Photo of Fairlight Glen, a cove near Hastings in the High Weald, East Sussex, south east England.

Fairlight Glen© Phil Brandon Hunter / Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0

Beaches & swimming in East SussexEast Sussex, England

19 beaches and swimming spots in the Albion Guide across East Sussex — see the full beaches and swimming spots directory, or everything to explore in East Sussex.

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Fairlight Glen

Cove near Hastings

Wooded coastal glen in Hastings Country Park, dropping past a small cascade to a hidden cove.

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Saltdean Lido

Lido near Rottingdean

A Grade II* Art Deco lido of 1938 shaped like an ocean liner, saved by a community campaign and reopened in 2017.

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Birling Gap

Coastal | Excellent ★★★ near East Dean

A shingle beach at the foot of the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, reached by a steel staircase and looked after by the National Trust

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Pells Pool

Lido near Lewes

The oldest freshwater public outdoor pool in Britain still in use, built in 1861 in Lewes and fed by a chalk spring.

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Camber Sands

Coastal | Good ★★ near Rye

Broad dune-backed sandy beach.

Eastbourne

Coastal | Good ★★ near East Dean

A long shingle stretch below the seafront, good for a swim on a calm day

Sea Lanes Brighton

Lido near Brighton

A heated 50 m outdoor pool on Brighton beach, opened in 2023 as a training ground for swimmers heading into the sea.

Brighton beach

Coastal | Good ★★ near Brighton

The beach that helped invent the seaside holiday, and still a proper swim today

Pelham Beach

Coastal | Good ★★ near Hastings

Hastings' town beach under the castle crag, shingle giving way to sand as the tide drops

Seaford

Coastal | Excellent ★★★ near Westdean

A coastal swimming spot with excellent water quality.

St Leonards

Coastal | Excellent ★★★ near Hastings

A coastal swimming spot with excellent water quality.

Bexhill

Coastal | Sufficient ★ near Hastings

A coastal swimming spot with a sufficient water-quality rating.

Brighton Kemptown

Coastal | Excellent ★★★ near Brighton

A coastal swimming spot with excellent water quality.

Hove

Coastal | Excellent ★★★ near Brighton

A coastal swimming spot with excellent water quality.

Norman`s Bay

Coastal | Excellent ★★★ near Pevensey

A coastal swimming spot with excellent water quality.

Pevensey Bay

Coastal | Good ★★ near Pevensey

A coastal swimming spot rated good for water quality.

Rottingdean Beach

Coastal | Excellent ★★★ near Rottingdean

A coastal swimming spot with excellent water quality.

Saltdean

Coastal | Excellent ★★★ near Rottingdean

A coastal swimming spot with excellent water quality.

Winchelsea

Coastal | Good ★★ near Rye

A coastal swimming spot rated good for water quality.