A long shingle stretch below the seafront, good for a swim on a calm day
The beach here runs the length of Eastbourne’s seafront below the Victorian promenade, and the water is rated Good for quality, the Environment Agency’s second-highest grade, one below Excellent. That rating is assessed through the summer bathing season rather than all year round, worth remembering if you’re planning a swim outside those months.
As with most beaches on this coast, quality can dip for a day or two after heavy rain, when more runoff drains into the sea. If it’s just rained hard, it’s worth giving it a little time before going in.
The town sits at the eastern end of the South Downs, with the chalk cliffs of Beachy Head starting a few miles to the west and Pevensey Bay along the coast the other way. Eastbourne station is a few minutes’ walk back from the front, so it’s an easy one to reach by train.
