#east sussex

This is another railway station walk and is a return to the original concept of a day’s walk from one railway station to another. The walk along the East Sussex coast over the Seven Sisters cliffs is one of the best and therefore most popular walks in the South of England. I did not realise quite how popular until I changed on to the local train from Lewes to Seaford and it was apparent that everyone in the carriage was setting out on the same walk. Indeed there were far more people in the carriage walking the Seven Sisters than I’d seen on the whole of my last railway station to railway station walk,the Yorkshire Wolds Way, and that was 5 days!

Upon arrival of the rattling local train at Seaford there was a mass charge towards the beach and the path to the Seven Sisters. To avoided being trampled and to hopefully enjoy a more relaxed and peaceful walk, we hung back from the herd of walkers and casually passed a few moments looking in shop windows. So well must I have disguised my intent not to be part of the herd that some walkers clearly mistook me for a local and asked me for directions to the beach and the Seven Sisters, not that I know what a Seaford local looks like.

We strolled in the sunshine along the seafront at Seaford by its wide pebbled beach. Ahead of us we could see the herd making their way up the first steep climb onto the white cliffs. When it came to our turn to ascend the climb up the cliffs out of Seaford, we seemed to be back in the herd. It was at this point it became apparent that there was, not only the herd from the train but, a sizeable crowd walking this route. It would never thin out again along the cliffs all the way to Eastbourne.

The actual Seven Sisters cliffs do not start until Cuckmere Haven which is two miles or so from Seaford. Here one is faced with a dilemma, being the Cuckmere River. There is no bridge across the river at Cuckmere Haven, the nearest bridge being a good mile inland. The choice is therefore to walk at least an extra two miles or wade across the river. At low tide, as it was, the river is reasonably shallow but I could see a queue of people waiting their turn or, more likely, hesitating to cross. I concluded that it was probably harder to wade across than it might otherwise seem. In addition, having failed to plan and bring a towel, I did not fancy wet feet for the rest of the walk.

We, therefore, decided to take the inland route and the extra miles. It was a pleasant walk alongside the river but it is frustrating to know that you are actually making no progress towards your final destination. Once you get back to where you started, albeit on the opposite bank of the Cuckmere River, it is a long trek uphill to the first of the Seven Sisters. It is then a bit of a rollercoaster walk, with steep ups and downs on each of the sisters before descending to Birling Gap. Around Birling Gap and its car park it gets even busier but from here there are great views in both directions: back along the Seven Sisters and towards Beachy Head and its lighthouse.

Beachy Head to Eastbourne felt a bit of a drag. The weather was cloudy and threatening rain so it was a case of hurrying along to Eastbourne station and the train back to London.

As usual, there are photos from the walk below.