Discover Pitchup’s 6 Best Walks & Trails in East Sussex
When spring stretches its legs and summer saunters in, the landscape of East Sussex comes to life with birdsong. When the leaves of autumn fall before winter wades in, the brooding forests and castles lay still. And the beaches ain’t bad either.
Ah, the fair lands of East Sussex – loved by poets and painters, pilgrims and pedallers, path followers and partygoers* (*in Brighton, that is).
If you’re taking a holiday in East Sussex, the coastline and countryside are best explored on foot or by bike. In the middle of rural South East England, and only a couple of hours from London, give your head some space walking among ancient woodlands, rolling pastures, chalky cliffs, unending beaches, medieval farmsteads and historic villages.
Put on your boots and fasten your helmets – here’s a taste of the six best cycling trails and walks in East Sussex.
Seven Sisters and Friston Forest
A circular trail where you can pick your start point or dip into a section at a time is always a satisfying one. And never more so than a route taking in cliff edges, a stop on the beach for sandwiches and a stroll through towering beech trees and a shady river valley. You can bike, hike or run around this loop along the Seven Sisters clifftops before heading into Friston Forest.
The Seven Sisters walk is a 14-mile hike along the coast. This shorter eight-mile tramp is best started at Seven Sisters Country Park, East Dean or Birling Gap – all places with car parks or easily accessed by public transport. There are toilets, cafés and a handful of pubs along the way for a pitstop.
Marvel at the sheer white drop of Beachy Head and the chalky Seven Sisters. Pause to take in the views from the lookout at Birling Gap before heading down the metal staircase to the pebbly beach below. Birling Gap is one the many beaches in East Sussex where dogs are welcome. You are asked to keep them on a leash on the cliff edges though. The route then winds inland through wildflower fields and the canopies of Friston Forest. Next, spend some time ambling through Seven Sisters Country Park with its valley that follows the River Cuckmere to the sea.
To stay near these East Sussex landmarks, search the best holiday sites in Eastbourne.
Arlington Reservoir and nature reserve
This easy 3.5-mile stroll begins and ends at Arlington Reservoir with its large nature reserve. Ideal for a Sunday stroll, there are three country pubs to stop at along the way before you walk off that roast dinner.
The reservoir car park has a toilet and snack bar or you can leave your vehicle at Berwick Station just a few hundred metres from the start point. Arlington Reservoir is backed by the South Downs National Park around Eastbourne and Lewes, and the range of chalk hills looms on the horizon as you walk around the water’s edge.
A breeding ground for great crested grebes, swallows, mallards, pied wagtails and coots, Arlington Reservoir is popular with wildfowl watchers. There are woodlands dotted along the way with flowering cherries and wildflower-fringed tracks in summer. The walk passes Michelham Priory, home to England’s longest water-filled moat, before reaching Arlington village and heading back to the start.
In springtime, the trail routes by vast swathes of bluebells in Abbot’s Wood, Park Wood, Beaton’s Wood and Bramble Grove. The mass of tiny flowers in each seem to spill out on the path. One of the most popular havens in East Sussex for these plants can also be found here: the Arlington bluebell walk at Bates Green Farm.
The Slater Trail
The Slater Trail is a stroll through the scenery that inspired the works of Eric Slater, a 20th-century artist who spent most of his days in the coastal town of Seaford. Relatively unknown during his lifetime, posthumous exhibitions brought him and his favourite East Sussex country and coastal walks to public attention.
The Slater Trail begins in Seaford and follows a well-worn walk with views of the Seven Sisters along much of the journey. The six-mile route heads along Sussex coastal paths with turns inland through the plains of Cuckmere Haven and along the western edge of the Seven Sisters Country Park. The trail returns to Seaford with a chance for ice cream along the promenade and a visit to the town’s museum in the 19th-century fortified Martello Tower.
Lewes to Mount Caburn, Firle Beacon and Rodmell
The route from Lewes to Firle Beacon is a longer walk through some of the South Downs National Park’s most impressive features. The trail begins in Lewes, the lively county town of East Sussex, and winds its way to the historic village of Rodmell.
The 12-mile walk is a little challenging in places as it straddles Mount Caburn and Firle Beacon, the two highest points on the ancient downlands east of the River Ouse, with the rise of Itford Hill to come. Spectacular views are to be had from each before a final saunter along the South Downs Way to Rodmell.
For those leaving the car at Lewes, the hourly train from Southease station before you reach Rodmell will take you back to the start point. At journey’s end, you’ll find the Abergavenny Arms in the centre of Rodmell, the former home of writer Virginia Woolf.
Browse the best holiday parks and campsites near Lewes
Brighton’s Undercliff Walk
The Undercliff Walk begins at Brighton Marina and is an easy short strolling route of three miles along the coast to Saltdean. This walk is far enough away from the buzz of Brighton’s popular haunts for a touch of escapism without having to head too far from the city. It’s also a favourite route for runners seeking a dash on a flat path.
Passing along the seawall, built in the 1930s to halt cliff erosion, the Undercliff Walk heads parallel to a long stretch of sandy-shingle beach on one side and dazzling white cliffs on the other. At high tide, the water laps up to the height of the sea wall. On blustery days it comes right over the path – so expect wet feet, or worse, a splash in the face from the spray of passing cyclists.
The Undercliff Walk then passes Roedean and Rottingdean. To make a circular walk of it, head inland a short way once you reach Rottingdean Beach and meander through the two villages back to Brighton. Rudyard Kipling once lived in Rottingdean before moving to Bateman’s, the Jacobean manor house set in the Sussex Weald, after one of his children died from pneumonia.
Hastings Country Park
This walk runs close to the 1066-famed town where one king took an arrow to the eye and the Norman one began his conquest of England. The ancient woodland glens of Hastings Country Park are bordered by coastal paths of the rugged variety and are part of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural. There are lots of trails passing through this coastal nature reserve for walking or mountain biking.
Hastings Country Park is one of the best places to see the unique flora and fauna of East Sussex and the South Downs. The fertile chalk and limestone soil of the area creates a habitat suited to many rare species of plants and wildlife.
To take in a bit of everything on a circular walk, traverse the cliffs from Hastings before ambling through the country park to reach the splendid views from Fireheights’ beacon. You can follow one of a few routes before picking another to come back down.
Avert your eyes as you pass Fairlight Glen beach, where naturists bathe, or pause for a dip yourself if your hiking apparel suddenly feels a bit heavy. It’s a particularly pretty beach in a bowl-shaped bay where areas of landslip are colonised by coastal flora and surrounded by tall trees to maintain a little modesty.
The high point — both literally and figuratively — is Fireheights beacon. Here, there are a few old coastguard cottages with some of the best views in East Sussex. You can see back to Hastings and over Kent to Dungeness on the coast and the North Downs.
Take a look at the best holiday sites near Hastings.
Undecided on just where to take your next camping holiday in the South East of England? New to camping and looking for tips on what to pack and where to pitch? Check out our guide to camping in the South East.