Seven Sisters

Seven Sisters Hike (Seaford to Eastbourne)

Seaford to Eastbourne is a great all-day hike that is easily accessible from London and involves both green rolling hills and pebbly beaches.

The route:

From Seaford station head straight towards the coast. Once you reach the beach, walk east along the Esplanade, past the Seaford Museum of Local History and the brightly painted beach huts, until the road ends and you reach a gravelly path that inclines up.

Follow this path, climbing up to the cliff top, and continue on. Soon enough you will see your first glimpse of the Seven Sisters Cliffs and the route will start to gently decline.

Eventually, you’ll come to Cuckmere, where the river mouth meets the sea. There are 2 options here:

1. Cross the river at the mouth (at the beach). This will most likely involve getting wet to some degree. From the cliff top, walk down to the beach and cross the river mouth here. Depending on the tide and the river flow the current can be pretty strong and the water deeper than you expect so be careful with yourself and any valuables. Water level shouldn’t go above waist level (I’m 5’8” and it came to knee level).

2. Take a detour inland and cross the river at Exceat Bridge. This detour will add about 1 hour to your hike (30 mins to the bridge, 30 mins back to the cliff-side path), but it is safer, drier, and can involve a rest stop at the nearby Cuckmere Inn.

Whichever way you choose to cross Cuckmere River, rejoin the coastal path via the steep gravelly path. From here on you will always have the sea on your right and will be following a green grass or gravel path.

Along this first half the walk you will come across The William Charles Campbell Monument and the Robertson War Memorial before reaching Birling Gap which is roughly halfway to Eastbourne.

Birling Gap is your stop to use the bathroom, grab some food and drink, fill up water, and take a dip in the sea. It is a National Trust site with a bus stop and car park so has quite high footfall and can get quite busy. If you don’t plan to continue walking, this is a good place to catch a bus back to either Seaford or Eastbourne.

Again, rejoin the coastal path by taking the steep gravel path up the cliff on the other side of the car park. This section of the walk is more popular and there will likely be more people in this section. Along your route you will pass Belle Tout Lighthouse and Beachy Head Lighthouse.

Once at Beachy Head you’ll notice that the path comes in close proximity to the main road. Again, there is a bus stop here if you choose to take a bus into Eastbourne. There is also a hotel and restaurant, food trucks (season dependent), and toilets around here to rest and fill up. From here you’ll be able to see Eastbourne in the distant, and you’ll be glad to see that it’s all downhill from here.

There are a couple of path options back into Eastbourne. They’re not too different, nor too far apart, but I’d suggest avoiding the path that sticks close to the main road and taking the middle path towards Beachy Head Playing Fields to have a quieter experience. The decline back into town can get quite steep so be careful, particularly if it’s wet. Just as you reach the main road in Eastbourne you’ll see a big sign for the South Downs which makes a good photo op.

Now in Eastbourne, you still have around 40 minutes of walking before reaching the train station. The most picturesque route would be to walk along the waterfront along Eastbourne Promenade and then come up to the main road at the Western Lawn and Wishtower Slopes before heading to the station. For a faster route (and only by 5-10 minutes) you can walk through the residential streets straight to the station.