OS Map of the walk Stage 2
ALFRISTON to EASTBOURNE Stage 1 (12th May 2012)
We went by train to Polegate (via Clapham Junction) and then took the #126 bus to Alfriston. By 10.45 we were at the start of the section. From the High Street a path goes between houses to cross a bridge and emerges on a raised bank above water meadows alongside the Cuckmere river. Across the river are good views of ancient St. Andrew’s church and the Clergy House (both 14th century). The path leaves the river to detour through Litlington, then steps uphill into broadleaf Friston Forest.
We saw an adder stretched out across the broad sunny path, but it slithered away into the undergrowth before we could get the cameras out. The path goes down to another tiny village of Westdean. By a duck pond we sat for a while, watching a tribe of tiny mallard ducklings paddling about in strict line astern.
Following another stepped section up through Friston Forest the path emerges above the meanders of Cuckmere Haven then promptly descends to Exceat, an almost deserted village with just a few ancient buildings, now converted into the Seven Sisters Country Park visitors centre.
After crossing the busy main road and continuing uphill away from the Cuckmere, the rest of the walk is entirely on open grassy chalk downland all the way to Eastbourne. There were masses of cowslips in bloom while the songs of skylarks competed with noisy rooks. A short downhill stretch goes back close to the river. The next ascent is the first of several over the Seven Sisters themselves. These climbs are not too strenuous and the descents relatively gentle, on turf very soft underfoot.
At Birling Gap there is a NT café where we stopped for cake, only to be attacked by a mass of kamikaze black flies, diving headlong into cups of tea or anything else available. One of the Seven Sisters is crowned with a former lighthouse, Belle Toute, now a smart hotel. There is one more descent followed by a long slow climb to the top of Beachy Head, with beautiful views of the toothpaste-white crumbling chalk cliffs, from here all the way back to Cuckmere Haven. A red and white striped working lighthouse now stands at the foot of the cliffs.
From this high point the path begins its descent to Eastbourne. Looking ahead Bexhill and Hastings were clearly visible, as well as more distant cliffs and squat buildings, which must have been Dungeness nuclear powerstation. At 16.15 we reached the official start of the South Downs Way, at Dukes Drive, on the outskirts of Eastbourne. After another (!) snack break we caught a bus to the station then took a train home.
Total time 5.5 hours (including several stops). Length of walk: 17.5km. Ascent on walk 856m
Get Ordnance Survey maps on your website to enhance the service and customer experience.
You can download this route to your GPS or mobile phone by clicking on the 'View route..' link on the map below (provided you have registered (free) with ViewRanger)
Alfriston Market Place
Meanders at Cuckmere Haven
Start of the path at Eastbourne