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East Dean And Friston

Seven Sisters, Cuckmere Haven & Friston Forest loop from Birling Gap — South Downs National Park

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East Dean And Friston

Seven Sisters, Cuckmere Haven & Friston Forest loop from Birling Gap — South Downs National Park

Moderate

4.9

(127)

822

hikers

Seven Sisters, Cuckmere Haven & Friston Forest loop from Birling Gap — South Downs National Park

03:46

13.5km

270m

Hiking

Embark on the Seven Sisters, Cuckmere Haven & Friston Forest loop from Birling Gap, a moderate hike that spans 8.4 miles (13.5 km) with an elevation gain of 875 feet (267 metres), typically taking around 3 hours and 46 minutes to complete. You will experience dramatic coastal cliffs, the meandering Cuckmere River, and expansive woodlands, offering a diverse landscape. The trail's most demanding sections involve steep ascents and descents over the iconic Seven Sisters chalk hills, providing panoramic views of the English Channel.

Starting from Birling Gap, you will find convenient parking and amenities, making it an accessible trailhead for this adventure. Be prepared for varied terrain; the clifftop paths can be exposed to coastal winds and become slippery or muddy after rain, while sections within Friston Forest may also be muddy. Good fitness is recommended due to the undulating nature of the route, especially the climbs over the

Last updated: April 23, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

South Downs National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

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145 m

Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters Cliffs

Highlight • Natural Monument

A busy hub for people coming to walk and admire the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs. There is a cafe, toilet block, ice cream van (in summer), shop, visitors’ centre and lots of indoor and outdoor seating.

Tip by

555 m

Seven Sisters Cliffs

Highlight (Segment) • Natural Monument

As the Seven Sisters, the cliff coast, which is located between Eastbourne and Seaford, is called. They are the most impressive cliffs of the South Downs in Sussex in the south of England. The Seven Sisters is a chain of consecutive chalk cliffs of the coastline. Since there are eight peaks and seven valleys, it is debatable whether the name refers to the crests or the valleys. According to an exhibition in the visitor center of the National Trust at Birling Gap, the name Seven Sisters was created around 1600. Only then has the continuous erosion formed another cliff, the eighth sister. The historical name has been preserved.

From west to east, beginning to the east of Cuckmere Haven, they bear the following names, with the valleys in between also bearing individual designations. In the list, the cliffs are highlighted in bold:

Haven Brow
Short Bottom
Short Brow
Limekiln Bottom
Rough Brow
Rough bottom
Brass point
Gap Bottom
Flagstaff Point (passing in the Flagstaff Brow)
Flagstaff Bottom
Flat Hill
Flathill Bottom
Baily's Hill
Michel Dean
Went Hill Brow
East of the last rock is the village of Birling Gap, which is severely threatened by erosion. Here you can access the beach via a staircase. Behind it there is the already dismantled lighthouse Belle Tout and then the highest chalk cliffs in the UK, the Beachy Head, below which stands a lighthouse.

Source: Wikipedia de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sisters_(Sussex)

Translated by Google •

Tip by

5.31 km

View of the Cuckmere Meanders

Highlight • Natural Monument

Part of the South Downs Way, this path leads you up above the stunning Cuckmere Valley. Hiking through the Seven Sisters Country Park, you can look west across the extreme meanderings of the Cuckmere River, in places completely doubling back on itself. Follow the path south to the cliffs or north to the visitor centre.

Tip by

6.78 km

View of the Cuckmere meanders

Highlight • Viewpoint

The Cuckmere is a river in England that rises near Heathfield in East Sussex in the south of the Weald and flows into The Channel. The site of the estuary is called Cuckmere Haven. In its upper reaches, the Cuckmere has numerous tributaries of which the River Bull is the most important.

The name probably comes from an Old English term for 'fast flowing': the drop in the first 7 km is more than 100 meters. Near its mouth, the river meanders through the Cuckmere Valley, a tidal lake nature reserve.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

10.8 km

St Mary the Virgin Church, Friston

Highlight (Segment) • Historical Site

The rural church of St Mary the Virgin has graced the East Sussex village of Friston since the late Saxon period. There are remnants of Saxon stonework in the north wall of the Norman nave and the nave roof dates to the 15th century.

Tip by

12.3 km

Went Hill

Highlight • Natural

A beautiful little windswept hill where the trees certainly take the brunt of the strong winds coming in from the sea with their peculiar swept back hairstyle branches.

Tip by

13.5 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

7.01 km

5.33 km

578 m

494 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

6.02 km

3.91 km

1.68 km

878 m

743 m

273 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (110 m)

Lowest point (0 m)

Weather

Tuesday 26 May

27°C

15°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 23.0 km/h

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Trail Reviews

Janet 🇳🇱

July 10, 2023, Seven Sisters - Engeland

Podcast of my road trip through England recorded by and with my daughter Francis🥰 https://open.spotify.com/episode/1wq857WDJAHTXkYpci6v04?si=aepjQdrUSceY5oP_NFo8ig https://open.spotify.com/episode/1wq857WDJAHTXkYpci6v04?si=aepjQdrUSceY5oP_NFo8ig

Translated by Google•

Seven Sisters, Cuckmere Haven & Friston Forest loop from Birling Gap — South Downs National Park

Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters Cliffs

Seven Sisters Cliffs

View of the Cuckmere Meanders

View of the Cuckmere meanders

St Mary the Virgin Church, Friston

Went Hill

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