Seeing rain predictions for upcoming days, I feared of possibility that the last warm weekend of summer was just passing by! So, almost at the last minute joined the Seven Sister hike on the sunny, southern coast of Britain.
There isn’t much to say about the Seven Sisters that hasn’t been already told. It is one of the most iconic, scenic walks in the south.
Note: If you’re looking for more comprehensive guide that covers the hike and has some detailed information, make sure to check out my other article: 7 things to see on The Seven Sisters Walk. Hope you’ll find it helpful.
Seaford
We started our hike at Seaford, a small town in East Sussex, west of Brighton. Reachable by train from London, it took us about 1,5h to get there.
About 15-20 minutes walk from the train station, the trail starts leading up the cliffs climbing up and offering views of Seaford town.
The Seven Sisters
The day couldn’t be better for Summer Bank Holiday. It was sunny and warm, but not too hot and the sea breeze cooled us during walking.
It wasn’t a long walk until the path revealed the first views of the Seven Sisters cliffs, which were breathtaking!
The cliffs appeared serene, bright, white, and almost shining, with the sunlight illuminating the chalk rock as we marched towards them.
I was there once before, in 2017 - driving from Eastbourne along the Jurassic Coast, but this time, walking in the opposite direction revealed an utterly different perspective of the coast.
The views were just getting better and better as we approached Cuckmere Haven. Passing by Coastguard Cottages offered another excellent angle for some shots!
Cuckmere River
After reaching the Cuckmere Haven, we detoured inland to cross the Cuckmere River. It was about 3km total, a flat walk along the river to the bridge near The Cuckmere Inn and then back to the cliffs’ top.
The path along the river offered different scenery and a chance to chat with folks from the group.
Walked alongside meanders of the Cuckmere River, I spotted many interesting sightings with some vivid, red-coloured marshes.
Climbing several dozen meters above sea level, we reached our lunch break spot overlooking the Cuckmere Haven area.
Birling Gap
Invigorated with the lunch break meals, we continued hiking towards the east. We were still on the 1st half of the route.
The hike led us through a stop at the Birling Gap, a small hamlet and a beach - quite busy at this time of the year.
After that, we hiked toward Belle Tout Lighthouse point and finally reached the heights of the Beachy Head Cliffs, Britain’s highest chalk sea cliff.
Eastbourne
Finally, after around 6 hours of hiking, we reached the outskirts of Eastbourne. The views of the town seen from the clifftops were great, especially with the ferris wheel attraction located at the beach.
Still, it took us around 30 minutes to reach the city centre where we stopped for some refreshments, followed by the brief walk to Eastbourne Train Station and finally, 90-minutes journey back to London!
