Seven Sisters Coastal Walk

Greetings! It is rather exciting to actually have something to write about today. Now that lockdown has eased in the UK, Will and I were able to go for a day trip to the South East coast of England. We hiked 13 miles along the Seven Sisters coastal trail from Seaford to Eastbourne.

Magnificent views of the white chalk cliffs warrant the Seven Sister’s iconic status. The “seven sisters” refers to seven cliffs in succession. Getting to Seaford from London only takes about 1.5 hours, but the hike takes around 5-6 hours, so we had an early start.

Masks are mandatory on trains now. Whee…

After hopping off the train, we began our journey in the quiet town of Seaford. It was a Monday, so the trail was pretty deserted with the exception of us and friendly retired people with their obligatory dogs who greeted us with cheerful “good mornings!” and “isn’t the weather lovelies!”

Hiking up the first cliff rewarded us with a beautiful view of Seaford complete with its golf course overlooking the water.

All along the Seven Sisters trail are signs to warn walkers to stay away from the cliff’s edge. This is crucial advice because pieces of the cliff’s edge regularly fall into the English channel. No Instagram shot or family Christmas card photo is worth risking one’s life.

Plus, the views are just as stunning farther back from the cliff edge.

The vibrant aqua shades of the sea left me flabbergasted. The colour looked more like what one would expect to see in the Caribbean, not England!

As our boots crunched across the top of another grassy hill, we were greeted with a stupendous view of all the seven sisters. We wondered which would be our favourite.

Sister one played hard to get. The cost of our date with her was steep. However, she did reward us with a lovely view.

We saw a World War II bunker and just as we were passing it, a Spitfire flew over us! It felt like we had been transported back in time and were preparing for a potential Nazi invasion of the British mainland.

Sister number two was gentle compared to her big sister. Sisters three and four appeared dark and mysterious as the sun passed behind a cloud, obscuring the light.

Sister five spoiled us with such a stunning view that we stopped to have our packed lunch with her. While we were eating, I took a photo of Will that looks like it belongs on a water bottle advertisement. Tesco’s Water, if you are reading this, I am willing to sell!

If lighthouses are your thing, the Seven Sisters walk shall not disappoint because we came across numerous cute little lighthouses.

This one has been turned into a B&B. I’d like to stay there one day!

This one is still a functioning lighthouse.

I had been carefully counting each sister on our route, so when we surmounted the seventh sister, I expected to be nearly to Eastbourne and was eager to rest my weary legs and treat myself to a victorious ice cream. Well, guess what? The route kept going. And going. With another cliff to climb. And another. And another. There were at least five ugly step-sisters that I was not expecting! So reader be warned.

Looking back at the ugly step-sisters

Luckily my boots were made for walking, so onward I did walk. As we neared Eastbourne (but actually this time), we came across a World War II memorial. For many young British soldiers, the white cliffs along this coastline were their last sight of England before venturing out into the dark unknown. Some never returned. As the memorial admonishes, “Remember them.”

After spending time at the memorial, we saw Eastbourne looming before us.

As we neared the outskirts of the town, we passed a splendid soccer pitch overlooking the sea.

The players better kick accurately. Or maybe they just bring plenty of back up balls! After passing the soccer pitch, we finally reached the beach in Eastbourne.

Eastbourne proudly displays its history as a “resort town.” During the Victorian Age, advances in train travel allowed normal British citizens the chance to travel and go on vacations for the first time. The quintessential British holiday — a trip to the seaside — sprang up during this time.

Grand Victorian hotels still line the Eastbourne shore, but if you visit, you will notice that Eastbourne is no longer what it used to be. With budget airlines allowing Brits to easily and inexpensively travel abroad to places like the Spanish coast and Greek islands, little seaside towns in Britain have suffered. Whereas in the past, you may have come across Dukes and Duchesses in Eastbourne, now you mainly come across grey haired retirees soaking up the sun like lizards.

There are still some amusing reminders of the past, such as the below “chalets,” which are essentially glorified changing rooms on the beach that Victorians would purchase to have their own little piece of the seaside.

The seaside itself is rock, not sand, which does seem to slightly contradict Eastbourne’s official tourist website description of the “pristine beaches at the sunniest place in Britain!” Although walking over the rocks hurt my feet, it was worth it to feel the cool splash of the water on my tired toes.

Although Eastbourne is no longer what it used to be, this should not deter you from visiting. Eastbourne charmed me with its grand Victorian architecture, bright blue water, and less busy shores. We ended our day by indulging in the quintessential British seaside tradition: fish and chips by the sea.

According to the signs, Harry Ramsden’s fish and chips are “world famous.” Although I initially felt dubious about this, the first bite made me recant. It was delicious. But I was not the only one who found the fish and chips delicious; this little fellow did too.

Our beady eyed nemesis stalked us while we ate our fish and chips by the sea. Clearly an experienced enemy, he had a habit of going away just long enough to make us think he had abandoned his mission before swooping in in a valiant attempt to rob us of our fish and chips. An elderly gentleman walking along the beach warned us, “watch out for the seagulls!” I kept my narrowed eyes on the beady eyes of my nemesis until I finished the last bite. You’ll have to find another victim today, buddy.

With tired feet and content bellies, we did our final walk of the day: to the station to catch our train back to London. The Seven Sisters walk from Seaford to Eastbourne is truly magnificent. Gorgeous views of the white cliffs combined with fresh sea air, walks along the seaside, and fish and chips make for a perfect day trip.

~Farewell,

Janelle