Hiking the Seven Sisters- Experiencing the Pastel Shades of the Countryside

Type- Day Hike

(Eastbourne-Beachy Head-Birling Gap-Seven Sisters-Cuckmere Haven and back)

Gradient- Moderate

Total Distance covered- 18 miles

The White Cliffs of Seven Sisters

It was raining and extremely windy by the time we reached Eastbourne. There was a chill in the air and I craved for coffee. The train station was at one end of the High Street and we saw people setting up and readying their stalls for the Sunday Market. While a few had freshly baked croissants and muffins, a few others had key chains and trinkets. A line of restaurants lay ahead, most of them specialists of "Authentic Fish And Chips". As we walked past the Eastbourne Arndale Shopping Centre, we stopped by at the Urban Ground Cafe for a hot cup of coffee and a warm and delicious Almond Croissant.

High Street Eastbourne

Football field overlooking the sea

The end of the market led us to the Grand Parade Road, overlooking the vast expanse of the English Channel. We could see the Atlantis nightclub at one end of the pier and the walkway by the coast. We turned right on the walkway, about a mile long, walked through Helen Garden, which led us to the end of the King Edwards Parade. Here you can see the beautiful St Bede's School on your left hand side.

View of Eastbourne on the way to Beachy Head

The end of the road marks the beginning of the South Downs Way which starts with a steep uphill climb. From the hilltop you can see the first views of Eastbourne town with its lined houses and numerous renovated hotels. You also get a beautiful view of the English Channel and on a clear day, it is also quite easy to spot ships at sea. Here the trail gets divided into a number of small paths. You can chose the one you like as all of them lead to Beachy Head. We chose to stay on the South Downs Way. After climbing up and down a few more steep hills, we reached Beachy Head, a cliff from where we could see the Beachy Head lighthouse down below on the rocks.

The entire hike is extremely windy and you feel as if the wind will blow you away! All along the grassy trail, you get uninterrupted views of the sea. A few more miles from Beachy Head and we reached the bend of Belle Tout Lighthouse, that has now been converted to a homestay. Go around the lighthouse and after a gentle slope, you reach Birling Gap beach. Here you can find a Tourist Centre with a restaurant, washrooms and a souvenir store. This is also accessible by road and one can find many families climbing down the steps to the pebble beach. It was slightly less windy here and we could see a line of white cliffs from the bottom of the hill, while the water lashed at us.

The Beachy Head Cliff edge

The rolling hills and the sea

Birling Gap is the point where the Seven Sisters hike begins. It is supposed to be the best and the most scenic hike along the British coast. We decided to follow the South Downs Way and hike all the seven sisters, which are nothing but seven white cliffs resembling the seven nuns when seen from the sea. The hike is definitely a demanding one with steep uphill and downhill all the way.

After going up and down the slightly steep hills, we reached the mouth of the river Cuckmere at Cuckmere Haven. The view from the top of the hill down below is a splendid one and you can view a beautiful estuary with the river twisting and turning and disappearing in the farms and the trees.

It took us another 3-4 hours to hike back to Eastbourne, hiking up and down the hills, crossing Birling Gap, Belle Tout, walking past Beachy Head and finally climbing down the last steep slope of the South Downs Way to join King Edwards Parade.

It was 5.30 pm by the time we reached the scenic town and we had to catch the 7 pm train back to London and since we had ample time on hand, we decided to grab an early dinner at a local eatery. The English Channel looked grey resembling the colour of the sky above and the dark clouds were looming down at us. As it stated to drizzle again, we rushed towards the station and luckily for us, The Southern Express had not been cancelled that day!

Love,

Kshipra