Eastbourne & South Downs Walking & Social Weekend

Following last years successful South Downs Easter weekend from Brighton Steve Dell has put together another Easter weekend exploring the South Downs, this time from Eastbourne. This part of the South Downs has some stunning scenery as not only do you get the dramatic rolling hillsides with “views for miles” but a lot of it is coastal, adding to the beauty and drama of it.

The walks planned will have such a variety of scenery including the must see Seven Sisters white cliffs and Country Park, Beachy Head, the picturesque Cuckmere Haven, pretty villages such as East Dean and Litlington (in the Cuckmere Valley), Friston Forest and we can even see a white horse and the famous “Long Man” hill figures.

This weekend will appeal to both social walkers who want shorter walks and more serious walkers who want longer ones as on two of the days there will be the option of a longer or shorter walk. The walks are easy to moderate, as some will have more gradients than usual with Steve, which gives the area its wonderful scenery, but we will take our time and admire the stunning scenery.

Eastbourne is a lovely Victorian seaside town with a vast sea front and lovely pier. We are very close to Beachy Head (in fact you can see Beachy Head from our hotel).

There is also plenty to do for non walkers or if you want to mix & match walking with social / tourist stuff. Brighton and Hastings are a short drive or bus journey away. Sovereign Harbour Marina is at the other end of Eastbourne and there are theatres and museums to discover.

We stay at the Best Western Lansdowne Hotel which is on the seafront overlooking the Western Lawns and Wish Tower and is of a high standard.

There is also the added bonus of a social programme for that après walking! The package includes three nights’ dinner, bed, breakfast and packed lunches.

Travel to two of the days walking can be done using public transport and Eastbourne can also be done on the train or coach.

Variations:

• This is the provisional walking programme. We can decide as a group the exact walking programme.
• The Seven Sisters, Cuckmere Haven and Friston Forest – this figure of eight walk starting from the Seven Sisters Country Park has so much variety; a riverside valley floors, great coastal views from the famous seven sisters white cliffs, pretty forest paths and part of the South Downs Way, a long distance footpath. The afternoon walk will include the lovely village of Litlington (in the Cuckmere Valley), and a white horse hillside figure. The morning walk will be about 6½ miles with a further 4 miles in the afternoon
• Beachy Head - We can walk from the hotel with this one. We start by following the South Downs Way as we head to the top of Beachy Head. After admiring the stunning views we continue along the coastal path to Birling Gap with its great views of the white cliffs (and Café). The return will go through the lovely village of East Dean with its nice church and pub! We can stop to replace lost fluids here before making our way back over the downs to Eastbourne. The full walk will be around 11 miles with options of 6 or 8 miles using the local bus service.
• Wilmington, Alfriston and “The Long Man” – The last days walking will be inland and will take in the Long Man of Wilmington – the famous chalk figure cut in the hillside, is described as “the mysterious guardian of the South Downs” and has baffled archaeologists and historians for hundreds of years. In addition to the sweeping South Down views the walk also visits two more lovely villages Wilmington & Alfriston. The walk will be around 7 miles.