East Dean walk: A stunning South Downs walk along chalk trails, old droveways and smugglers’ paths with incredible views and a glimpse of life back through the centuries.
At a glance
This 10 km walk has stunning views, wide skies and local wildlife, as well as that feeling of time and space that comes with walking the chalk paths of the South Downs. It’s perfect if you like getting off the beaten track, away from the crowds. And if you want a walk that can be shortened or lengthened, depending on time, energy or weather, this one is wonderfully flexible.
And if, when you walk, you like to immerse yourself in the stories of the people who have walked this way before you, then this walk will take you on a journey with prehistoric man, Romans, Saxons, Normans, smugglers, shepherds and even WWII bombers. The real joy of this walk lies in how much history is stitched into the land beneath your feet. Better still, there are a couple of benches for resting or picnicking on route, and a pub at the end.
Getting here & practicalities
The walk starts in East Dean, just outside Eastbourne in East Sussex.
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By car: Free parking in the village (including near the Hiker’s Rest area).
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By bus: Regular buses run between Eastbourne and Lewes, stopping directly in East Dean.
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Difficulty: Moderate. There are some long, steady climbs and a couple of sharper hills.
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Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchairs or those with mobility issues, but the paths are generally firm. Even in mid-winter, this route stays relatively un-muddy thanks to the chalk and elevation.
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Distance: Approx. 10 km, depending on variations.
- GPX file of route: East Dean Loop
The walk: East Dean to the Downs
From The Tiger Inn in East Dean walk back to the main road (the A259) and turn right. Follow the road, slowly starting to climb for a short distance until you take Downs View Lane to your left. First tarmac, then bridlepath, this cuts up through Ringwood Bottom, a sheltered valley running between steep slopes all the way up to the South Downs Way (a distance of about 3 km from the walk start).
It’s a perfect warm-up on a winter day, with gnarled hawthorn sporting bright red berries, yellow gorse and steep hills hemming you in on either side. It’s easy to imagine smugglers moving quietly through here at night, sheltered from view, voices low, contraband carried up towards Jevington. There’s a farm on the way up, and you can’t help wondering whether in centuries past, they kept look out there or lit a candle in the window to signal the way.
Sheep graze the slopes above with the unmistakable teddy-bear faces of the Southdowner, a breed that is listed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust among the UK native breeds. You’ll also pass flint walls enclosing the footprint of old farmsteads, a visual reminder of the integral role sheep and their shepherds once played here. The Sussex shepherds had their own distinctive culture and way of life up on the Downs.
As the path gradually climbs towards Eastbourne Down Golf Course, there’s one more timely reminder on this stretch of the walk of the people of yesterday. High up to your right is a distinct basin, dug into the sloping face of the Downs. There is a footpath up there if you want to detour, and it’s a short but steep climb. There is no information about it, but it has all the hallmarks of an old WWII bomb crater. You suddenly get a sense of what it must have been like out here during the war.
Back on the main path, keep walking straight up. I passed hardly anyone along this stretch, and although you are not actually far from the road and civilisation, the first part feels genuinely off the beaten track.
Joining the South Downs Way
Eventually, as you reach the top, the path meets the South Downs Way, and you turn left onto its inland, northern section. Between Eastbourne and Alfriston, the South Downs Way splits: many people hug the coast and the Seven Sisters path, but this inland option is often the quieter, and arguably richer, choice.
I expected crowds along this section. Granted, it was a very cold day, but there were none. The sky was clear blue, and but for the tell-tale frost on the grass, it looked almost summer-like, the only sound a light aircraft passing overhead. Birdsong seems to fade as you climb, replaced by wind and space.
Stop a short distance along the trail and look back. This is the first of the epic views that are going to be your companion for the rest of your walk. Eastbourne is laid out before you, as is the curving coast all the way to Hastings. If you know what you’re looking for, you can see St Mary’s Church in Old Town Eastbourne, which dates to the 12th century, the blue and yellow blocks of Sovereign Harbour and, far in the distance, a tiny white square which is Marine Court, on the approach to Hastings.
Views, basins and ancient routes
As you walk on, you can also see the voluptuous curve of Pevensey Bay beneath you, the Pevensey Levels that were once underwater and Pevensey Castle. Stop for a moment and imagine what it must have been like for a Saxon peasant, cutting his way along this path 960 years ago and spotting the 700 or so ships of William the Conqueror as he pulled into the bay at Pevensey to begin his invasion. From these lofty heights, our Saxon walker would have seen the army’s onward journey as it settled at the fort and then marched inland to Battle.
The path flattens out for a while and then starts to gently climb once more. Here, you intersect an ancient holloway and trackway linking Eastbourne’s wetlands with the downland, first used in the late Saxon period, over a thousand years ago, and still in use until at least 1900. According to Changing Chalk, a project led by the National Trust, this wasn’t just a path — it was a vital artery, etched into the land by centuries of human movement.
As the walk crests and dips, you’ll also notice mounds and shallow basins: a reminder that prehistoric man was here long before the Saxons. Standing here, you can imagine it all: Iron Age forts and burial grounds, horses’ hooves sparking on flint, Roman soldiers marching, Saxon lookouts watching the sea.
As you pass Beachy Brow and Foxholes Brow, the views get gradually more dramatic. Ahead lies Herstmonceux Castle (although you can’t make it out) and the distinctive Greensand Ridge that runs from Hastings to Heathfield. But look left too, as the views are all around.
Jevington, smugglers and choices
At a crossroads marked by a stone waymarker, a short distance after a trig point, the walk offers options. Ahead, in the valley, you’ll see the church at Jevington. This pretty village was a smugglers’ haunt, particularly known for James Pettit, or Jevington Jigg, but it’s also the birthplace of banoffi pie.
The return: crest or valley
But you’re turning left to start your slow descent back down to East Dean. You walk along the crest of the Downs for a while, and the views are simply breathtaking. Sea to your left (and you can still see Hastings fading into the distance behind), Newhaven ahead and the Rampion Wind Farm out at sea. Beddingham Hill and Firle Beacon in the distance. Something glints far away — perhaps it’s Ditchling Beacon, and it makes you realise just how readable Sussex becomes from up here.
There is a bench close to a circle of trees and an old farm enclosure with a poem carved on a plaque: Seascape by W. H. Auden. It offers a quiet, perfect moment of pause before the final descent. From here, paths give you choices again, crest or valley. Either is beautiful. I chose the high route with Belle Tout Lighthouse visible ahead, before dropping steadily back down towards East Dean.
Longer and shorter routes
For a longer walk, head to Jevington for lunch at the Eight Bells before walking on to Friston Forest and returning to East Dean. That way, you can add as little as two or three kilometres to your walk or longer, if you want to walk on to Westdean or explore the forest.
For a shorter walk, once you reach the South Downs Way, turn left at the first opportunity, just after Beachy Brow. This route is 8 km.
Back at base
And yes, back at East Dean, lunch is the perfect finish to your walk. Head to the Tiger Inn, where a warm fire and hearty Sussex menu await.
Final thoughts
If you want crowds, stick to the icons. If you want space, solitude and centuries underfoot, this walk delivers everything: chalk paths, sheep-shaped hills, smugglers’ routes, Saxon trackways and wide, breathing views. It’s a walk that rewards curiosity and imagination, and one you’ll want to do again, differently, each time.
If you’ve enjoyed this East Dean Walk, you may also like:
East Dean: The South Downs Village You Almost Miss, But Never Forget
