues

A wide variety of venues are visited with an attempt to always provide a mixed, enjoyable, value-for-money and interesting selection of places to have morning refreshments and later, a lunch time meal.

Dave chooses the venues each week, checking availability and booking in numbers where appropriate.
Effort is made to make sure some of the more popular places are visited more frequently, but a good mix is also provided to make each week as varied as possible.

The weekly bookings are kept secret, with members often trying to guess where we'll end up. To an extent the day if often seen as a mystery tour, frequently travelling down the quiet, narrow lanes in the middle of nowhere to reach the destinations.

The number of suitable venues has grown over the years, with new ones added on when discovered or recommended. Sadly, mostly due to Covid-19 and then later the financial situation, some venues have shut down. Other places have reduced their availabilty during the week, sometimes being closed on Tuesdays (the day the group go out).

Dave has built up a list that he has published on Google Maps, this list can be seen here: https://goo.gl/maps/tRR4HdhL8tzwAknd8

This is a list (as of June 2023) that S.A.R.A.H. has visited over the years since Dave Pickering has been organising the visits. Some of these are firm favourites, others have been a bit of a let down, yet more have either permanently closed or are no longer open on Tuesdays.

Arlington Tea Rooms
Bale House, Hastings Country Park
Beefeater, Ashford
Beefeater, Eureka Ashford
Beryls Cafe, Rye
Biggles Cafe, Lydd Airport
Birling Gap Cafe
Blackbrooks, Lower Dicker
Blackbrooks, Sedlescombe
Blackbrooks, St. Leonards-on-Sea
Bodiam Castle Cafe
Bosun's Bite, Rye Harbour
Bow Ties, Bexhill
Brittania Inn, Dungeness
Burtons Tearoom, Battle
Bybrook Barn, Ashford
Cafe Aroma, Eastbourne
Cafe Tibbles, Wadhurst
Chapter Two, Little Common
Chestnut Meadow,  Bexhill
Chiddingly Cafe
Chilley Farm, Hailsham
Coastguard Tea Rooms, Fairlight
Cooden Beach Hotel
Country Park Visitor Centre, Fairlight
Costa, Bulverhythe
County Members, Lympne
Crowborough Cross, Crowborough
Custom Cafe, Bexhill
De La Warr, Bexhill
Deer Park Cafe, Eridge
Dickens Tea Room, Eastbourne
Dobbies Garden Centre, Ashford
Eastbourne Golf Club
East Sussex National, Uckfield
French Connection, Ashford
George Hotel, Hailsham
Grand Hotel, Eastbourne
Great Park Farm, Catsfield
Hamstreet Garden Centre
Hawkhurst Fish Farm
Heathfield Tavern
Herstmonceux Science Centre
Hikers Rest, East Dean
Hillier Garden Centre, Stone Cross
Holly Blue, Stone Cross
Hope Cottage, Ninfield
Horse and Groom, Polegate
Jempson Cafe, Peasmarsh
Jo's Cafe, Brookland
Kerry's Kitchen, Lydd
Kings Arms, Ninfield
Kings Head, Horsebridge
Lakeside, Horam
Lakeside Wylands, Catsfield
Lathe Barn,  Burmarsh
Lime Cross Nursery, Herstmonceux
Lime Wharf Cafe, Cranbrook
Litlington Tea Gardens, Litlington
Marks and Spencer, Bexhill
Mary’s Tea Room, Dymchurch
Mill (The) , Eastbourne
Miss Mollett's Tea Room, Appledore
Moorings (The), Pevensey
Muffins Cafe, East Hoathly
Netherfield Cafe
Ocean View, Pevensey
Old Loom Mill, Hailsham
Orangery, Ashburnham
Planters A21, Hurst Green
Priory Court Hotel, Pevensey
Ripleys Garden Centre, Ashford
Robin Hood, Icklesham
Rodmill, Eastbourne
Rose & Crown, Bexhill
Sainsbury's , St. Leonards
Sedlescombe Golf Club
Sharnfold Farm, Pevensey
Simon The Pieman, Rye
Singleton Barn, Ashford
Smugglers Restaurant, Pevensey
Sovereign Light Cafe, Bexhill
Star Inn, Normans Bay
Station Pub, Uckfield
Taris's Coffee Bar, Westfield
Tea Beside The Orchard, Icklesham
Tenterden Garden Centre
Tenterden Steam Railway
Three Oaks Pub
Tibbs Farm, Udimore
Tic Tocory, Pett
Toby Carvery, Eastbourne
Tottingworth Farm, Heathfield
Treacle Mine, Polegate
Truffles Bakery, Mayfield
UpCounty Garden Centre, Stone Cross
Victorian Tea Rooms, Eastbourne Pier
Village Shop, The Dicker
Waterside Harvester, Eastbourne
Wellshurst Golf Club
White Heart, Catsfield
White Heart, Hastings
Winchelsea Beach Cafe
Woolpack, Hothfield
Works Cafe, Bexhill

If you are reading this and can think of any suitable venues that are not in this list,
please send an email to dave@davepickering.com - he would very much appreciate it!

The ideal criteria are:

⦁ Flat and easy access with none or as few steps as possible.
⦁ Disembarking the minibus close to the venue entrance, minimising walking distance.
⦁ Wheelchair and walking frame friendly as much as possible.
⦁ Disabled toilets wherever possible.
⦁ Reasonable prices, especially lunch (e.g. places that may include special offers such as '2 for 1', weekday lunch time specials, etc.).