3 Wild and Beautiful Coastal Walks in South East England
While I know I’ve described the UK as wild and wet, this summer seems to have had other ideas.
Instead of the lush green rolling hills you might expect, much of the landscape was dry and golden, with fields turning a burnt amber due to the never-ending heat.
Despite the unusual drought, I spent the summer discovering some of the South East's most beautiful coastline. From quiet undercliff promenades and rugged clifftops to the rolling white cliffs of the Seven Sisters, here are three coastal walks I really enjoyed.
My only recommendation… If you're hiking during a heatwave, start early in the morning or later in the evening, as there isn't always much shade.
Quick summary of the walks
| Walk | Distance | Difficulty | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newhaven to Brighton | 17 km | Easy-Moderate | A long coastal day |
| Dover to Folkestone | 13 km | Easy-Moderate | Rugged cliff views |
| Seven Sisters (Eastbourne to Exceat) | 15 km | Moderate | Rolling Hills and Beachy Head views |
Newhaven to Brighton
Trail Details
Difficulty: Easy - Moderate
Length: 17km
Trail Type: Point-to-point
Map: AllTrails
Duration: Approximately 4 - 5 hours
Start: Newhaven Town Station
End: Brighton Station
How to get to the start of the hike
Bus: The 12X Coaster runs along much of the route from Brighton to Eastbourne.
Train: Take the train to Newhaven Town Station and return from Brighton.
Where to stay in Brighton
This is also a great walk if you're staying in Brighton. You can travel out to Newhaven and hike your way back towards the city.
Hotel Una: Quaint and cosy, this lovely boutique hotel is the perfect getaway in a great location.
Stylish & Serene Sea View Breakaway: Beautiful apartments with a sea or city view; it’s worth checking out for its location close to the sea.
What to know before you go
Most of this walk follows the coast, including long stretches of the undercliff promenade. I found trainers perfectly comfortable in dry conditions, although it’s worth taking walking or hiking shoes with good grip if the paths are wet or slippery.
It's also a long walk with very little shade, so bring plenty of water. There aren't many opportunities to refill your bottle along the route.
Handy tip: If you're feeling tired, hot or don't fancy walking the entire route, the 12X Coaster bus runs along much of the coast from Brighton to Eastbourne.
Also, be careful near the cliff edges, particularly on windy days. Some sections of the path run very close to the edge.
Walking from Newhaven to Brighton
Walking out of Newhaven Town Station, it's a short walk around the harbour before climbing up past Castle Hill Local Nature Reserve towards the clifftop.
I wasn't expecting the views to be quite this good so early into the walk. At the top, you're greeted with beautiful views across the coast and towards the lighthouse.
As I continued along the clifftop, the chalky white cliffs stretched out alongside the sea, with the sky and water almost melting into one another on the horizon.
Starting the walk…
Dry and rugged… there was hardly anyone on the hike
This is definitely one of those walks where you need to keep turning around. Some of my favourite views were actually behind me, especially looking back towards the lighthouse. So pretty!
There were some incredibly windy sections on my walk, and I stayed further inland where possible. Our cliffs can crumble, so it's always worth giving the edge plenty of space.
What a postcard view! And yep… that’s the path going along the edge of the cliff 🙃
A beautiful day for a bike ride…
Gorgeous chalky cliffs
Eventually, I reached the stairs leading down to the undercliff path. The promenade was almost empty, apart from a fisherman enjoying a quiet day by the sea.
There's very little shade down here, but there's something wonderfully peaceful about having such a long stretch of coastline almost entirely to yourself.
The promenade eventually comes to an end, and the route climbs back uphill towards Peacehaven. The clifftop path was closed when I visited, so I ended up following the main road before joining the coastal route again near the Smugglers Rest.
Fisherman by the sea
From there, it was back to more beautiful coastal views and eventually another stretch of promenade heading towards Brighton.
On my walk, I even spotted a seal soaking up some British sunshine. Honestly, he looked happier about the heatwave than most Brits.😅
By the time I reached Brighton Undercliff Walk, I was starting to feel the effects of the heat. By Brighton Marina, I was tired and running low on water. If you're doing this walk on a hot day, bring plenty of water and snacks!
There are a few places where you can stop to sit and eat along the way too … fish and chips or a jacket potato make a great pit stop.
Finally, I reached Brighton and gave my sore feet a well-earned soak by the beach.
Joining the coastal path again
He wasn’t vying for snacks…
Dover to Folkestone
Trail Details
Difficulty: Easy - Moderate
Length: 13km
Trail Type: Point-to-point
Map: AllTrails
Duration: Approximately 4 hours
Start: Dover Priory Station
End: Folkestone Central Station
What to know before you go
I did a lot of research for this trail, and the popular route tends to be Folkestone to Dover. However, I wanted to finish somewhere with a nice beach, and Folkestone being a cute little seaside town, seemed like the better place to end the hike in.
The coastline here felt noticeably more rugged and wild than the route from Newhaven to Brighton. The landscape was dry and overgrown after the summer's prolonged heatwave, and at times the path also ran very close to the cliff edge.
Thankfully it wasn’t a windy day.
Walking from Dover to Folkestone
Dover Priory was incredibly busy when I arrived on a Sunday morning, but most of the hikers seemed to be heading towards Dover to Deal. The Dover to Folkestone trail was much quieter.
Side note: If you're visiting on a sunny weekend, the queue for the station toilets can be enormous. You may be better off using the facilities on the train before you arrive.
The walk begins through Dover before passing fields and following the main road towards an underpass. Here, I caught my first glimpse of the coast, including a sandy beach, busy with seagulls chilling out.
Then came the first hill… which became a good opportunity to burn some carbs 😉.
There were two possible paths ahead, one through a field with cows grazing and another running much closer to the cliff edge.
Unfortunately, I didn't realise I had a choice until I was already committed🫠 Looking back, the route through the field probably would have been easier. You just might need to politely negotiate with the cows to move.
Rugged and beautiful…
Chilling out…
The views looking back
Onto the next hill
After some thorny paths and a few scrapes on my legs, I eventually found my way back onto the main trail again and onto the next ascent.
The views from the top, looking back, were amazing!
As I continued towards Folkestone, the roads gradually disappeared, along with the traffic noise. Dover began to feel further and further away as the coastline opened up into wide, sweeping views.
There are several old lookout points along the route where you can stop and admire the scenery.
And then there was another decision about which side of the fence to walk on. If you're nervous about heights, I'd definitely recommend staying on the inland side. I found myself walking along the cliffside again, although it wasn’t that bad this time. Thankfully, there are places where you can cross over if you'd prefer a little more distance.
So pretty!
The cliffs here also felt very different from the bright white cliffs I associate with Dover. They were grassier and more rugged, making me think I might need to return and walk from Dover towards Deal next time.
Eventually, the route joins a paved path for a while, after which there’s a left turn onto a wild path that takes you along the cliff edge again, but this time with a railing.
And the views were stunning!
A little greener on this side…
Looking out to the horizon on a clear day, I could see a faint outline of the French coast in the distance.
I continued towards Folkestone, enjoying more sweeping coastal views before a long downhill finally brought me to a lovely sandy beach.
And honestly, finishing a hike with a sandy beach waiting for you at the bottom was the perfect end to the day.🙃
Seven Sisters, Eastbourne to Exceat
Trail Details
Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 15km
Trail Type: Point-to-point
Map: AllTrails
Duration: Approximately 4 - 5 hours
Start: Eastbourne Station
End: Exceat
The original plan…
On a breezy summer's day, I originally set out to walk from Eastbourne towards Beachy Head Lighthouse and come back.
But the day was so beautiful that, before I knew it, I had continued to Birling Gap and then decided to hike the Seven Sisters all the way to Exceat.
The more popular route goes in the opposite direction, from Seaford to Eastbourne. But walking from Eastbourne meant I had the beautiful views of Beachy Head right at the beginning, with fewer crowds.
Walking Seven Sisters from Eastbourne to Exceat
Despite being a beautiful Saturday morning, Eastbourne's beaches were very quiet when I set off, apart from a few people walking their dogs.
I followed the trail towards Beachy Head Lighthouse, and shortly after Cow’s Gap it wasn’t long before I caught sight of my first giant hill.
I briefly considered taking the lower route near Cow Gap, but because I hadn't checked the tide times properly, I decided to stick to the clifftop path. Probably the right decision. Although my glutes may have disagreed.
But the views from the top made the climb worthwhile! Beachy Head looked isolated and almost perfectly placed against the coastline.
What a perfect view!
At this point, my original plan had been to loop through the surrounding fields and walk back towards Eastbourne. But it was one of those days when you simply don't want the walk to end. So I kept going…
Heading towards Birling Gap, I found myself walking against the stream of hikers coming from Seaford.
And the views just kept getting better. The white cliffs stretched along the coastline against a beautiful shade of turquoise sea.
It didn’t take long for the green to come back after a couple of rainy days
Looking back, I didn’t hesitate to stop for more views of Beachy Head. Eventually, past the ice cream shop, I reached Birling Gap, where things became noticeably busier around the café.
I stopped for a quick lunch break, then decided to hike the Seven Sisters.
Getting started…
A couple down … a few more to go
Each hill brought another view, and at the top, some really blustery winds.
Some of those hills were pretty steep, but on a day like this, it’s pretty easy to forget about the uphill battle😅.
After the final hill, I continued on towards The Cuckmere Inn along the river before taking the 12X Coaster bus back to Eastbourne.
Yay!
Of all three coastal walks, this was probably my favourite of the summer.
And it's definitely one I'll be doing again.😉
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