HIKE, SIP, REPEAT: WHY HIKE TO THE MIC IS THE SUSSEX FESTIVAL EVERY ENGLISH WINE LOVER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT.
There’s a new festival in town, and this one trades muddy fields and overpriced lager for scenic trails, acoustic music, and a vineyard stop en route.
Hike to the Mic, launching on Saturday 5th July, is part gentle ramble, part music event — with a pause for wine at Charles Palmer Vineyard, one of East Sussex’s most quietly impressive estates.
For English wine lovers, like me, it’s a totally irresistible combination.
Charles Palmer Vineyard: The Festival’s Star Attraction (for Wine Lovers, Anyway)
The day begins in Hastings, with a group hike through the beautiful Hastings Country Park, a landscape of rolling hills, sea views and ancient woodland. After around 13km, the route leads to Charles Palmer Vineyard near Winchelsea.
The festival organisers have carved out two to three hours at the vineyard, which means plenty of time to sip, savour, and sink into the setting. There’ll be an intimate acoustic set – live music among the vines is always a good idea – plus a chance to taste Charles Palmer’s award-winning wines.
And the sensible among us will slip a bottle or two into their Dick Whittington-style knapsacks for another day. I’ve got my eye on the still Rosé — a classic Pinot Noir expression and, at £20 a bottle, rather good value.
If you haven’t tried them yet, Charles Palmer is one of the names to know in East Sussex. This family-run vineyard specialises in still and sparkling wines made from classic grapes.
The Classic Cuvée is a beautifully balanced blend — 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir — complex and elegant, with layers of citrus, orchard fruit and a whisper of brioche. Notably, it skips the usual Pinot Meunier addition, which gives it a cleaner, more distinctive edge.
As for the Chardonnay, it’s a revelation: fresh, zesty, and blissfully unoaked. None of those heavy buttery notes that tend to divide a table — just bright, precise winemaking that lets the fruit sing.
Add a cheeseboard, a warm breeze, and some gentle guitar, and you’ve got yourself a little slice of summer magic.
What Else to Expect
After the vineyard, it’s a gentle final 6km to Tibbs Farm near Rye, where the main event runs from 4pm to 10pm. The line-up includes a mix of folk, indie and jazz, with performances from The Gulls, Samuel Ashton & The Instincts, and local favourite Lafferty, among others.
Alongside the music, you’ll find local food and drink, craft beer from The Hastings Project, and a strong community spirit — 10% of profits go to Warming Up the Homeless, a charity working across the South East.
If hiking isn’t your thing, there’s also the option to head straight to the vineyard or festival site. Shuttle buses, a bag drop and on-site camping all make the logistics refreshingly straightforward.
A New Kind of Festival – And a New Way to Discover English Wine
It seems to be that what sets Hike to the Mic apart is its gentle sense of purpose. It’s a festival with space to breathe — where the journey is as much a part of the day as the destination. For English wine lovers, the stop at Charles Palmer offers a lovely moment of pause and pleasure: wine at source, without the fuss.
In a crowded calendar of festivals, this one quietly stands out.
Tickets start from £39.50
More info and bookings: www.hiketothemic.co.uk
Follow along: @hiketothemic.uk
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