Rye is a town and civil parish in the Rother area, in East Sussex, England, 2 miles from the sea at the assemblage of 3 rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham as well as the Brede. In middle ages times, as an important participant of the Cinque Ports confederation, it was at the head of an embayment of the English Channel, and also virtually totally bordered by the sea. At the 2011 census, Rye had a population of 4,773. Its historic association with the sea has actually consisted of giving ships for the solution of the Crown in time of war, as well as being involved in smuggling. The infamous Hawkhurst Gang used its ancient inns The Mermaid Inn and also The Olde Bell Inn, which are stated to be attached to each various other by a secret passage. Those historic origins and also its charm make it a vacationer location, with hotels, bed and breakfast, B&B s, tea rooms, and dining establishments. It has a small angling fleet, and also Rye Harbour has centers for yachts as well as other vessels.