A gap in the Seven Sisters cliffs with steps down to the beach and cottages inching towards the edge
Open accessNational Trust land — free to wander
The one break in the wall of chalk that makes up the Seven Sisters is at Birling Gap, and it’s the easiest way down onto the beach beneath them. Metal steps lead from the car park to the sand and shingle, one of the few points along this stretch where you can get under the cliffs rather than just look at them from above.
The row of coastguard cottages behind the café, in the care of the National Trust, has been getting shorter for years, losing ground to erosion one house at a time as the chalk behind them gives way. These cliffs don’t erode gently; they fail in sudden chunks. Stay well back from the top: the chalk overhangs further than it appears, and sections can collapse without notice.
The beach deserves the same caution. The foreshore under the Seven Sisters cuts off as the tide rises, so walking any distance towards Seaford to Beachy Head or back the other way needs a look at the tide times first, not an assumption there’s a way back later.
On a calm day with the tide out, though, it’s hard to beat: the sea is clean enough for a swim at Birling Gap itself, you can see for miles along the Sussex coast in both directions, and Seven Sisters Country Park is a stroll away inland along the river.
