England’s White Cliffs, Beachy Head, and Seven Sisters
England’s White Cliffs are famous and I wanted to see them. During my first trip to London, I found a day tour that included the White Cliffs of Dover. I was super excited until the tour bus stopped in a parking lot FAR from the cliffs and the cliffs looked a murky grey. Such a letdown. I knew there were gorgeous white cliffs somewhere because I had seen them in motion pictures. I was determined to find them, I’m persistent that way. A Google search introduced me to the Seven Sisters’ white chalk cliffs near Brighton England. I grabbed a friend who was living in England and pretty much forced a trip to Brighton and the Seven Sisters. I found England’s White Cliffs and they are gorgeous!
READ Complete England Travel Guide, What You Need to Know
READ Things to Do in London England
READ Things to Do in Brighton England
Beachy Head’s red and white striped lighthouse sitting below a 531-foot white cliff is picture-perfect. This is the spot to sit with a picnic lunch and gaze out at the English Channel thinking about how lucky you are to see places like this. Then walk up the hill toward the Belle Tout Lighthouse for ice cream. Birling Gap is a pebble beach safe for swimming. It is a great place to stop and explore the tide pools at low tide. Cuckmere Haven and the Coastguard Cottages have viewpoints to take a picture of the Seven Sisters at the beach level. Be sure to check out the undercliff walk between Rottingdean and the Brighton Marina. Walking this stretch allows you to get close to the cliffs and see the chalk surface.
The Seven Sisters have been left in their natural state. The waves crash against the chalk cliffs and erode the cliff face about 3 feet a year. The erosion is what keeps the cliffs white. It also makes the cliffs unstable. Although it is tempting to sit on the edge of these gorgeous cliffs, there is a real danger of collapse. It is best to stay 5 feet back from the edge. Also, it is not a good idea to take a photo jumping in the air, google it.
England’s White Cliffs is an easy 90-minute train ride out of London’s Victoria Train Station to Eastbourne. There is also a train from London to Brighton. Both cities have hop-on/hop-off bus transportation to the Seven Sisters. The Seven Sisters is part of South Downs National Park. The clifftop hike is a section of the South Downs Way long-distance footpath. It is approximately a 7-hour walk; Birling Gap is the halfway mark.
Check the Seven Sisters South Downs National Park and Beachy Head websites for current events
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