It’s a 19 km walk from Rye Harbour to Hastings and it takes you along an incredibly stunning section of Sussex coast. In fact, this walk has to be one of my favourite adventures of the year so far.
What you need
You need Ordnance Survey Explorer 124 and 125. You can get away with just using 124 as only the first and small section of the walk is on map 125 and it’s a straightforward section. There is free parking at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, although get there early as the car park can fill up quickly. There is pay-as-you-go parking in Hastings.
Logistics
There are train stations at Hastings and Rye. Hastings has direct links to London but from Rye, you will have to change once to get back to London. There is a train service between the two towns. The 101 bus also runs between Hastings and Rye Harbour although when we walked on a Sunday, it only left every two hours. In the end, we caught a taxi back which cost £30. You can also walk back via the 1066 Country Walk (Hastings Link) but that would mean a total walk of about 40 km, so our recommendation would be to walk from Hastings to Rye, via the 1066 trail, stay overnight and walk back via the coast.
On route, there is a public toilet at Winchelsea Beach, and a café at Pett Level. If you want to deviate slightly off course, there are also places to eat in Fairlight Cove and at the Visitor Centre in Fairlight. Walking at a reasonably casual pace and stopping for photos, breakfast and the occasional deviation, this walk took us about 6 hours. The total elevation was 562 metres. You can, of course, start this walk from either end, but we started in Rye Harbour.
Part 1. Rye Nature Reserve to Pett Level
The first 8 km of this walk is completely flat. From the car park at Rye Harbour you pass the Martello Tower and walk to the Discovery Centre and on to the pillboxes where you turn right. The wonderful thing about this walk is that from the outset, you can see the cliffs in the distance and you know that’s where you’re heading. Once you’ve turned right at the pillboxes, it’s more or less a straight-line all the way to the base of the cliffs.
That’s not to say this part of the walk is without interest. There is lots to see along the way from the wildlife and information boards to the ruins of an old house, the tragedy of the former life boat station and some curious railway carriages. For more details about shorter walks in this part of the world visit:
Part 2. Pett Level to Hastings Old Town
With 8 km under your belt, Pett Level is a good place for a stop and a refuel at the café. You’re right at the base of the cliffs that will take you all the way to Hastings. It is possible to walk along the beach but you will have to check the tide times very carefully if you do. Walking cliff top has the advantage of affording some amazing views for the rest of the walk.
From Pett Level, the path takes you inland for a very short distance but it’s well signed as the coastal path and before you know it, you’re walking up a steep, narrow path with some wonderful views to your left. On the way up, there is a seat with views through a gap in the trees and from there you carry on until you emerge at Fairlight Cliffs (National Trust) with views down towards Fairlight Cove.
From Fairlight Cliffs the path drops you down into Fairlight Cove. This little village has suffered with coastal erosion so you walk through residential streets for a while until you emerge at the bottom of Fire Hills.
At this point, look out for the WWII propellor and information board in a front garden. Oh, and check your phone because you may find yourself on a French network. This is also the start of the Hastings Country Park which will take you up and down through a series of valleys and climbs to Hastings. At this point in our walk, we got caught in a brief but cold storm and there really is no shelter to be had as you conquer Fire Hills.
If you just want to explore this area, visit:
By now, you’ve walked about 12 or 13 km and enjoyed two fiesty climbs. From here to Hastings the landscape feels wild and rugged. There are wooded valleys and glens and the path twists down via steep steps to offer you valley views and then climbs again with more steps. Some of these are steep climbs but bracken, gorse and a thick canopy of trees with twisted oaks makes for interesting walking. The path is well signed and also has helpful markers if you want to explore other parts of the park, like the dripping well or the nudist beach – although beware, you have to climb down to the nudist beach via a rope! And yes we did! It’s a beautiful, secluded cove and I was curious but the climbing down caused much laughter all round. Clothing is optional and just for the record, I kept mine on.
By the time you get to the last climb of the day at Ecclesbourne, your legs are beginning to feel it. This is such a beautiful walk, part of you doesn’t want it to end but as you arrive at the vast open space of East Hill above Hastings Old Town, you do feel a sense of triumph. To give our feet a rest, we walked barefoot across the hill. We had also saved some cake we bought at the Pett Level café which we ate looking down over the town before we started down the many steps (the funicular was closed) in search of a lift back to the car.
If you want to double the wow factor of this walk, stay overnight in Hastings, and walk back via the 1066 Country Walk (Hastings Link). It’s about 20 km.
If you want to explore more of the Sussex coast, you may also like:
