The Seven Sisters and Beachy Head

The Seven Sisters, in East Sussex, are a series of white chalk cliffs overlooking the English Channel between Seaford and Eastbourne, in the South Downs National Park. Their gleaming walls, separated by dry valleys that form a row of waves, are one of the classic images of England. A little further east rises Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, with its red-and-white striped lighthouse at its foot.

History

The chalk of the cliffs formed in the Cretaceous period, between 100 and 66 million years ago, from the accumulation on the seabed of billions of microscopic algae shells. The valleys separating the "sisters" were carved by ancient rivers at the end of the Ice Age, and the sea then cut through the hills creating the vertical faces. Erosion continues today: the cliffs retreat on average about 30 to 40 centimetres a year, and every so often large falls send masses of chalk into the sea.

It was erosion that forced the moving of Belle Tout lighthouse, built in 1832 on top of Beachy Head: in 1999 the whole building was lifted and slid on rails 17 metres back from the edge. Because fog often hid it, a new lighthouse was built in 1902 on the shore at the foot of the cliff. In 2010 the area became part of the South Downs National Park.

What to see

Cuckmere Haven and the Country Park

The Seven Sisters Country Park surrounds the valley of the River Cuckmere, which winds in wide meanders to the sea. A level path leads from the visitor centre to the shingle beach of Cuckmere Haven, from which you can see the line of cliffs.

Seaford Head and the coastguard cottages

The most famous view is from Seaford Head, on the other side of the river: the white cliffs line up behind a row of coastguard cottages, an image that has appeared in countless films, advertisements and book covers.

Birling Gap

Halfway along the coast, Birling Gap, run by the National Trust, has a café, a visitor centre and a metal staircase down to the beach. At low tide you can walk at the foot of the cliffs and see the layers of chalk and the flint nodules. Beware, however, of tides and rockfalls: it is best to keep away from the base of the cliffs.

Beachy Head

Continuing east you reach Beachy Head, 162 metres high, with a dizzying view of the red-and-white lighthouse below and, on clear days, much of the Sussex coast. The South Downs Way, the 160-kilometre national trail, starts right here above Eastbourne.

Practical information

The cliffs are always freely accessible; the car parks at the Country Park, Birling Gap and Beachy Head are charged. The clifftop paths are grassy and undulating: keep away from the edge, which can collapse without warning, and keep dogs on a lead.

Getting there

• By bus: coastal routes between Brighton and Eastbourne stop at Seven Sisters Country Park and, in summer, at Birling Gap and Beachy Head.
• By train: to Seaford or Eastbourne, then on foot along the coast.
• By air: Gatwick Airport is about an hour away.

Nearby

• Brighton, with its pier and the Royal Pavilion.
• Eastbourne, an elegant Victorian seaside resort.
• The village of Alfriston, with timber-framed houses and old pubs, and the town of Lewes.

Tips

• How long: half a day, a full day for the walk from Seaford to Eastbourne (about 21 kilometres).
• When to go: all year round; on clear days and at sunset the cliffs turn golden.
• A tip: for the classic photo, climb Seaford Head in the late afternoon, when the sun lights the white cliffs full on.

Seven Sisters on the map

Nearby