If you’re in England and you’re looking for a fabulous hike to do this season, take a day trip to the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs. The Seven Sisters are an iconic stretch of English coastline, boasting pristine white cliffs and green grassland coupled with the rolling waves of the English Channel. The classic Seven Sisters hike is 22km, taking 7 – 8 hours to complete including breaks. Despite this distance, it’s accessible to all abilities, thanks to the gently undulating terrain and well-trodden paths. There’s even a bail-out option halfway!
I completed the hike along the Seven Sister chalk cliffs for the first time in autumn 20 years ago, as part of a school trip to the UK. Even though I didn’t fully appreciate its natural beauty at the age of 14, the views of the chalk cliffs stuck with me. I was pleased to return this summer on a day trip from London and the Seven Sisters again exceeded my expectations. I also loved seeing the chalk cliffs in a different season this time. The Seven Sisters hike is perfect for any time of year. If you’re also planning a day trip from London to the Seven Sister chalk cliffs, keep on reading for all my practical tips.
Why hike the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs?
The main reason to hike the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs is the area’s natural beauty. The Seven Sisters are part of the South Downs National Park. Its quintessentially English countryside scenery mostly consists of undulating meadows and farmland. The coastline between Seaford and Eastbourne, which comprises the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, is deemed one of the most pristine and unspoilt sections of England’s coast.
The chalk cliffs walk is not just hardcore hiking. There are nice pebbles beaches at Cuckmere Haven and Birling Gap where you can catch the sun a take a dip (tide permitting). The same goes for the start and end of the hike at Seaford and Eastbourne.
Logistics for hiking the Seven Sisters cliffs
The Seven Sisters chalk cliffs are a great all-season walk that you can enjoy anytime of the year. Navigation is easy: just follow the coastline. Do take care to stay away from the edges (there are signs everywhere to remind you)! The chalk cliffs are brittles and stonefall happens regularly. I suggest to take a picknick or pick up food at a supermarket in Seaford. Once you’re off on the hike, there are no real services until you reach Eastbourne. An exception is the National Trust site at Birling Gap, where you can buy ice cream and some basic snacks, but this gets busy and expensive.
The best way is to do the walk from Seaford to Eastbourne. It’s also possible to do it the other way round, but you get the best views coming from Seaford. If you’re on a day trip from London, getting to Seaford is the more difficult part of the journey. Eastbourne has a convenient direct connection to London Victoria, making the return journey more relaxed. There are two logical ways of getting to the trailhead at Seaford:
Train to Seaford
Take the train from London Victoria to Seaford. This requires a change at Lewes and sitting on a slow local train. Bear in mind that both stations are on different train lines. This means you can’t buy a (cheaper) return ticket, but you have to buy two single tickets instead. The return journey cost me close to 60 pounds in total.
Train to Brighton and bus
You can get to Brighton easily from both London Bridge and Victoria stations. There you need to top onto the Coaster 12 (12A / 12X) bus. This bus runs between Eastbourne and Brighton via Seaford up to 12 times a day. The bus runs along the coast and the route is known as one of Britain’s scenic bus routes. It takes slightly longer than doing the whole journey by train, but you get to soak up more coastal views between Brighton and Seaford.
Either way you will arrive at the Seaford railway station. To get to the trailhead, just follow the signs to the beach and keep going left. You’ll pass by some colourful beach huts and reach a small car park where the walk is signposted.
Halfway bail-out option
The Coaster 12 bus is also your bail-out option if you don’t want to complete the full walk. It stops at many places along the coast between Seaford and Eastbourne. All you need to do it cross the grassland to get to the main road. The logical place though to catch the bus is at Birling Gap National Trust site where the bus stops at the car park. So not to worry if you don’t feel like doing the full walk. Sit back, relax and enjoy the chalk cliffs from the upper deck.
Section 1: Seaford to Birling Gap
Cuckmere Haven (5km)
From the trailhead in Seaford, a short but steep path leads up the chalk cliffs. Turn around to admire the view over Seaford and the coastline. Keep turning around regularly – the trail ahead is gorgeous, but surprising scenery regularly behind you as well on this walk!
The steep start aside, the first 5 km of the walk are gentle. Soon after leaving Seaford, the Seven Sisters cliffs come into sight. The best photo spots, giving a view over all seven undulations, are also in this part of the hike! Don’t be fooled though – the Seven Sisters are still further away than they seem.
Soon you’ll be descending again to sea level and passing by the famous Coast Guard cottages at Cuckmere have (they’ve made an appearance in many a film). There’s a nice pebbles beach where people swim and sunbathe. Here you can also get up close with the chalk cliffs from below and appreciate their size and pristine colour.
We were able to walk straight on, crossing a rickety bridge where the Cuckmere River meets the sea. Check the tide tables though – when tide is high, the river is unpassable and you’ll need to walk inland to a bridge and back via the other side of the river (2 km detour).
The long trek over the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs
After Cuckmere Haven, the long hike over the real Seven Sisters begins. There is another steep path back up the cliffs. This is the most difficult and exposed part of the walk, from now on it’s all easy peasy.
You’ll be marching on over the Seven Sisters for a good 5 km, getting close views of each of the cliffs as well as more chalk cliffs beyond the Seven Sisters. A couple of the “Sisters” are pretty steep, others are gentler. There are wide, well-trodden paths everywhere and even non-seasoned walkers can easy do this.
Birling Gap National Trust (10km)
After completing all of the Seven Sisters, you once again descent to sea level. This is Birling Gap, another pretty pebbles beach and National Trust site.
This site is worth taking a look round. You can read about the history of the area, its lighthouses and its role in the Second World War. If you haven’t brought a picknick, Birling Gap is your only option before Eastbourne to buy something to eat or drink! In case you decide to bail out, the nr 12 bus calls at the car part at least hourly.
Ascent the cliff at the other side of Birling Gap and make sure to turn around once again. You’ll be rewarded with a beautiful view of the Sisters from the other side. In the distance, it’s even possible to spot Cuckmere Haven.
Section 2: Birling Gap to Eastbourne
Belle Tout Lighthouse (12km)
These next couple of kilometres are easy and by far the busiest of the entire Seven Sisters walk. Many people who just want a short walk along the coast drive to the National Trust site and just walk the two kilometres up to the Belle Tout Lighthouse and back.
Despite being decommissioned in the early 20th century, the Belle Tout Lighthouse has a rich recent history. It was destroyed in the Second World War, rebuild and later moved 50 feet inland as erosion of the chalk cliffs would have caused it to fall down. Today there’s a small coffee shop and – more interestingly – a B&B. Even though it looks gimmicky, I would love to wake up in the Captain’s Cabin just one day to enjoy the sunrise over the cliffs and the Channel.
Beachy Head (15km)
From Belle Tout Lighthouse, you can already spot Beach Head Lighthouse down the cliffs. Beachy Head was the replacement of Belle Tout. It remains operational until today as a guiding light for vessels! The lighthouse has been modernised in various stages and it no longer manned.
Getting a good, clear view of Beachy Head Lighthouse is not easy (the best view is probably from on of the top rooms in Belle Tout). You can see the lighthouse approaching for several kilometres, but you have to be patient and (whilst maintaining a safe distance) peek over the cliffside until you find a good spot.
The RAF Bomber Command Memorial (18km)
Soon after Beachy Head Lighthouse, Eastbourne comes into sight. Don’t get excited just yet – there are several more kilometres to go from this point and several more things to see. Take a short break at the RAF Bomber Command Memorial. This is a tribute to the 110.000 men in the Royal Air Force who fought in the Second World War. For 55.000 of them, Beachy Head was the last sight of England.
The stretch to Eastbourne (22km)
After the memorial, you’ve got two options for reaching Eastbourne. The South Downs Way (well signposted) followed a path on top of the cliffs, but slightly below the road. The Foyle Way follows a path closer to sea level (this path forks a few times so you can stay higher or lower depending on the tide). We opted for the upper road as I reckoned we’d get better views looking down, but the view was often impaired by trees.
Both routes join at Dukes Drive in the outskirts of Eastbourne, where you’ll find a small kiosk for that feeds and waters the tired walkers. Join the Eastbourne Promenade for the final stretch to the Pier and the railway station. There are lots of options here for to get food and drinks and celebrate the completion of the Seven Sisters cliffs hike!
