Seaford in East Sussex is the gateway to some stunning landscape and is a great place for exploring on foot. There are a number of different Seaford walks you can do, including walking all the way to the Seven Sisters, Birling Gap and Beachy Head or sticking locally with The Slater Trail (which follows in the footsteps of the artist, Eric Slater).
Slater lived in Seaford and was inspired by the landscape, and The Eric Slater Trail is roughly 10 km, taking in various scenes that Slater painted. I did my own variation of this trail recently which takes in slightly more of the coastal path and which is just under 10 km (starting from the Martello Tower in Seaford). Please note, there are a couple of steep climbs.
The real joy of this part of the world is that you can shorten or lengthen these Seaford walks as much or as little as you want. If all you want to do is walk to Hope Gap and back from the Martello Tower, it’s 3 km each way. Or perhaps just drive to the car park at South Hill Barn, meander around and then walk down to the beach from there. Whatever you choose, it’s knock-out beautiful and this part of the world is an absolute haven for wildlife, particularly birds.
General Information
There are a number of ways to get to Seaford Head: you can walk along the King Charles III England Coast Path from the Martello Tower in Seaford, or via a footpath that takes you across Seaford Head Golf Club. You can drive or walk up to South Hill Barn where there is parking. There is a bus that runs along the A259 and you can walk back from there. It’s not a massive area to explore but it’s big enough and you’ll need Ordnance Survey Explorer 25.
Martello Tower to Hope Gap
From the Martello Tower, head east along the seafront to Splash Point. At Splash Point look out for The Shoal, a sculpture / bench. Beyond it are are also the remains of The House on the Cliff and the compelling chalky white cliffs.
It’s roughly 1 km to Seaford Head but you’ll feel it. That said, you are rewarded with amazing views. This is also part of the Vanguard Way, a long distance trail from London to Newhaven.
Seaford Head is the site of an Iron Age hillfort, and also an early Bronze Age round barrow. It’s also associated with a fair amount of folklore.
At a dip in the headland (called Buckle Church but there is no church that I could see) there was once a cave in the cliff face named “Puck Church Parlour”. It’s no longer accessible but legend has it a young lad died there trying to collect eggs, and some say Romans managed to land their ships in the cave.
Hope Gap to Cuckmere Haven
Keep following the path along with Hope Bottom’s soft curves to your left and Hope Gap to your right. With stunning views of the Seven Sisters ahead, you walk through a series of pointless gates with no fences attached, until you can make out the chimneys of the Coastguard Cottages.
Follow the path as it bears to the left and then turn right and walk down in front of the cottages. It’s a photo opportunity too good to miss and the path carries on all the way down to the beach at Cuckmere Haven. Take a moment here because it’s a lovely spot!
Cuckmere Haven to South Hill Barn (the long way)
You have two choices here, you can walk north along the banks of the river Cuckmere or you can retrace your steps a short distance from the beach and follow the Vanguard Way. Whichever way you go, before you get to Exceat Bridge, you take the first official footpath off to your left.
This path climbs back up from the valley towards civilisation and you can eventually see Seaford ahead of and below you. I got a little lost here as it was getting dark and I couldn’t read the map but at the top you go left, then right, then left in fairly quick succession and then follow the road all the way up in a straight line to South Hill Barn. It’s another climb. From the barn and car park, you want to make your way back towards the coastal path and then just retrace your steps back down towards the Martello Tower.
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