The South Downs National Park has a coastal section known as the South Downs Heritage Coast which boasts some excellent walking. This section between Brighton and Eastbourne includes a number of urban areas, but also some spectacular coastal scenery. Sections such as the chalk cliffs at Seven Sisters and Beachy Head are iconic, and any visit to this section of English coast should include them. The section will soon form part of the England Coast Path, and most of the coastline can also be walked by following the South Downs Way.
Height Gained – 500 metres , Distance – 17 km, Time –5 hours
So it’s no surprise that our first choice is to walk the relevant section of the South Downs Way from Alfriston to Eastbourne following the coastline. This includes the entire section of coastline from Cuckmere Haven onward that includes the Belle Toute Lighthouse and Beachy head.
Height Gained – 860 metres , Distance – 52 km, Time –2 days
This section of the England Coast Path is approved but not officially open, according to the official site. However, it can still be largely walked and follows the coast closely from Shoreham-by-sea via Hove and Brighton, Seaford and on to Eastbourne. Some sections follow established routes with Vanguard Way between Newhaven and Seaford, and the South Downs Way from Cuckmere Haven on to Eastbourne and eventually all along the entire coastline of England.
Cliffs at Peacehaven Heights The path runs for 2km from Telscombe to the edges of Newhaven
Height Gained – 80 metres , Distance – 6 km, Time –2 hours
This walk may be short, but the views from Seaford Head across towards Seven Sisters are second to none. The walk skirts the slopes of Seaford Head, but you can easily walk up to the highest point an back if you want an even better view.
Height Gained – 350 metres , Distance – 13 km, Time –4 hours
Taking in the landmarks of the Seven Sisters Cliffs and the chalk headland of Beachy Head beyond, this is one of the best coastal walks in southern England. You can take a whole day over this walk if you wished, with cafe and visitor centre at Birling Gap as well as the Belle Tout Lighthouse to take your time over. Or if it seems too much for you, then there’s a shorter version of the walk that takes in just the Seven Sister, finishing at Birling Gap.
Height Gained – 100 metres , Distance – 3 km, Time –1 hours
This easy walk from Birling Gap makes an ideal family outing, full of interest and with a convenient National Trust Visitor Centre at Birling Gap. The Belle Tout Lighthouse has a fascinating story, having been moved 17 metres in 1999 in order to prevent the historic building from succumbing to coastal erosion. There’s also the beach at Birling Gap to explore afterwards.
Height Gained – 350 metres , Distance – 13 km, Time –4 hours
At over 160 metres high, Beachy Head is the tallest chalk cliff in the UK. It also boasts the unfortunate record of being a suicide hot spot. This circular walk is another that’s conveniently based around Birling Gap (though the walk starts from Eastbourne Downland golf course) and takes in the spectacular stretch of heritage coast between there and Beachy Head.
Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader.
Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.